C-Forum

Hi All,
I had the chance to paddle a rendezvous a couple of weeks ago, and liked it a lot. It is supposed to be good for downriver class 2-3; I was wondering if anyone here had given it a go; if so, did you outfit it with a saddle?

Thanks

Mike

I have a Mad River guide which is similar, I had a saddle in it but removed it and installed a regular cane seat that leans forward about 15deg which lines my legs up well with the knee pads.

The boat is "rollable" like that but a class 2/3 cruiser doesn't really need rolling imo and I enjoy the cane seat setup in this boat much more than the saddle.

...Well, haven't paddled it. This Spring was the first time I've seen the boat run ww...and their ability to hit an eddy at moment's notice really surprised me.

I have a Wenonah Rogue, 16ft. 3" of rocker. Great boat. It's their
best river tandem. Can be paddled backwards, solo or with a child
in the (new) front. Cane seats with knee pads. Handles class 3 with ease , very dry.

The Rendezvous comes in both a Royalex and composite version. I paddle a Kevlar Flexcore 'vous and love the boat as a general tripper. The Royalex has a 15" center depth, Kevlar 14"

Outfitting with a saddle is overkill. I install full Mikey rigging in about two Royalex a year, for people who want to roll it. As others have noted, it's not going to go into conditions where a roll is critical. The stock web seat makes more sense.

It is a great boat for class I-II touring, it will survive class III but it's not really a playboat.

If you're looking at an older Royalex boat, they had some flare/ seat placement issues. I built a page a few years back on how to fix it (newer boats are better).

http://www.canoecolorado.com/canoeing/w ... ification/

Hi Eric,

I paddled the royalex, but only on flatwater; I like the no worry part of royalex-does the kevlar version handle significantly differently?

I am mainly looking for a solo canoe for streams/small rivers/quiet waters.

Thanks for the comments, everyone

Mike

Eric Nyre wrote:The Rendezvous comes in both a Royalex and composite version. I paddle a Kevlar Flexcore 'vous and love the boat as a general tripper. The Royalex has a 15" center depth, Kevlar 14"

Outfitting with a saddle is overkill. I install full Mikey rigging in about two Royalex a year, for people who want to roll it. As others have noted, it's not going to go into conditions where a roll is critical. The stock web seat makes more sense.

It is a great boat for class I-II touring, it will survive class III but it's not really a playboat.

If you're looking at an older Royalex boat, they had some flare/ seat placement issues. I built a page a few years back on how to fix it (newer boats are better).

http://www.canoecolorado.com/canoeing/w ... ification/

I've spent quite a bit of time in both and yes the Kev handles musch better, as with most composite vs. Rx. I think they are great 'cruising' boats not great for above class III but can pound through a lot of different types of water. Great for swift water class II cruising. Go Kevlar!!
B

The Kevlar boat is faster and more responsive. The Royalex is sluggish, but still works. Considering the price difference (roughly $1,794 for a KevFlex with molded in skidplates, vs $924 for basic Royalex), about half our people opt for Royalex. Only those who plan to do extended tripping go Kevlar, in part for the speed difference.

I took a fiberglass Rendezvous down the South Nahanni from Moose Ponds to Blackstone, loaded with a months worth of gear, through class III water. It survived, but needed some repairs after the second day. Royalex would have held up to such abuse better (hitting rocks with an extra 150lbs of gear in the boat doesn't make any boat happy). I haven't seriously hurt a Kevlar boat yet, beyond the normal gel chips.

For streams, small rivers and quiet waters, unless you're needing speed, light weight or a faster response (unlikely on all three) you might as well stick to Royalex.