C-Forum

Searching high and low for a good used whitewater boat I have found a Caper. I would be paddling it tandem, with a girlfriend and my Nephew who stays with me during the summer. I am also a OC-1 and OC-2 instructor. Just want to know if anyone has any experience with the boat and how it handles as a tandem, I believe it will work well for teaching novice paddlers on lakes and class II water. Would problaly use it on III-IV water with my nephew and girlfriend.
Greybear

A married couple here swear by theirs - they tried one of the Esquif boats and it was too hot for them and they went back to the Caper. Big, stable and predictable - should be good for teaching. They like theirs so much they have a spare.

There is an older couple that paddles sometimes down on the Chattooga in Caper, they make everything look easy.......including catching 5-6 eddies in Corkscrew.

I've never paddled tandem so I can't speak to it but these two really worked the river with what looked like relative ease.

My brother (phil) and I bought one about 10 years ago as our first whitewater boat. We still have it, and will probably never get rid of it. I think it's perfect for what you're looking for. Sure, I'd rather have a caption, but the caper is not too shabby, especially if the price is right.

You're welcome to try ours our.

As Adam said this is a great boat for what you are looking for. I have taken my 3 year old son down the Lower Green in ours and I would consider paddling it tandem with the right partner down the Ocoee. I also agree that a Caption would be better, but also probably slightly less stable.

Good Luck!
Phil

Once watched a Caper tandem doing a good run of the Nolichucky at 2400 cfs. My eyeball opinion of the Caper versus the Caption is that the Caper is more of a center-pivot-section hull, while the Caption will behave more like a narrower, fast accelerating slalomish boat.

My only concern is that any Caper still around is made of rather old Royalex and may be more inclined to brittle breakage rather than bending and folding. From having watched an old ME split down the bow, I recommend not running into things.

But, but, the old royalex is the *good* royalex! Our ME is taking a licking and ticking and ticking and ticking...

If you have an adult in the bow, the Caper is much wetter than the Caption otherwise it's a good tandem boat.

If someone's out west and looking for one, the Westwater Ranger had one for sale last fall for $300. The hull was in good shape, but it had minimal outfitting.

Our first whitewater boat was a Caper, outfitted for tandem and solo. Rod and I paddled it tandem on class II & III water, and Rod paddled it solo for a long time before we both went solo (boating, that is). It was a great boat--we had a lot of fun in it and it was a good boat for learning. The only drawback as far as I'm concerned, is that it was a really heavy boat to carry, but I'm only a 5'2" woman. He seemed to deal with it just fine. We paddle a Zoom (me) and an Ocoee (Rod) now, but we still have fond memories of the Caper (and it's still out there somewhere enjoying the rivers).

Deb

I've paddled lots of different tandem boats and the Caper is the worst one I've ever paddled. I owned one for a few years and was very glad to find someone who was willing to buy it. I found it wet and hard to turn.

Julie