C-Forum

What do you think is the main reason?

The stabilty it offers makes havin a roll un necessary.

The lenght of them provides a plausible excuse for not gettin a mirco eddy

Makes people think you are too poor to get a modern boat

People help you unload them to keep you from hurin your back

A boat that big keep you from havin to run the new harder runs

Only used boat anyone would want to sale and you could find

Scared to get on big water in a small boat

Makes butt boater not challenger you when goin for an eddy

You have a drinkin problem and can't carry enough beer in a newer design.

You are a retro guy and don't want to move into this century.

You might need a waterin trough for a mediun size herd of goats one day

You are a rebel and don't mind the ridicule of the boatin world

You like a shrinking single sticker community and want to discourage any new boater from tryin a canoe.

If it was good enought for your grand dad it is good enough for you.

You think Sara Falin is hot and George W and Dork Chancys were smart and they paddle barges

You know Milt won't put you in any of his videos in a new design.

You didn't know Frankie.

Nolan and that Bob who guy are still your heroes

When you leave it on top of your truck it provides total UV and bird droppin protection for the finish on your truck.

You would like to look as skilled as Jim Marchard does in a barge (You won"t)

These are just a few of reason PLG and I could think off this morning. When PLG and I get in the truck with Dick, Doopey, Dooley, Swimmin Mexican, and OC1King we will expand on this list.
Phil and Decker please feel to add any insight from the frozen wasteland up north and from the deep south.

because they are fun

obvious things - that come to mind immediately

need an excuse - for why they cannot paddle any better
napping on that big center bag
reliving the glory days - probably still listen to Bruce Springsteen (regularly)
can't find a date that paddles, so needs something you can take just anybody in... same kind that scores big at closing time

but the main reason...

Over Compensation, big boat - little paddle

I have a question for you. Why do you care so much about what type of boat people choose to paddle?

JKaz

i don't ...

...do you believe everything you read?

more room for beverages and a 2nd person to help paddle around the beverages.

At my height and weight, most really short open boats become bailing buckets even on the Nanty.

I can hit most micro-eddies in my 15' Synergy. It weighs 70 pounds, but I can throw it up and on the car. Haven't accepted help with it for years. Louie wouldn't be much help because he's too short. My Millbrook Big Boy, at 13', weighs about 50 pounds outfitted. That's a lot of dry-running, fast turning hull for the weight.

Longer boats are simply faster, and attain and work upstream better. For similar hull designs, they ferry better. A 13' boat like my Millbrook is a liability ony in the tightest, most technical situations, and then as long as the hull can fit through physically, I can usually get it through.

If I cared that much about what the short boat advocates are seeking, I would go back to decked boats, c-1s.

I think that, for normal sized people, really short boats are a good deal. But I'm 6' 5" and 225#, and based on dear departed Vladimir Vanha's principle of proportionality, I don't think I belong in real short boats. A Spark would be a blast on easy rivers, but not dry enough at my weight for heavier water.

"Your little boat, so cute and short. Your little mind. Retry, Abort."

Not really dissin' you, Louie. I can tell you were looking for real answers, and that you know some of those answers already.

Why would I want to paddle a boat that's going to hurt me? I want to paddle a boat that lets me paddle the more difficult rivers upright.
Kayakers say "wow, he ran such and such a river in an open canoe". They never care whether it's a barge or squirely, edgy boat. Only Louie cares.

Jim

Ah....er....why not use a big one if you have it?

Maybe slow boats just aren't appealing?

I can pee in it more times before I need to bail.

Shallower draft.

Out here in the flatland, that counts for a lot.

We do have a (not unkind, honestly!) term for short boats out here in the summer:




AGROUND.


Additionally, some of us do quite a bit of channel maintenance (read that to mean cutting out honking big trees with chainsaws run, as often as not, from the boat.) We have tried this from little boats, and the experience gave us a week-long case of the shudders! (Do not try this one from a Taureau or Spanish Fly. Or, if you do, please let me come and watch!)

Oh, well...

al

Could someone please define the break point between long and short (re: canoes). Is it 4 meters? As in race specs or has it become something else, like 10 ft? or what?

long= anything longer than louie's boat

Louie's Taureau is just the bottom of my Big Boy with the sides crumpled in and some cow-catchers on the ends.