Favorite Boats

Decked Canoes, Open Canoes, as long as they're canoes!

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jim gross
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Lets see

Post by jim gross »

Well I,m 6 foot, 196, Been workin out. I,m also a sagitarius and love the outdoors and cuddlin on the couch, fires that burn all nite. OOPS i,m sorry this isn,t a singles add i,m answering. My favorite boats, yes now i remember. I just loved my Ocoee, Had the first one in Washington DC area and every one thought i was a maniac for usein it. Favorite C-1s have to be the proto types i design and build. Nothing like running a river usein a paddle and boat you built . JIM
Li'l D
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Post by Li'l D »

I just took out my calculator and averaged the heights and weights. Of the 39 who responded the average height is 5'11 and the average weight is 183.5 pounds. At 5'2 and 115 pounds I guess it's no wonder why I am still searching for my favorite boat.

I started water sports as a sailor but bought an Old Town Camper when I moved inland. My paddling partner and I signed up for a tandem whitewater class when we discovered we really couldn't control the canoe very well on a windy and slightly rocky river. One thing led to another and I ended up with a Rival in 1995. We parted and the boat sat until 2000 when I started to paddle it again. My instructer at a Madawaska clinic told me it was too big for me and put me in his Phantom. This worked OK but unable to buy one I bought a Zoom. The Zoom may be small but a lighter person floats high on the water and becomes susceptible to every hole on the river. It is also very heavy for its size.

If I were a boat builder/designer I would create a boat that a smaller person or a child could paddle. It would have to be narrow enough so shorter arms can get a vertical paddle stroke and light enough so a smaller person could put it on the car or carry it to the river.

Only my love for the elegance of the single blade has kept me from the dark side for there are a lot more choices available in kayaks. So in the mean time I'll be in the Zoom or swimming beside it.
billcanoes
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Lil D

Post by billcanoes »

Sorry to mess the thread up but you might want to try a Viper 11. I'm 5'6" when wearing tall sandals :) So I completely understand the bow width dillemna. I liked the Viper 11, I thought it was wetter than the Viper 12, but I'm also a tad over 190. Also the gunwale height makes a big difference for us shorter torso'd folk. I cant get around a prelude (it sits to deep) to reach high enough to roll- anyway the Vipe 11 was the first OC1 I rolled. I've never tried the Zoom - I wonder because of your weight if people just stuck you in smaller boats- when the width and height IMO are more important.
Jim P
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Not to hujack the thread but

Post by Jim P »

As to the height, the Esquif boats are a bit taller. A Viper 11 will be wider than a Zoom but not as tall.

The Spark would be as narrow a production plastic boat I am aware of. Again its a tall sided boat, but a little work and you could cut it down to size. Same for your Zoom, perhaps a nice winter project, replace the vinyl gunwales with wood to save a couple pounds and cut it down 1/2 to one inch while you are at it. Should still run dry with a small payload.

Of course those of us on the other side of the scale @200+, long for high performace boats for the larger framed (and padded) people.
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Berkshire Jack
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Post by Berkshire Jack »

sbroam wrote
[Always wanted to try one of those - it looked like my Whiplash, but with the right width!]

You are right about the width. It definitely makes this kayak a good C1. My wife has a Whiplash, and the Redline does better rear squirts. The more bulbous front on the Redline helps shed water during foward surfs and helps keep pearling to a minimum.
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yarnellboat
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Post by yarnellboat »

Li'l D,

As an alternative to the Zoom and Viper 11, you could look at an Evergreen Solito. It might be deep too? But I'd say it's a little person's boat.

PY.
jim gross
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Welp

Post by jim gross »

Lil-D wow your just my type. C boater and petite. Do ya like older sagitarians. Sorry I,m not geographicaly dateable. OOPS, darn it this still isn,t a datein site. BWAHAHAHAHAH. JIM
Open Gate
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Post by Open Gate »

[quote="Li'l D"]I just took out my calculator and averaged the heights and weights. Of the 39 who responded the average height is 5'11 and the average weight is 183.5 pounds. At 5'2 and 115 pounds I guess it's no wonder why I am still searching for my favorite boat. quote]

If only these numbers were for the average north american male...hospitals would be alot less crowded.

Have you tried the splash ?(Al Greve's design canoewater@netscape.ca , made by Composite creations) OC1 designed for kids with upper weight range around 120lbs.. definitely for smaller people.

Just a thought !
Last edited by Open Gate on Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
boatbuster
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Class III and IV creeks are my favorites

Post by boatbuster »

North Fork of the French Broad, Wilson Creek and Big Creek in the Smokies, but I have also run a few harder rivers including the Lower Rocky Broad, Watauga and Pigeon River Dry Gorge. I am 6 feet, 180# and paddle a Savage Superfly on anything class III-IV and easier, ie. the Ocoee. For harder or steeper runs, my favorite boat is my Mad River Outrage, outfitted with a custom bulkhead saddle system and wood trim.

Another favorite boat I have owned is the Whitsell Whirlwind, which was designed by my old friend, David Sherrill.

My other boats include an Overlow X C1, an Evergreen OCA tandem canoe, a beat up Phantom and a two-man Russian cataraft. I paddle them all, but with the drought I am mainly in the Superfly except when the Cheoah runs, then you will see me in the blue Outrage as long as it lasts.
cadster
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RE: Favorite Boats

Post by cadster »

Height: 5’ 8”
Weight: 190 lbs.
What type of water you paddle (and class): All types up to IV+

First ran rivers in a tandem Grumman; learned whitewater boating in a Mirage K-1; learned OC-1 in a Sunburst; and learned C-1 in a Blackwater.

Have spent the most river time in a Cascade; improved my technique the most in an Atom; and had the most fun in an Ocoee.

Currently have: a 16’ SOAR inflatable, MR Explorer, Ocoee, Cascade, AMP, Burn, and a Fluid Flirt.
LEW
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Post by LEW »

Height 5'10"
Weight 145#
Favorite boat: Esquif Blast, paddled with Lil'D (aka: "River Princess") in the bow.
http://cboats.net/gallery/index.php?alb ... ge=ls6.jpg
Favorite C-1 river runner: Extrabat
Has lots of speed, the low volume stern squirts really well.
Favorite C-1 squirt: Toss-up between Maven and Oxygen.
Maven has more speed, but feels very unstable. Oxygen is really slow, but sinks easily.
Favorite OC-1: Li'D's Dagger Rival
R-lite, with wood gunnels is almost as lite as kevlar and the wood gunnels look really nice. Surfs well, has good speed for making hard moves.
Last edited by LEW on Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
fiddleboat
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Lil D

Post by fiddleboat »

Lil D -
I'm about your size (in fact, you have a couple inches on me!), and I started paddling whitewater in a Viper 11 or 12 (that I borrowed from Eric - he knows what length it is). After about a year, I switched to paddling mostly c1 - briefly in a converted X, then a converted Y, and now finally in my own boat, a converted GT. What a difference! I feel that I can reach the water much better in the cboats, but even amongst them, there is a big difference, mainly for cross strokes.

I paddled a zephyr in a clinic this summer, and really liked it. I don't know if it's the boat design, or because it's light, or because I've improved over the last couple years, but it felt much more maneuverable than the Viper ever did. Reaching over the gunwales did feel like a stretch though, and I had to work at getting a vertical paddle shaft without heeling the boat. (It took me awhile to get close - I won't claim that my paddle is ever really vertical, whatever boat I paddle) It'd be nice to find an OC-1 that feels truly comfortable.

So yes - I'm all for boat designs for little people!

Julie
Ed Eout
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fave boat

Post by Ed Eout »

It was a Viper 12 and she bobbed around like a cork! Never flipped though.

I'm 5"10", 180#. My favorite boat is the one I'm going to buy next ;-)
have fun or go home!
TommyC1
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Post by TommyC1 »

I'm 5'9" and currently 185 lbs (down from 200)
I paddle anything from the coastal Atlantic to New England Class III.
I mainly paddle an Outrage, an Atom, and a Swift Osprey all of which provide a good mix of performance and forgiveness for someone of modest abilities.
If I could only have one it would have to be the Osprey only because neither the Outrage or Atom are much fun on the flats.
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