C-Forum

tried a short ride in a new OC1 this past weekend. Designed by composite creations, a guy by the name of Andrew Phillips based out of London Ontario.

Just surfed it a bit, nice primary stability and a flat planning hull. Looks and feels much like an ocoee that has been shortened and updated by some of the hull innovations that have come to playboating kayaks with the advent of the flat hull.

Definitely worth trying out. Looks like they will be going exclusively in composite for now. I mentioned the C forum and suggested Andrew post some photos of some of his prototypes.

Also features cast in place float tanks instead of airbags, quite interesting.

*I have no affiation with the company, just interesting to try out new boats

I had a chance to paddle the boat too. Its fast. I've always been a little skeptical of composite hull durability but this one seemed to be holding up really well on a rocky river. Its definitely worth giving this boat a try if you get the chance.

I tried that boat once as well, very interesting concept.
The one I tried was the prototype, it was quite heavy for a composite boat and the trim was wrong (saddle too far back), but it definitely has potential. It surfs very nicely, as it has a flat bottomed center section with a double chine similar to the Esquif Detonator/Nitro, but narrower and sharper ends and probably more rocker.
I found it's speed about average for it's length, and it was fairly easy to roll, despite an outfitting that did not really fit me well.

Here is a link to a picture of the boat.

http://vvcc.canoeontario.ca/gallery/Gul ... 2100249532

martin

I got to paddle the Bulldog again this weekend , pretty much back to back with a Zoom and my Prelude.
This one had better outfitting (Mike Yee outfitting, Mike is currently paddling a bulldog, as far as I know) than the first one I tried, and it was well properly trimmed (the first one had the saddle a good 4 - 5 inches too far back).
I also got to spend more time in it than ther first time I paddled it.
I liked it a lot, it surfs like a dream, better than the Zoom and Prelude, and is almost as maneuvrable as the Prelude and definitely more so than the Zoom. In terms of speed it felt as if it is somewhere in between the Zoom and the Prelude.
It rolls really easy and is definitely lighter than both the Zoom and Prelude. And it has the stiffness and 'feel' of a composite boat.
The only thing I disliked was the fact that I think the built in floatation tanks were a bit on the small side, as the boat felt very wobbly and sluggish once swamped, due to the large amount of water it holds, but Andrew said that changes are in the works...
If I was in the market for a riverrunning open boat, I would definitely think very hard about getting a Bulldog!

martin

Hey Martin,

I've heard that the next BullDog will have bigger floatation tanks. I think if they built that boat with bigger tanks and hatches for gear storage, it would be an incredible boat for self supported river tripping.