C-Forum

hello , first time post. the wife and i have been paddling an old town appalachain for years, from cruising, camping ,ww(cheat,maury,james) but run more ww lately and are looking to add a boat. we are interested in the vertige x, and the probe 14 which is more attractive price wise. but would like some opinions from a paddling point of view. thanks in advance[/b]

Been using a Probe 14 a lot for the past two years. You’d have to be a very good team to push it’s design limits whitewater-wise.

I haven’t been in a Vertige X, but used a Caption several times. The Probe 14 is more sporty than the Caption. I think that’s because it has greater rocker.

I've owned a Vertige X and a Probe 14. They are both fine boats. I sold the Vertige X because I was able to get a great price for it. I then bought the Probe 14 for significantly less. If you think that you or your wife might want to paddle solo at some point, make sure you get a boat that has a triple saddle (or two pedestals and a bulkhead, whatever gives you a center position).

given the choices, i'd go with the probe14 because its not as wet as the vertige x, and far more affordable.

Maybe I'm just not that fussy about the subtle differences between hulls, but to me any choice between a Vertige X, Caption and Probe 14 would just come down to price and outfitting. As far as I'm concerned, they are pretty similar boats in the big picture.

Pat.

p.s. I paddle a Vertige X that I outfittted myself with movable saddles, but it's pretty big & heavy as a solo. I like the Vertige X, but I'm sure I'd also be happy in a Caption or Probe 14 - I'm not as picky or loyal as some people.

I own two mohawks, a probe 12 and a xl 15. they are both good boats . I would recommend a Mohawk boat anytime.

I just bought a Caption. After reading all the reviews of the Probe 14, the Vertige X, and the Caption that I could find I noticed that the boats have all been accused of being wetter, dryer, more maneuverable, faster, etc. than the other two by different users. Everyone seems to agree they are all good boats, and it seems that the differences are mostly due to personal preference.

I think Pat is right that you'll be happy with any of them.

I ended up buying the Caption because I already had a Probe 12, and I wanted to see what the hype about old royalex was about.

Kyle

That's awesome Wiggins! Somehow a bunch of people in Vancouver ("a bunch" in Vancouver ww canoeing being about 3) have picked up Captions recently, so we should put together a few good tandem runs!

Pat.

Have paddled both and think you'll be good either way. Price / deal might be the issue.. as others have noted.

I also have the Probe X14 in both a solo and tandem set up & both work well - although big for me in solo mode!

thanks fellas for the input, looks like its going to be the probe.
cheers

I'd throw another tandem boat for consideration: the Bell Nexus. I haven't paddled one, but a friend with a lot of tandem experience prefers it over the Caption.

Two more cents' worth:

I've paddled a tandem Probe -- didn't like it.

I've paddled a Vertige-X -- a very good tandem boat -- solid and predictable, yet lively and responsive -- a good surfer.

I've paddled (for many years) a Clipper Merganser -- best WW tandem boat on the market, far as I'm concerned -- at 15', a little bigger, but dry, solid, and surfs like a dream.

With too many tandem boats in the shed, I sold my near-new Vertige-X, kept the old, battered Merganser, and wouldn't consider a Probe if it came free.

Good luck!

Rick