C-Forum

Help a sister out with some advice!

So, I demoed an Ion this past weekend, just because it was available, and the Option wasn't. I'm a novice canoeist, experienced kayaker. I looked at that tiny, tubby boat and thought "no way I'm going to like this; heck, I probably won't even be able to keep it upright." But, on day 2 of our canoe clinic, I decided to try it on the Fife, just for kicks and swims.

Turns out, it was amazingly stable, really nimble, great at catching waves and just plain FUN! I had way more fun and gained more confidence in pushing my skills in the Ion than in the bigger Esquifs (Paradigm, Nitro, Blast) that I'd paddled previously. This, I did not expect.

At all.

The only downside was that it's super slow.

So, now I find myself really, really wanting to paddle the Ion more.

Plus, and this is a big plus for me (older, girly upper-body "strength"), I can carry it myself easily.

So my question is: is this an appropriate boat for a new canoeist, or is it just ridiculous to consider, and I should calm down and get something bigger and more stable until I get better?

I'm not going to go much beyond class III in my paddling, though to be wildly optimistic, I'd like to be able to run something like the Tellico with style and confidence some day. Mostly, though, it'll be class III river running on stuff like the Lower Yough and basic surfing if I can get a roll down.

So what say you experts?

Based on what you have put in your question I do believe that an Ion would be a good fit for you. Your only real downside is as you have mentioned hull speed but as an experienced kayaker you know that already. I have gone to the mats on debates over long vs short boats for beginners but for kayakers converting over the short boats seem to work great. Your biggest challenges in the very short Ion will not be stability but ferrying (especially off side) and breaking out of eddies (again, especially off side). Should be a great LY boat though.

The Ion that I have paddled (thanks to MarkZak) was stable, forgiving and easy to roll. Mark and others run them on everything (including the Upper Gauley and the Tellico) and they do fine. If you want to try my wooden StinkEye on the LY sometime just PM me, I'll be there this weekend and Millbrook will be offering a very light composite version of it soon.

ChrisD wrote:Turns out, it was amazingly stable, really nimble, great at catching waves and just plain FUN!

. . .

The only downside was that it's super slow.

Seems to me the answer to your question lies in your own words. You had a ton of fun in the Ion and found it plenty stable, yet nimble. Given that experience, I would say the only reason to consider a longer/bigger boat would be if you didn't like the slowness.

arhdc wrote:Your biggest challenges in the very short Ion will not be stability but ferrying (especially off side) and breaking out of eddies (again, especially off side).

Some on this board might think that the following advice is heretical, but as you are a kayaker switching into OC-1 and probably have not developed a pronounced bias for paddling on one side vs. the other, you might want to consider working to retain the ability to switch sides when faced with the situations noted above.

John

Only input would be if you haven't already tried the Option for comparison you might want to paddle one before making the purchase. Option is easy to ferry, dry, and faster.

John Coraor wrote:

arhdc wrote:Your biggest challenges in the very short Ion will not be stability but ferrying (especially off side) and breaking out of eddies (again, especially off side).

Some on this board might think that the following advice is heretical, but as you are a kayaker switching into OC-1 and probably have not developed a pronounced bias for paddling on one side vs. the other, you might want to consider working to retain the ability to switch sides when faced with the situations noted above.

John

+ 1, heresy or not.

Yes, short is slow, but you can overcome that to some extent with technique (and expectations). A long boat has disadvantages (i.e. turning) that you might be able to overcome with technique but some, maybe not so much (i.e. weight).

I'd go for it, though there is certainly nothing to lose by trying an (oh so appropriately named) Option.

Especially for lighter people, technique will solve a lot of the speed problems (on moving water. Nothing will change the slowness on flat). I was really surprise by how easy it was to maintain speed (possibly because of incredibly low expectations, but still) in the tellico race this spring. It basically rolls itself, so you shouldn't have any trouble rolling it. Normally I'd agree about switching sides, but in a boat as short and maneuverable as the ion, I'd advise sticking with just one strong side. You can literally cross the bow without taking the paddle out of the water, an you waste valuable time switching- and the ion will turn 180 degrees in that time if you don't have a blade in the water. One tip would be that Ferrys will rely on edges and angle, not strength. so will most moves you make. The boat is very responsive, as you noted, so use that to help you. It also boofs amazingly and is very dry. I think it would be a most excellent beginner boat for you, and you certainly won't grow out of it. It can do anything you want it to, from creeking to playboating and high volume stuff. Mines been on everything from Wilson's creek and tellico to upper ocoee and will be on cheoah over labor day.

Pretty much everything Bob said. I don’t think you’d go wrong by picking an Ion. I love mine. I had it on the Ocoee a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. I don’t feel at all limited by the boat at my current skill level.

Yeah, I notice having to make an extra stroke or two on ferries, but it makes me use the waves and currents to better advantage. I feel that this can only help to ultimately make you a better boater. You can get pushed around a bit on bigger waters, but the boat is amazingly dry. The extra strokes and slowness are in my opinion cancelled by the dryness and sheer “Fun Factor” of the boat. There are always concessions no matter what boat you choose. The “Fun Factor” was a "Deciding Factor" for me.

And as Bob mentioned, there are some creative ways to achieve speed with an Ion. He should know. He won the Tellico race in one.

Thanks for the great feedback!
I'd like to demo an Option before I decide, but I sure did have fun in that Ion!

Ditto on all everyone said. As an older, larger woman I find the Ion to be a great all round boat, easy to carry, and plain fun. If you demoed the OPtion you would gain speed and easier ferries and attainment, but would lose enormous smiles, fun easy boofs, and more fun.

If you are not in a rush you can try my LEdge and Octane. I hope the Phiend will be out soon. All the women I am paddling with are looking forward to getting in this new boat.

The Ion's strengths are it's stability, buoyancy, ability to be controlled when sloshing with water and ability to change directions. It's limitations are speed, big drops, ability to cross over large holes and it makes you work, brotha! I throw my body around, leaning forward and backward to juke over holes or smack waves away. An Ion as a first OC-1? I don't see why not. The only down side is, you'll be biased the rest of your open boat career!

ChrisD wrote:I'd like to demo an Option before I decide

Totally agree! Truth be told, I really want an Option as well. I like the glassy slide of a longer boat at times. I didn't realize how much until I got back in the Probe 11 the other day. There's something to be said for the smoothness of a one-stroke, bank to bank, gliding ferry vs. digging it out with multiple strokes. I think the Option might bridge that gap nicely- but I don't think I would trade my Ion to get one.

I did find it a bit alarming to approach eddy lines all day with almost no speed. Yikes! It was fine on class II water, though; the edges engaged really well, a lot like my Pyranha Burn, really.

I think I'd rather have a steep initial learning curve in a fun boat that I can grow into than opting for an easier adjustment to a boat that's less nimble and fun. Tough decision, though!

I did play around in a L'Edge recently; just a bit of ferrying and eddy-catching. I felt sort of "meh" about it after being in the Ion, but then that's not a really fair judgement, since the L'Edge is a creekboat and I didn't really use it in its element.

How awesome is it to have this many great boats to consider!?

I know its a redundant point by now in the thread, but I feel it my duty...

As one who has been wishing for a short plastic boat that rolled as easily as my Viper 11 I can say from personal experience that the ION rolls as easy or easier than my Viper 11! Its almost an auto roll.

No stall out or resistance point that I felt when I hopped in OC One Blade's Ion, and my arse was an inch or 2 off the seat at 6'3" 210#.

The Option required some pointers from the owner and I was rolling it with no problem, and my Prelude is slightly picky as well.

The L'edge has been my rolling nemesis. I haven't been able to figure that thing out.

For me, confidence in my roll gives me confidence to try more difficult moves and more difficult runs. As a beginner I think that that attribute in a boat is just as important as the others, if not more. Its still important to me now that I can no longer call myself a beginner. I feel 100% confident in my Viper combat roll. I feel 80-90% in my Prelude. But for me 80-90% is not good enough so I'm still looking. I'd almost get an Ion, but I like a little more boat in front of me. I'd just keep my Viper if it didn't get its feelings hurt so easily . Octane is next...

-Ray