C-Forum

I'm considering buying an entry level OC-1 and am wondering about the differences in these boats. Can anybody fill me in? Thanks.

zeke

Never paddled the XL 13 but have paddle a Probe 12, now called the Probe 13, for 5 years. Good boat to start out in, great stability. I think it will give you better performance than the XL 13. If you're looking to do whitewater, you will probably grow out of the XL 13 quicker. The Probe isn't given much credit, but I've ran class 4 with mine. I know others that pushed it even further. If you can, try them both and others as well.

I've paddeled the probe11. OK, probe 13 is longer, but anyhow. I think the probe is a very forgiving boat. Not fast, not slow, not that dry either. But for an entry level boat, not a bad boat I think. And even if you want to go further then entry level.

For every boat you choose, there will be some day that you encounter your or your boats limits. Try them, an pick what feels good.

Probe 13 is a great boat. Easy starter that is hard to out grow. Very forgiving and easy to paddle boat that will grow with you.

My buddy has a XL13 and its a great starter boat too. Little bit bigger, little less rocker and little more volume. The Probe is definitely more of a river boat but the XL13 does my buddy well.

Personally I'd say get the Probe but give them both a paddle and see which feels better to you.

The Probe? It's stable!!


http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.broam ... 4102722594

Not truly first hand, but I once loaned my Probe 12 (now renamed Probe 13) to someone who used to paddle an XL 13. They said my boat reminded them a lot of the XL.

From looking at the dimensions, the Probe will be more maneuverable. The XL will be more stable, though the Probe is an insanely stable boat to start with.

The Probe was meant to be a detuned Viper for folks who found the Viper too agressive - I find it an acceptable river runner that I'm comfortable putting beginners in. [I think the Probe 12 II was supposed to be an intermediate compromise between the Probe and the Viper.] They aren't hot boats, but not everybody is a hot paddler. They can let you focus on the basics without worrying about flipping every minute and track well enough that you won't scare off a beginner. Depending on your style, you could outgrow them quickly - but I can still have fun in one.

To me, the XL is way more stable, less nimble, etc - a solid, barge like platform. It would be easy to outgrow that quickly and get frustrated with it's performance.

I don't think I said anything that hasn't been said! Consider this another vote for the Probe if that is all you are considering.

thanks for all of the great input! Another question: Which non-Mohawk boat would be comparable in performance to the Probe 13?

When I bought my Probe 5 years ago, One of my choices was The Outrage X. Consider the Outrage if you are under 190. I recently have been paddling the X and really like it. It is not like the Probe.
It has more performance and is faster. Surfs better too! It's less stable but has been said to be suitable for beginer to expert padddlers. Another you may want to check is the Prodigy or Prodigy X. I've been hearing a lot about these and know paddlers of all levels that like them. Try as many as you can. Don't be afraid to get in to something more extreme also. Good luck.

I'm at about 180 pounds on a good day so maybe right on the borderline. In which direction should I lean with regard to the X or regular models (Prodigy or Outrage) ?

Can anybody speak to the Esquif boats? Seems like Nitro or Detonator might be in the ballpark, but I haven't spent any time to speak of in either. The Zephyr is not far off - not quite in Viper/Ocoee territory, but a step up from the Probe.

zeke wrote:I'm at about 180 pounds on a good day so maybe right on the borderline. In which direction should I lean with regard to the X or regular models (Prodigy or Outrage) ?

Definately regular.

Of the boats currently being made, look at the Esquif Vertige and the Bell Prodigy X if you want something similar to a Probe.

Of the other boats that have been mentioned, here's my personal experience from the perspective of a long term Probe owner:

Outrage is a higher performance boat than a Probe - turns more easily and has way less primary stability. Very nice design, but you can't be lazy in it the way you can in a Probe (that's either good or bad, depending on your perspective).

Zephyr has less primary stability than a Probe but way more secondary. It's very slow, in terms of straight ahead hull speed (compared to the Probe, anyway), but it catches micro eddies like a kayak playboat, which is pretty cool. I can't decide whether it would spank a beginner or not - to me, it felt very stable and forgiving, but then I have a decent amount of OC-1 saddle time...

I bought a xl13 for my first boat and loved it til I paddled something else I got a probe 14 next a big tamdem boat paddled it solo and though there was a world of diferance in the two the big a$$ 14 turned faster surfed better better in eddy turns and peelouts
I now have a probe 11 beater boat that I like to paddle when I dont want the performance of my detonator

but if you are not wanting performance want very good stabillity and just want to go down river without alot of playing the xl13 would be a good boat

When we use the word "performance" are we talking primarily about maneuverability?