C-Forum

Can the l'Edge be used as a tripping boat? Four to seven day whitewater tripping style. My Esquif Raven is outfitted with anchors underneath the airbags and I can attach all my 50lbs+ of camping stuff in it and the boat is still manageable even with me weighing 187 lbs. It's a great boat for this kind of thing. The thing is, I would like to get into creeking as well, nothing too extreme, class II - III, but I think that my 11' rolayex boat is too long for this and will get banged up too much. I can only afford one boat since these canoes are so expensive. (By the way, why is it that whitewater boats like the l'Edge are sooo expensive ??? A good creeker kayak made with as much, if not more material is half the price!!)

I could also just "rent" a l'Edge for when I need it I guess, but I think I would prefer having one boat that I could use for everything.

...Anyway, has anybody out there done some whitewater river tripping in a l'Edge?

I think you're going to have to take a second job and simply earn enough money for a second canoe. The Raven is an excellent choice for a tripping canoe. The L'edge is an excellent choice for a creeker. The L'edge would be a lousy tripper, IMHO, because in the moving water sections of a multi-day trip it will be a dog to paddle, particularly with you and about 50 more pounds in it. You'd be much happier in the Raven. On a creeking run, you'll love the L'edge. The joys of a short boat made of PE are countless in rocky, steep runs. Perhaps a way to prove you don't want to go down to a single boat is pack 50 pounds into a L'edge on a day trip that has some moving water sections in it and see what you think.

As a L'edge owner and an avid whitewater tripper I say it would end up being a pretty crappy trip. My tripping boat is a Vertige. I really like my L'edge but if I had to paddle it on a river trip I probably wouldn't go.

I would suggest keeping your Raven and wait until you can afford to own a second boat.

milkman wrote:I think you're going to have to take a second job and simply earn enough money for a second canoe. The Raven is an excellent choice for a tripping canoe. The L'edge is an excellent choice for a creeker. The L'edge would be a lousy tripper, IMHO, because in the moving water sections of a multi-day trip it will be a dog to paddle, particularly with you and about 50 more pounds in it. You'd be much happier in the Raven. On a creeking run, you'll love the L'edge. The joys of a short boat made of PE are countless in rocky, steep runs. Perhaps a way to prove you don't want to go down to a single boat is pack 50 pounds into a L'edge on a day trip that has some moving water sections in it and see what you think.

Thanks. My initial thoughts were that it was too small but I've never tried a l'Edge so I didn't know for sure. I could always rent one for a couple of days this spring to try it out on a creek.

DougB wrote:As a L'edge owner and an avid whitewater tripper I say it would end up being a pretty crappy trip. My tripping boat is a Vertige. I really like my L'edge but if I had to paddle it on a river trip I probably wouldn't go.

I would suggest keeping your Raven and wait until you can afford to own a second boat.

Thanks.

If the entire trip has an average gradient of about 100 feet per mile... then yes... a short PE canoe would be perfect.

Craig Smerda wrote:If the entire trip has an average gradient of about 100 feet per mile... then yes... a short PE canoe would be perfect.

Paddle Denali!!!

Craig Smerda wrote:If the entire trip has an average gradient of about 100 feet per mile... then yes... a short PE canoe would be perfect.

I do 90 km on average on a 4 to 7 day trip. The Dumoine, the Black, Pettawawa, Gatineau River from Mercier Dam to Bouchette, Gens de Terre etc....

When I think of creeking it generally involves solid class 3 and up. The Raven looks like it would handle creeking better than tripping. My tripper was a Mad River Royalex Explorer. Paddling 90 km in a whitewater canoe wouls seem like punishment to me.

drrpm wrote:When I think of creeking it generally involves solid class 3 and up. The Raven looks like it would handle creeking better than tripping. My tripper was a Mad River Royalex Explorer. Paddling 90 km in a whitewater canoe wouls seem like punishment to me.

The rivers I have mentioned a filled with countless class II to class IV-V, ledges, falls etc..... Of course there are some stretch of flat water.

Craig Smerda wrote:If the entire trip has an average gradient of about 100 feet per mile... then yes... a short PE canoe would be perfect.

When I know that there will be long stretches of flat water, big lakes etc. I use a two piece kayaking paddle, I know it's not pure and quite unorthodox but it get's the job done. I don't use this in rapids, only to get me to where I want to go. My Raven just cruises like a missile. Faster than my buddies in OC2 and creeking kayaks! I suppose that if the l'Edge has sufficient tracking it would react the same.

What I really wanted to know sir is if the l'Edge could handle my weight of 187 lbs, plus approx. 50 lbs to 60 lbs of camping/food/clothes and still be manageable in whitewater?

well Im 240 plus pump and battery and ithandles me fine.

Well, when you re canoe tripping in your l'edge and you want to blow you brains just remember that you asked and then ignored everyone's advice.

leclercraven wrote:

drrpm wrote:When I think of creeking it generally involves solid class 3 and up. The Raven looks like it would handle creeking better than tripping. My tripper was a Mad River Royalex Explorer. Paddling 90 km in a whitewater canoe wouls seem like punishment to me.

The rivers I have mentioned a filled with countless class II to class IV-V, ledges, falls etc..... Of course there are some stretch of flat water.

In your original post you mention class II-III creeking. I'm not familiar with the rivers you mention. Generally when I think of tripping its class III and down vs creeking which is usually class III and up. Either way I don't think a L'edge would perform at its best with an extra heavy load.

I'm pretty sure I've seen some very "safe" Southeastern canoeists tripping in their L'Edges on more than one occasion.