C-Forum

Boats have evolved in the shorter, more manuverable direction. This has naturally made them slower. What's the fastest boat you've paddled, both OC-1 and C-1? By fast I mean both acceleration and top speed, down river and attainments.
I have a Gyramax that is fast, even faster than my Slasher, way faster than an Encore or anything else I've seen.

Prelude my experience is limited though....

My experience is limited also. But here it goes:

C1: Atom
OC1: Spark (a brief practice run on a slalom course)

Millbrook Howler, both solo and tandem. A kevlar 15 footer carries LOTS of speed!

Never paddled a fast c1... I guess my Z felt kind of fast next to my other C1s.

C-1 - a Maverick Plus - it flies (in a straight line) upstream and down. This is an "old rules" slalom boat. A wildwater boat would be faster, but significantly less stable and even less turnable.

OC-1, plastic - Mad River ME

OC-1, glass - an Edge, would have been faster if it hadn't been the 70# Wenonah "Tough Weave" version...

I demoed a Spark once and would have to say that was the fastest whitewater OC-1 I have paddled in a long while.

Years ago, I borrowed an old, 'glass Noah C-1 from a friend. I don't recall the model but it was definitely the fastest whitewater canoe that I have paddled (torture to be in, however).

Spanish Fly

C1 - Bala (WildWater). very very fast boat. Much more stable than my old Ace III (which was also fast, but on average slow as it didn't like to be upright particularly).

Fastest whitewater boat I've paddled is the "Woodshed" by by Millbrook Boats, designed by Paul Brown and Clayton Cole. 2nd fastest would be the "Double X". Both of these are OC2s.

paddled a millbrook Reaktor one time for a couple slalom runs, CRAZY fast!

I think my Spark is the fastest OC1 I've paddled, would really like to try one of Kaz's composite boats. Those things look like race cars.

Fastest C1 was my Cascade. My Everest is pretty fast...

Smurfwarrior wrote:I think my Spark is the fastest OC1 I've paddled, would really like to try one of Kaz's composite boats. .

That blue would still look great on you

Not even close. My Cobra flies. It's even faster than my slalom C1 in flat water, and my C1 is the fastest C1 I've ever paddled (and I've paddled most of the slalom C1s built in the last 30 years). And it's much, much faster than the Spark.

Too bad it's the only one in existence...

OC-1 - Millbrook Reactor - a crazy fast and twitchy boat (wish it was beafier for creekin')

OC-2 - Prowler - best tandem boat around

C-1 - Super "D" - a rocket ship

C1: This can be split into catagories -

• Overall: It's got to be a WildWater boat; I've only used an Ace II, though I'd like to try a No-Name and Bala
• Playboat: The Crazy 88 is hands down the fastest "modern" playboat convertion I've paddled, for a 6'3" boat it has exceptional downriver speed.
• Creekboat: The Gus has great top speed, but Zet's Raptor is far and away the fastest boat I've paddled both in terms of top speed and acceleration.
• Slalom: Ironically I've found that pretty much any 3.5m boat is measurably faster than my Extrabat, but the Martikan is particularly fast.

OC1: Outrage; though that's likely down to the limited range of OC's I've paddled.


Looking at the list, there's a correlation between rocker profile, primary stability and speed...