C-Forum

Hi folks:

My fiancee and I have been trolling message boards for a few months trying to pick up a few reasonable OC-1s. No luck there, and our initial July 4th plans had to get scrapped, and now we're tossing around the idea of whitewater. We're both decent paddlers - we paddled frequently when we lived around Asheville, NC and had lots of friends with boats (and worked for Outward Bound - that was the life). I've tried some internet searching but not found anything. Can anyone here shed any light on how we might be able to rent an OC-2 or two OC-1s for some mellow fun this weekend with some other friends? We live in Boston, and initial paddling plans were western MA, but we are willing to drive.

Thanks, folks!
Coz

Have you checked in with Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont? They've had OC-1s on their racks.

Yes, I've talked with them - those OC-1s are for clinics and eventually for sale. They don't rent them, unfortunately. Closest we can get is a funyak - which may be our best bet at this point. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Have you asked to "demo" them?

Yeah... That's a different story than I've gotten in the past, but I also took my Instructor Cert through them. In the past they have stated that they won't rent to someone that they haven't witnessed perform a wet exit, or something along those lines. But I am 90% sure that they actively let people demo kayaks, so why should OC1 be different?!? If they are really giving you the run around, PM me, and I will call a manager I know there and see if we can't get that sorted.

Also a former OBer (albeit Maine), we gotta stick together! (They have a Vertige X you can paddle tandem)

Shep

It has been a few years, but I have rented OC1s from Zoar.

zoar rents boats.
my girlfriend rents their orange outrage often.
its 40 plus tax.
paddles extra...15 i think.
they also have a vertige and a vertige x and a nitro and maybe some more that they rent.
good luck.

A hah! I remember what the deal is... They will rent you a boat, but not life jacket, helmet, and paddle (or something like that). But you have to have those things for them to rent to you... That gives them some liability protection (i.e. you have a basic idea of what you are doing), while allowing them to rent boats "for demoing".

Hope this helps,
Shep

Give Jan W a call at Zoar (413) 339-4010. She posted on NPMB that she would be able to help you out.

Thanks for all the beta, folks! Zoar does indeed rent OC boats. Turns out we didn't need to rent, though, because by some miracle of fate (I must have been very, very good in a past life) we managed to find TWO Nitros at incredible prices this weekend. Years of searching finally paid off, and now we're getting after it! As an old NCOBS friend of mine used to say - Woop woop!