C-Forum

to start from the beginning i currently paddle a Bell Ocoee and a Esquif Nitro I have never paddled a C1 but i would like to try something new . I am looking for a boat that will make a good conversion to C1 that will be a good river runner but one that will let me pop eddies good and do some surfing as well i would use it for mostly class 2-3 but want something to have the ability to comfortably run 3-4 as well All input would be appreciated

Do you have an open boat roll? There are boats, like the Atom that surf and carve in and out of eddies brilliantly... the only issue is that they can be very "twitchy". A boat can feel really capable-- appear stable, make sharp eddy turns, have good hull speed-- and it will still flip right when you don't expect it. This might be acceptable if you have a good roll. Unpredictability can be an okay tradeoff if you like other aspects of the boat. If you can't roll, though, I wouldn't recommend something edgy like the Atom. Despite it's snappy eddy turns and great surfing, it WILL send you swimming pretty often.

No I don't have a roll in my canoe but the local clubs are starting there winter roll sessions and i was just interested

C-1's are, in many people's opinion, easier to roll even than kayaks, but you never know how your roll classes will go... If you're willing to take the risk of flipping often initially, then look for an edgy boat. Otherwise, go for more forgiving. I think a good in between point is the LL Remix, many people have highly recommended it for conversions and there's a whole thread about it here. For a more forgiving big boat (closer to open boat) feel, maybe check out some modern creeking designs-- the Habitat or the Jefe, for example.

Paddling class III/IV is more a staple of paddling ability. Virtually and C-1 could run that degree of difficulty. A good starter for you be something bigger like an old Cascade. It is easy to roll, afords the same stability as the open boats, and can grow with you up to IV+. Any decent creek boat would do about the same look at a Burn or Karnali, Gus. These boats have the volume you are probably most going to be comfortable. personaly I loved my old Cruise Control, not all had the same afinity as I did for the old gal. To be honest, many people come on this board asking what you have out of a lack of knowledge, really, you can't go wrong. Just get one and start, there are no gaurantes. You will figure out the rest as you go along.

Jim

What are people's thoughts on the Rocker series? I rarely see them mentioned when people talk about creek boats. I've seen one on a car once, the Mega Rocker is HUGE! Any ideas?

The Jackson Rocker series are not "good" as kayaks, converting one to a c1 only exacerbates the issues they have.

What are the issues with them? I can't find much discussion of them anywhere

The main thing is they're totally rounded, with no chines at all, displacement hulled boats can be a handful as c1's as it is, remove the chines and they become trying rather than fun to paddle.

Secondly, the plastic can't be welded if it breaks and as a c1 paddler, the lack of lateral support from the seat makes you more vulnerable to cracks than a kayaker.

Thirdly, they resurface quite badly making them unstable as they shed water, obviously ou have less bracing opportunity with just one blade, so you want a boat which will resurface predictably.

tl:dr - Don't touch them with a barge pole, get a Nomad, Jefe, Habitat, Salto Evo, Remix or Everest just not a Rocker.

Sounds reasonable... I'm a fan of a relatively hard-chined boat as it is so it makes sense to stay away from those.
What about the plastic makes it any more difficult to weld than another brand's boat though?

jrsh92 wrote:Sounds reasonable... I'm a fan of a relatively hard-chined boat as it is so it makes sense to stay away from those.
What about the plastic makes it any more difficult to weld than another brand's boat though?

Its cross-linked, so just melting the plastic together doesn't do, you have to prepare the surface in a specific way to encourage adhesion, and then use heat within a specific 8 deg centigrade temperature range to do the weld as not to cause the linkages to break down, which isn't really possible unless you have specialised plastic welding equipment.