C-Forum

Hi Folks - I'm an OC'er for years. Tried to Kayak and did OK at all day lessons but long story short: My gut muscles just can't hold the L position for long (I can kneel all day long however) Hence the conversion idea..... I want a boat that lets me do some point to point on a river but I want to really fiddle around the eddy's, rock hopping stuff, etc. The Ammo by Pyranha as a Kayak seemed ideal - how would it do as a conversion to a c-1? Any thoughts for this newb are greatly appreciated - Tim

I'm not sure what struck you as 'ideal' about his boat, but it is slower than a dog turd and makes a horrible c1 for anything other than maybe running micro creeks at low water. I think the medium i tried has 70 gal displacement and is only 7'2". Can you say hole bait?

I think 3 things are important for a c1 conversion, speed, speed, and speed. The Ammo has none.

I'm not that familiar with the boat and am just getting to playing more with C1 instead of OC. While some boat designs work ok as a kayak, they won't convert well to C1.

Width and width of the cockpit opening are important for balance. Also length, weight distribution, and speed are more important than in a kayak You have to be able to accelerate the boat while keeping it on a fairly straight line...easier with 2 blades than one. A short, high volume boat is going to be retentive in a hole, which while good in a way, might bite you in the inability to get out of it with a single blade.

What were/are you paddling in OC? That might help those with more experience help you pick a boat that will be an easier transition.

Hi Guys,

Thanks, my newbiness is showing, I admit it. The Ammo may be great as a kayak but I'm hearing you say "No Way" as a conversion to C-1. You saw above what I basically want to do. Any recommendations you can come up with? Appreciate the answer. Thanks again, Tim

PS. the OC I was/am paddling is a Whitesell Descender. Tim

A quick question that will come up is your height/weight. A lot of boats have some pretty wide weight ranges but it seems that you want to be in the lower half to third of the weight range for C1 (just what I've seen in advice here).

IMO here's my three important things to consider:

speed: the more the better, judge with lenght and rocker
stability: the more the better, try judging by hull shape and width but you always have to try it anyways to really know (or ask around...)
volume: A lot for creeker/river running, a lot less for squirting.

The AMP is a good suggestion. I have one and yes it is a great C1 to play around and run smallish rivers. Sinks nicely but not too much, a great riverplay and a type of kayak a lot of yakers are selling for cheap nowadays; they are looking for shorter playboats and newer designs.

But if you are new to C1 and not looking at freestyle surf at all rather buy something with more volume. Not easy to learn from a 24" square bottom hull or to run big water with it...

I think you really need two c1s..
start with a burn or h3 255 (i have one i could sell) and then get a play boat later. The burn will feel like a playboat compared to a whitesell and it'll make the transition easier than if you went straight into a playboat.

Thanks Larry - I appreciate your words and kind offer. I will take your advice seriously - thanks for the kind offer even though we're on opposite coasts of the US - you're the kind like a lot of these folks here who are real welcoming to a newb like me!! Thanks again. Tim

Where are you located? A lot of the boaters will let you try their boat out if you're nearby. Obviously east coast by your earlier responses.

If you are on the east coast, show up at the North Branch of the Potomac for the Armada on the Memorial day weekend. There will be lots of other OC abnd c-boaters there, and many boats you can hop in and try out.

TGG!

I think the Spanish Fly you asked about in the other thread would be a great choice!

I am 170# and paddled the Ammo M for a year and really enjoyed it. On class 4 or less it can be a fun c-1. The Burn might be a better option. If you can demo the boat you can tell if it is right for you. Good luck and work on that gut muscle.