C-Forum

I'm thinking of getting a smaller canoe. I've paddled the Caption and Probe 14 and would like something that is not such a beast. I would like at least a little glide and not much edge. The intended use would be mainly sections 3 and 4 of the Chattooga and surrounding area. The 3 boats in the title are my leading contenders on paper. I'm somewhat familiar with the Outrage, have paddled the 12+ and 14 foot versions of the Probe and I don't think I've ever seen a Viper 11 in person. Does anyone with some more experience in these boats care to comment?

Every one has there own opinion ,it is nice if you can try a boat before you buy it though. Me I would be partial to the viper 11 I had a viper 12 when they came out years ago and loved it and the !! doesn't have the edge on it that the 12 does.

Viper 11:

Not very extensive experience, but I tried a Viper 11 on some small surf features and then ran it down through a respectably sized rapid on the LG down below PSH - somebody's Folly maybe? I normally paddle a Probe 12 (now called Probe 13). Here's how it compared:

Surfing - WAAAY better. Looser, loved to spin in a hole, less bouncy when side surfing
Stability - Maybe a bit more edge to edge quickness, but it still had that "firm up" feel when tilted like my Probe
Hull Speed - WAAAY slower. Felt like paddling through molasses compared to the 13 foot boat. Maybe all 11 foot boats are slow like this, but it surprised me.
Edginess - I really couldn't notice the edge, other than the boat being snappier when catching eddies. Never felt like I was going to trip over the chines and really didn't notice too much effect on direction when I would heel the boat while traveling forward.

Outrage (our school program has one that I play around in from time to time):

Surfing: Front surfs wonderfully. Side surfs decently, but less stable/loose than the Viper in a hole.
Stabiliy: Very quick from "edge" to "edge". Firms up when tilted, but not quite so much as a Probe (very few boats do...). When full of water, it's much more roly-poly than a Probe.
Hull speed: Noticeably faster than the Probe
Edginess - None, obviously, but it's plenty crisp catching eddies if you're used to paddling a soft chined boat.

Both designs are much higher performance than my Probe is.