C-Forum

I am looking for a canoe to learn open boating. I weigh about 250# and will probably not run anything harder than class III. Would prefer to find something to learn in without breaking the bank. Any advice would be appreciated. Am a buttboater that wants to learn ww canoe.

Dave, see "Cboats lose weight diet!" thread a little down!

250# in an 11' boat is actually a little on the heavy side.. you can do it, but it aint as fun, esp if you run shallow rivers.

If you're a beginner, I'd suggest a 13' boat minimum for your weight. Outrage X, Vertige, or something like that. You might be able to pick up an outrage, etc..

Problem is that you sit deep. Prone to hitting the bottma, or taking on water easily. When you have water, that adds another 50 lbs easy, and the boat is like a freight train, you can't steer it AT ALL..

Here's 3-4 photos of my fat a$$ in an 11' boat ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/cmnypny/200 ... 3433361394

I'm already sitting deep in the water, I pretty much made all my lines that day (ok, cept for these photos! but it wasnt fun in a "small" boat.

Try a Nitro. I am at 250 and it felt pretty good. If you can find an Encore it is a great boat for the larger paddler.

Thanks for the info. I think that I will be looking for a larger boat. Any thoughts about an older Mad River ME? Havent seen an Outrage X or Vertige for sale used within a reasonable drive, however I have seen an ME and a Nitro.

Dave

I have had an ME and an Outrage X. Sold both and now have bought another ME. I wouldn't buy another Outrage X. As far as the vertige goes I haven't paddled one. The ME is a good boat. It is long, very long by todays standards. It is wet, any drops and it dives to the bottom. It is very forgiving, turns well, and will bridge most holes. My ME is not seeing as much water these days though, I picked up a Encore off of Ebay last fall and it is a great boat for the Plus Sized Paddler. If you know someone who has one take it for a test ride. If you are near Atlanta let me know and I will bring out the ME and the Encore and you can give the both a ride.

Good Luck

Trey

Maybe consider the Mohawk Shaman, it's fairly high volume, and long. Not sure about it's use or reviews by larger people.

It's a really great boat. Not hard to learn in, because it's really stable and forgiving, but it has semi-hard chines that make it carve really nicely. But at the same time, you won't grow out of it skill-wise.

Nate

Saw a huge guy, bigger and heavier than me, run a Shaman down a six night trip on the San Juan. The boat was not seriously overloaded, even with his camping gear crammed under the front bag, but the performance was compromised more than necessary because he had his saddle too far back.

Here's a question. Why does Hemlock's pricey composite Shaman have a claimed weight of 36 pounds, while Millbrook's similar Rival has a claimed (and probably accurate) weight of 28 pounds? Is Hemlock over-outfitting the boat in some way? Unnecessarily heavy gunwales? Installed seat? I would slightly rather have the Shaman, but I have a Millbrook c-1, so I know Kaz's quality.

There's actually lots to choose from, they just won't be short, sporty rodeo boats, the sportiest to look at might be a Zephyr, but you're not likely to find one used.

In addition to the above (Nitro, Outrage X, Vertige), you might consider a Prodigy X, a Rival or a Mohawk 12 or 12II. An Esquif Blast might be good too. In my opinion, an ME is a bit too much like paddling a tandem boat solo, great for tripping or taking the kids, but I'd try a 12 or 13' modern solo boat if can find one.

If there's a Nitro available in your area, lucky you.

PY.

p.s. I'm probably 220lbs and in a 12' Outrage.