C-Forum

I am considering a replacement for my Skeeter. My knees really can not take a low C1 saddle, so in considering the options and from what I read; a Taureau seems like a good possible replacement candidate. From what I can tell, the Taureau is drier, lighter, and shorter then my Skeeter. I have also considered a Spanish Fly (never paddled one), but the Taureau seems smaller and lighter.

Here are my questions:

I really like the Skeeter’s size and stability with or without water in the boat. I also like paddling an Ocoee. The only things that I really do not like about the Skeeter are the weight and wetness. So how does the Taureau paddling characteristics compare to the Skeeter?

Is the side seam still a problem? I think I read that the side seam is also hard on your hands when rolling, true?

I do not plan on wearing a skirt; however, I would think the extra skirt thing would also help keep more water out, even if I am not using a skirt, true?

How does the plastic compare in terms of durability to the Skeeter?

What is MSRP and are there any Esquif dealers in Colorado that I could check one out at?

Thanks

AJ

I believe there is an Esquif dealer in Ft. Collins.

A friend of mine has a Taureau and I did not have any problems with the seam when rolling it. But I've only rolled it once.

Just bought a Taureau (I'm the one Randy is referring to). The only boat of a similar design that I've paddled is my wife's Quake. I've been paddling a Mohawk Probe 12 II up till now.

My understanding is the seam problem has been corrected.

Randy answered the question on rolling it (I'm still working to get mine) !

The dealer is:

The Mountain Shop
632, South Mason
Fort Collins, 80524
tel: (970) 493-5720
fax: (970) 493-7404
info@themountainshop.com
http://www.themountainshop.com

The times that I have been able to surf it, I would think that I had really loaded it with water. When I went to empty it, I was really surprised that I had picked up as little as I did. It did not effect the performance of the boat like any other boats that I have paddled. And this is without bags. Still trying to get the right ones.

Yes, the T-lite seems different and I guess the jury is still out on its durability. I have not had the opportunity yet to really test it.

I'm sure that dude, Smerda (aka decker), has something to say about the boat!

So far, I love the boat and its handling.

The Taureau IMO is more stable than the Skeeter- The Taureau was off the Market for between 12-15 months till they fixed the seam problem- I hadn't heard of any durability issues other than the seam.

It is lighter than the Skeeter The MSRP is $1380 without airbags

I've only used the Taureau once for a river run-partly because of draught and partly because I mostly c1- it seemed drier than the skeeter

AJ
I just got my Taureau and I don't have a wealth of experience with it, but I have some opinions on some of your questions.
I haven't paddled either the Spanish Fly or the Skeeter, so I can't compare handling and performance. Previous to this purchase, I have paddled mainly C-1's with an occasional spin in friends' open boats. The Taureau is much more stable than any of the numerous C1's I have owned, and seems comparable to most of the short open boats in that respect.
One of many reasons that I bought the Taureau is that as I grow older and the knees get creakier, I was looking for a boat that had a higher more comfortable saddle. The saddle in my Taureau is 8 1/4 inches off the floor as it came from the factory. That height, along with the comfy foam bulkhead for the knees, make being in the boat very, very comfortable. I believe I will be able to spend long days in the boat with no problems.

In regard to the side seam being tough on your hands - the newer versions of the Taureau have a lower profile and smoother seam. When rolling it, I have not noticed bumping or scraping up against the seam. Some boaters do report that they have scrapped their knuckles performing normal paddling strokes. I haven't had this problem with my boat.

I bought the version of the Taureau that has the combing (sp) to accept spray skirts. The demo boat that I tried did not. The combing even without a skirt being attached would seem to divert water from pouring into the cock-pit, like you suggested. However, the portion of the deck that surrounds the cock-pit in both versions is fairly high, is designed to divert water, and makes the boat quite dry, except in the more extreme conditions. As perhaps a negative point, it is my opinion that the combing (without a skirt being attached) makes rolling slightly more difficult. The combing acts as resistance as the deck rotates thru the water compared to the smooth deck presented by the original version of the Taureau. I guess if I was not going to use a spray skirt, I would purchase the original version that comes without the combing. You would save some money here too - about $60 to $70. Plus, you might be able to purchase a used original style Taureau as they have been out on the market for a while and save additional money. The ones with combing just came out this summer and used ones probably have not hit the market.
I haven't had my boat sufficiently long to comment on its durability.

Jack

Thanks for the input! I am very interested in trying the boat.

Dan and his bro have closed the Mountian Shop. Not sure, what is going to happen to the Esquif Dealership in Colorado?

AJ

I've had a Taureau for a little over a year now and came from and Ocoee. I've only paddled the Skeeter once. The Taureau is light, dry, dimble, and stable. It does not have as hard chines as the Ocoee, but will carve turns and you can release the boat much easier. It's great surfing and will spin easily on a wave. It won't track as well and doesn't have the speed of the skeeter, but is faster then a Quake or Fly for comparison.

I don't believe it will be as durable at the Skeeter, but I've paddled mine hard for a year and it is not showing any real signs of ware above the usual surface scratches. (And one deeper scratch from landing on a rock off a fall which I though was going to do real damage but barely shows)

I think it rolls easier then the skeeter (but I've only rolled the skeeter once. It will definitely rollup drier and performs bette with water then anyother boat I've paddled.

I'd defnitely recommend you take one for a test drive.

I disagree with Steward on the speed of the Taureau, I paddled it pretty much back to back one day this spring with a Quake, Spanish Fly and my Prelude (which is, as far as I know, essentially a Skeeter with a traditional deck area).
I definitely found the Taureau slow, with the Fly being a tad faster. The Quake I found to be quite a bit faster and the Prelude (Skeeter) the fastest of the lot.

It's definitely drier than a Fly or a Skeeter.
The Taureau and the the Fly are very similar in terms of handling and stability, but the fly is, due to its lower volume ends, more play oriented.

Bothe the Fly and Taureau have more primary stability than the Skeeter, not really sure about the secondary one, I thought they were quite similar

According to the factory specs, the Taureau is a bit lighter than the fly (42 vs 46 lbs) .

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

For those of you in Southern Ontario that maybe Interested in the Taureau, I have both a demo and a new boat here.

Al Greve wrote:For those of you in Southern Ontario that maybe Interested in the Taureau, I have both a demo and a new boat here.

Already done the demo thing Al. Now it's shopping time
Does the new one have the coaming and what is our CAD price?

Jeff

Hey Al,

I'm the new Esquif dealer for Colorado. http://www.canoecolorado.com

Bill Rivers has a Spanish Fly, you might hook up with him. He said he's using it more than his Ocoee. Esquif also has the Fly in production. Not sure who would have a Taureau. I debated bringing one in with our first sample order (brought in one of each open boat) but decided to start with what I know.

I don't have a pricelist handy right now, but I think the price for a Fly is $1,550 rigged (but no floatbags), the Taureau is about $100 less.

get one

This boat sounds great for creeky, manky Front Range stuff, where I don't want to beat up my Ocoee on.

Also, in the Search boats, under creeking, it says a skeeter is 28lbs. , not my skeeter

Now I have to talk the wife into it. Oh Boy, I told her the Skeeter was the last boat I ever needed! The times are a changing.

A few months ago I put a request in for suggestions for our fleet of open boats for our Mexico paddling adventures.

Here is what we came up with.

2 Taureaus
2 Solitos
2 Detonators
7 Outrages
1 Outrage X
2 Blasts (tandem)

Thanks again for everyones input.

jim

www.whitewater.ca

Thats perfect Jim! I glad you when with a couple of Taureau's now I don't have any reason why not to head down, whats the ideal time to come?