C-Forum

The Skeeter, Quake, the various Fly's and now the Taureau.
Can anybody explain to me the appeal of these not really open, not really decked boats?
I demoed the prototype Taureau yesterday. It's a sweet hull but it's pretty wet. Looking at the Esquif site it appears that the production boats have an additional coaming that would make it dryer but why not set it up for a skirt and have a realy dry boat?
I really liked the boat. Wish it was a C1.

Tommy

i here ya brother. aren't they kind of like tupperware containers with missing lids?

Haven't paddled the Taureau......but I loved my Quake.
It was one of the best creeking Hulls I've been in.
It is dry for creeking, too. Dryness on steep creeks has a lot to do with how easy it is to boof. The QUake was awesome for that.

I would not want to paddle for running bigger volume though.

CHeers, Jan

here in the Uk there isnt may people that do OC1 freestyle but it seems like they use spanish flys instead of CU flys. i loved the spanish fly i paddled it was stable and because i'm light i find it easy to paddle. unfortunatly i am only 13( nearly 14 so lots of peaople looked with interest, i think,) the is a superfly but thats just the same really. The CU fly is a good short boat and i dont know why more people dont use that for freestyle.
i now am beeing lent a savage skeeter and i find that more easy to paddle, and carry,.
it all about what you want from a boat.
personally at the moment i will only feel comfortable paddling a open( with no straps) then a boat with a spreydeck because i have lost my confidence using a sprey deck ( i forgot to pull my spreydeck and ended up dangling upsidedown )
so i will only go on whitewater in a open.
and small opens are easier to store then big opens.

My main reason for switching from kayak to OC many years ago was the comfort of the boats (I suffer from back problems not knee problems). Open boats are much more comfortable than closed decks, even boats like the Superfly which I sometimes paddle.

In order to close in the decks of one of these boats to put on a spraydeck you would lose that comfort and freedom which an open boat gives.

The superfly is also very nice for paddling low volume creeks, though it is incredibly wet on high volume.

Jon

I think OC1 is pretty well unbeatable for low volume creeks, I've paddled a Prelude and a Skeeter. With the bulkhead outfitting, you can get in and out really quickly (great if you have to hop out in a hurry to scout something ...) They can be wet, especially on biger volume runs. I play around in holes with an OC1, but I can see why people don't ise them more for freestyle - too much work draining them!

BTW - UK boaters, where is there to paddle right now, and is there anywhere to rent or borrow an OC1? I'm spending more and more time in the UK and would like to get out boating sometime.

Thanks,

Martyn

The only freestyle specific OC that I've paddled is the Spanish Fly. I ordered one without ever getting in and trying one out. This boat allowed me to start paddling class V without being concerned too much about cracking my hull when I boof. Ahhhh to boof what an added joy on the river. Everyone that tries to say that the Fly is not really an OC has never paddled one full of H2O. I agree that if all that you want to do is park and play, then yes a C-1 makes more sense, but that is not where my passion is. After years of paddling w/ kayakers I can now make many of the same moves that they are doing. The boat is also short enough to fly places with and squeeze down "kayak only" runs. I'm excited to see Esquif's new designs and it sounds like Drakkar has some stuff in the works. My dream is that with Confluence now owning Dagger/Wavesport/Mad River, they might actually throw some money into a new OC using modern kayak technology. As everyone knows OC has seen a MAJOR decline. You traditional, dry running folks out there.... please help with the rebirth of OC by supporting these new designs and openiing your eyes to a non traditional OC. Thanks, Bob

Martyn, This time of year there is very little paddling in the UK apart from a couple of short dam fed rivers. In the next couple of months however the rains should come, and the best paces for boating are North Wales, Lake District, Scotland, and the South West.
As regards getting hold of boats, WW OC paddling is not very big over here, but Esquif are trying to get into the market over here, and you may be able to get hold of a demo boat from one of their reps.
The best source of contacts would be here
[url]http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/[/url]
In the community section there is a canoe group.
If you fancy a paddle please feel free to contact me, though unfortunately I have just moved my second boat to France.

Jon

Martyn wrote:
BTW - UK boaters, where is there to paddle right now, and is there anywhere to rent or borrow an OC1? I'm spending more and more time in the UK and would like to get out boating sometime.

Thanks,

Martyn

If your near nottingham then go to holme peire pont.( spelling please)
it great fun and there are people that will help you get out if you have to come out.
http://www.hppcc.co.uk/ there is a link there of some pictures of it.
besides that then uk river guide book will have some names of places to go

If you go to Holme peirre pont( spelling) then there is desperate meausers that should be able to lend you one.
I dont think they have any pyranhas to lendbut i think theres a CU fly there.
other then that i have not a clue

Jon and Grinner,

Thanks for the information. Doesn't look like I will get in any boating on this trip but I expect to be back in the winter. Are the creeks still going off then or is it weir season?

Martyn

Holme peirrepont can flood out in the winter but the creeks jon mensioned should be working.
Holme peirrepont is great fun and it can really test you.

I have only limited experience of open boat freestyle (at the moment), but holme Pierpoint is good fun. Up until recently I had a Dagger Aftershock and it played OK there.

The Aftershock is same generation as spanish fly and was a great boat. I ran 4 and 5 in it in the UK with no problem.

Just got myself an Esquif Zoom. It is a traditional shape, but only 9 foot long. Unlike the Prelude, which lacks waterline length, it has a good hull design and performs with a comparable standard to the aftershock on the rivers. Easy to roll too! Very dry and boofs nice.

The skeeter is a boat I could not recommend (personnally). I had one for a year and it was not a performance boat!

If anyone is over in the UK look me up. I paddle with a small group of dedicated OC1 boaters who are into running rivers. kjhughes@darlington.ac.uk

Ken