C-Forum

thinking about buying a prelude and want some input. boating class 3-4 for several years and paddled mostly a detonator. always wanted a prelude. any info would be helpful. ive done the research, i know its rep for low initial stability. how does it compare to detonator, and how does it handle bigger water like the new river gorge or lower gauley? thanks a lot


matt hagan

And.. to piggyback on the above question- How does the initial stability (or lack thereof) of the Prelude compair to that of the Zoom?

The Zoom has less initial stablity than the Prelude... BUT it has much much more secondary stablity.

The Prelude (in my experience) is a sod to paddle swamped, runs wet but not massively so, It was perfectly adequate the last time i had it on a "big water" run... but it wasn't ideal, more suited to tight technical lines than big water.

Can't compare it to anything else because that's the only boat I've ever paddled (about 8 paddling days now, after my 2 days this weekend).
It's ok and allows me to get Grade II+ easy III.
It doesn't quite answer your question...yet it does a bit.
It's all about what you're used to, or what you're ready to get used to.
If you don't mind being beat for some outings and you're not too big a lad you should be fine (the feedback I got from various other paddlers is that it doesn't suit the bigger paddlers (I'm 74kg)).

In all honesty, I should really not post anything about it as I know f**k all about paddling, just own one and love it =)
(first car syndrome).

Hi Folks,

The Zoom has less initial stablity than the Prelude... BUT it has much much more secondary stablity.

An educated guess Josh but way off the mark. I paddled both my Zoom and a friend's Prelude yesterday. I have an 8'' saddle in the Zoom and the Prelude had an 11'' saddle, the Prelude still had more initial stability and BAGS more secondary stability!

Kelvin.

Kelvin wrote:Hi Folks,

The Zoom has less initial stablity than the Prelude... BUT it has much much more secondary stablity.

An educated guess Josh but way off the mark. I paddled both my Zoom and a friend's Prelude yesterday. I have an 8'' saddle in the Zoom and the Prelude had an 11'' saddle, the Prelude still had more initial stability and BAGS more secondary stability!

Kelvin.

Kelvin, that's just a personal perspective (considering I'm rather taller, heavier, and less capable than you) though I must say I've never taken any notice of the saddle height in boats I've jumped into to try (though thinking of it both my boats have 12" saddles.

For what it's worth I actually really like the prelude, and have never found the stability to be too much of an issue, the handling when wet can be a signficant issue, but that's why I have a pump.

french erick wrote:It's all about what you're used to, or what you're ready to get used to.

Eric sums it all up for me, it's all about what you're used to. coming from having learned to paddle OC's primeraly in a CU Fly I've been untroubled by instablity (in all three axes of movement) the Prelude hasn't been too much of a learning curve in that respect. It's working out what to do with all the extra boat that's caused me trouble.

Josh,

No that isn't a personal perspective, it is a direct comparison based on experience.

I agree that getting used to a boat is the key, but I wouldn't say the Zoom has more stability than lets say an Ocoee, just because I am used to a Zoom!

Kelvin.

Any comments on the upper weight limit for a prelude. I've been told it's a nice boat up to 75kg .

I'm close to buy a new boat since I profesionally destroyed the foam on the chines of my Viper11 and I want to go into PE. Maybe a prelude, maybe a L'Edge once it's out there. Spanish fly and Taureau I don't know yet what to think of.

Prelude seemed to me verry easy to tip to the offside by an eddy entrance. But then again, it's probably me, not tilting enough .

I've been paddling a Prelude nearly every weekend for the last year. Before that I paddled a Phantom and Solito, but I have hardly touched either of these boats since I got the Prelude. I have the seat at 8" high and can only speak from the experience of a 5'11" 170-pound guy.

I find the boat wonderfully manuverable, very responsible, and dry for such a short boat. (It should be remembered that a good part of dryness is paddling technique and water reading.) The boat is a load when it's got a lot of water in it, but no more so than a Zoom or Phantom. I haven't put in all the foam at the sides of the boat to improve its handling when full of water and don't really see the need to. It's paddleable. If I were always paddling really butt-puckering stuff, I'd probably install an electric pump.

I think the lack of initial stability is very similar to a Zoom. Watch how carefully both Zoom and Prelude paddlers get into their boats. I think the secondary is pretty similar as well, though the secondary may kick in a little later on the Prelude. (It's hard to say--I've paddled two Zooms and one had secondary almost as soon as you started to tip it, the other you had to go a bit further.)

One thing I particularly like about the Prelude is it seems to be easier to bring back from a near capsize than other canoes I've been in. There have been times when I'm almost kissing the water with my face and I've been able to bring the boat back up with a hip snap. Even on my off side.

The Prelude also seems to be pretty fast for its size--as fast as the Zoom. For this reason, I like the Prelude in big water. When you need to be dodging holes in big water, it's easy to change directions quickly and get moving. It's also amazingly adaptable to a wide range of wave sizes for surfing. I think it's easier to surf than the Zoom because with the Zoom if you tilt just a little, you've initiated an edge and go careening off. (Of course you can learn to use that edge--the Solito is another small boat that requires care with edges.) The Prelude is more forgiving and doesn't require such precise control. The Prelude also is more forgiving for the same reason when side surfing. This weekend I did an unintentional 360 on a big breaking wave (you have to call those things for them to count) in the Prelude. The same situation in a Solito or Zoom would probably have had me swimming.

Of course in low technical water the Prelude is the boat to have. The PE plastic slides off rocks easier and you don't have to worry about all the things you do in a Royalex boat in terms of damage and repair. The small size of the boat increases your eddy choices.

For me, I can't imagine a better canoe--particularly if what you're after is a traditional open canoe.

I love my prelude, boofs hard, very agile and generally my go to boat when I'm not wearing a skirt. If there was a boat in my arsenal that I would never part it, it would be the prelude. What I do not like about the Prelude is the crappy outfitting that came with my Pyranha version, but whatever a bunch of glue, foam and love took care of that problem.

I agree with the last minute stability, right when you think you're just f*^&ed, you can pop it right back upright.

And I do not agree with the lack of primary stability. My prelude has moooore than enough initial stability, and I like the sonewhat twitchiness... which I think relates well to quick and snappy turns, but maybe thats because I'm used to narrow closed deck C1s.

I have a 9" inch saddle.

"more than enough initial stability"

I agree with you there in that I don't like boats with a lot of initial stability. I want a boat that tips easily to one side or the other so I can react fast. The Prelude excels there. And so does the Zoom.

Kelvin wrote:Josh,

No that isn't a personal perspective, it is a direct comparison based on experience.

"Your milage may vary"

That's not because of what we're used to paddling but because we're not the same person.

We have different weights, heights, paddling styles and most likely different definitions of what stablity means;

A direct comparison based on experience is just that...
based on one persons experiences and thus that comparison is as individual as their perspective, which is in turn as individual as they are.

jakke wrote:Any comments on the upper weight limit for a prelude. I've been told it's a nice boat up to 75kg

Its fine for more than that I'm 87kg (190ish lbs) and it's just fine. I reckon* over 100kg and you might start to encounter issues.

*and it is just that, a semi-informed guess

I found the boat very dry in high water, dryer than my Ocoee.

Milkman,
In general, any opinion on which boat, Solito or Prelude, can handle the heavier(slightly) paddler better...?
Thanks,
SteveD