C-Forum

Getting into smaller rivers/creeks. Currently have a Mr.Clean, Atom.
Was looking at The WS Diesel and the Dagger Nomad.
I weigh about 200 lbs and am about 6' tall.
I find the atom squirts to easily on me when I dont want it too, makes things interesting, lol.

Any thoughts??

Thanks in Advance!

Tiggy,

Have a look at the Robson Finkenmeister. Great boat, all you beed to do is add thigh straps (don't relay on the factory outfitting alone) and you will have, especially for a guy your size, an awesome riverrunner/creeker. I like it better than any of the conversions I ever tried.

Cheers!

Martin

others on this site have way more experience than i do with a variety of different boats...
i like the h3255. it's a fantastic all-around boat. i paddle mostly class 4-5. no super steep stuff. i've been paddling it(them) for two seasons, i'm guessing 130 days. and i haven't seen any other boat that i would be interested in. BUT... if i was running 30' waterfalls, i might look at something with a softer bottom....

the diesel is very popular with the kayakers around here, but they all seem to have a serious oil can thing going on... i'm sure it's no big deal. just looks tacky.

i haven't had the opportunity to paddle any other creekers except for the fink. which i was falling out of cause of the silly outfitting!!

hey
all you creekers need to come to cali in the spring so we can demo each other's boats. plan to spend two or three weeks in late may early june!

Larry,

give Bruce's FM another try now that he added the thigh straps. This change made world of a difference for me!

martin

Hey Martin...
You dont have any problems with the FM squirting on you? Thats one peave I have with the Atom. If I lean back a little it squirts alot of the time or catches the deck. Although its fun on the eddylines when trying to make a move it can be quite annoying. It IS a really cool looking boat. Would be interested in tring one.
Also, where do you get them in the U.S?

Tiggy,

It had initially a slight tendency to squirt on me when punching bigger holes, but nowhere near as much as the Atom did.
Changing the trim slightly (adding ~1 3/4 of foam to the seat back to move myself forward a bit took care of that.
The sides of the boat are very high and have a lot of flare, so grabbing the deck is not an issue and boils have virtually no effect on the boat.
The boat will probably handle even better for you than it did for me, as at 185 - 190 lbs I am at the lower end of the weight limit for it, as I did a multiday trip with gear in it this spring (probably ~40 lbs of stuff in the boat), and it thought that overall it probably handled almost better than when empty.

Check Robson USA for the nearest dealer. Most are either in the North West or Cali, the closest one to Colorado is probably the one in Montana.
http://www.robsonusa.com/Robson3.htm

Cheers!

Martin

Hi Tiggy,

I second the motion on Martin's recommendation of the Robson Finkenmeister with thigh straps . If I can get my act together next year, I would consider taking the Fink down Cherry Creek - something I haven't done since my Cascade days. I had an Atom and liked the boat alot but things did get hairy on 4+/5 and steep creeks.

Larry and I have switched boats a couple of times and I have to say that the Pyranha H3 255 makes a very good conversion.

I would like to make a pitch for supporting manufacturers (Robson & Drakkar) who are producing well-designed C1's. If we ignore the companies that are taking a chance with our small market, C-boaters will ultimately lose. Interest in producing boats that are designed specifically for the C boater will fade away. We will again need to resort to kayak conversions, which are functional but inherently inferior to C1 designs.

SYOTR,
Bruce

Creekers I heard C-boaters to like:
Necky Blunt
Dagger Nomad 8.5
Dagger Nomad 8.1
WS Diesel 75
Fluid Solo
Robson Finkenmeister
Pyranha H3

I paddle a Nomad 8.5 and it's a good boat. It performs as good as a Blunt
for my paddling and does some things better. I'd look for something that does
not have the flattest bottom for creeking. Even on 15 or 20 feet drops, the leanding can be really hard. A somewhat rounded hull makes a big difference.
How hard the landing feels has a lot to do with how aerated the water is.
20 feet into a green pool is ugly whereas 30 feet into a nice pile is no problem.

If you mainly run rivers with more volume and less gradient, a flat bottom is nice since you don't get bogged down and it's easier to stay on top of the water.

Cheers, Jan

The all time classics would be the WaveSport Y and the Necky Blunt... but new on the scene, check out the Fluid Solo!!! Pics and video on justfluid.com.

offside boof fanatic,
Joe

Got a Riot Big Gun and I'm lovin it, boofs great, no harder than the Atom, surfs better IMO (nose doesn't catch when front surfing). It has a hatch on the back so is
possble to go away camping for a wknd.

The Riot Magnum is a newer version, the Sniper a smaller one.





OC.

[img]http://www.steepcreeks.com/boatPage/big ... ekboat.jpg[/img]

Thanks for the feedback.
Although I dont think Ill be plunging off of any 30 foot waterfalls, (not intentionally anyway!! ) Its good to hear from other c-boaters about thisstuff.
I live in Colorado so you can imagine that the lack of c-boats here is in full effect. I have only kayakin buds to ask this stuff to.
I really like the looks of the Necky Blunt and the Dagger Nomad.
Im tryin to get rid of length without sacrificing volume. At first sight of the FM, its a good looking boat but Im hesitant to jump on one because of its length. Would love to try one though!! The 8 footers are looking better to me. Quicker turning in theory??
Also, Ill be looking at a used boat to convert in order to justify beating the snot out of it lol.
Heres another question.... C- cockpit vs Kayak Cockpit...
Seems the kayak conversions are more comfortable although slightly problematic for getting locked in. ( not literally)
I like the room they offer, conversely I like the sleekness of the C-cockpit, but find it to be a little uncomfortable in the sides of me hips. (probably need to stretch more).
Agian thanks for the tips, and if any you guys get out to Colorado send a post.

Tiggy,

The C cockpit is round to improve thigh contact with the boat. The tigher the 'thigh lock', the more control you'll have on the boat.

Bruce

advertising . . . they say that half of it is wasted, but which half? (or something like that) . . . I keep looking at the most recent AW magazine cover - the one with Clay Wright in that green H3 up close . . . what a cool looking boat . . . it just looks awesome . . . i really want to get one just after seeing that picture . . . I can't understand why, except that it just looks freakin cool . . . Maybe it's the same impulse that made C-1 look cool in the first place . . . who knows . . . i never realized how cool a color green was for boats . . . H3 . . .

- Just another Potomac boater

Hi Tiggy,

I'm 195 and tried Martins Finkenmeister at the Gatineau- I previously thought the boat would be crap based on the stern- Martin did move the outfitting forward and I thought it was a really nice boat. It turned nicely-

I still havent done the Nomad conversion yet

The gus is probably going back to K1 this weekend unless someone wants to try it as a c1 at canoe week. and contacts me soon-the width/internal rails were the negative points for me- other wise the hull design I think is sound

Cant wait to try the fatboy out! I think everyone who owns a c1 design will agree- except the groove and oxygen, you cant beat the stability of a c1 design compared to a conversion.

Plus who will design c1s if the community prefers to convert kayaks

Bill

True, True.
Im still interested in trying a FM out, I seriously have a lack of resources regarding C-1, Oc-1s , anything "C" related out here in Colorado. Basicly buy to try