C-Forum

I've Owned a Caption and a Probe 14 and also paddled a Probe 12. I'm thinking of trying something shorter but want to have some glide and not a lot of edge. Mostly I paddle the Chattooga and various other Southeastern class 3-4 rivers. I always thought the Outrage looked like a good boat and I like the Probe series. Mainly I'd like something lighter and with a decent compromise between stability and responsiveness. Any suggestions?

Viper 11

drrpm,
The outrage would be a painless entry to shorter boats. It's still fast, has increased rocker than your current boats, has gentle chines. I moved to one from an Encore, a long time ago, and felt it a great fit. It's also extremely capable. You can go a lot shorter, and plastic but I think the outrage would be a good step down. Paddle one on an entire run to compare. My comparo run was the Big South Fork in Tn and I was completely sold on it by the takeout.
Bill

Either the Viper 11 or the Outrage are good choices. Hard to say which you would like better.

The Viper 11 does have a fairly squared chine in the center but it is short enough that it does not feel terribly edgy, at least to me. It feels much less edgy than the Viper 12.

The Outrage feels even less edgy, of course, but it is fairly narrow with a 26.5" waterline width (4 inches less than your Caption) so it can feel a bit twitchy to some folks.

Both boats are "quick". The Outrage is drier.

just get a probe 11. you know you'll like it, and it really is a nice boat. feels much more responsive than the 12. if you go with the viper, try it first. it does have a good bit of edge.

it depends on what you want and how hard you want to commit. I own a Viper11, had 2 days of paddling in a Viper12 and can't tell much of a difference concerning the edges. But neither can I to an Ocoee, I'm used to paddling edged canoes.

Designs with hard chines will be more responsive on tilt, and might send you for a couple of swims in the beginning.

Give the viper11 a try, and think about what you want and if you're willing to invest some time in the somewhat harder chines or not. And if you're already very actively tilting, you probably won't have any transition at all, if you're not relying on the forgiving features of your current canoe.

The Probe 11 would be the simple and easy move--it's familiar to you.