C-Forum

I am a beginner whitewater paddler, seeking advice before purchasing my first boat.

I'm looking to buy a boat (hopefully used) but am a little baffled on what I should be looking for. I am a small woman, 5'3" and 110 pounds. I have only been paddling for a year and am sticking right now with class 1s and 2s with the occasional 3, but would like a boat that I could grow with. Ideally, I want to find a boat that's small enough that it will respond well to my smaller size with gunnels that will allow me to reach my paddle fully in the water on my cross strokes, and also light enough that I'll be able to transport it without huge hassle (although I'm not a stickler on that last part).

I would love to hear advice/suggestions from other paddlers out there.

I know a women about your size who loves her Bell Prodigy which was her first WW boat. It has forgiving edges but still carves nicely. Narrow enough for a small person to do a cross-forward stroke. It has average primary stability but very strong secondary stability which gives you the confidence to lay it to the rails. It's a nice boat to learn in that you won't outgrow in two months. It should be fine for the waters you are looking at but may wear out if you spend most of your time creeking. Bell's out of business so available used only. It's one option if you can find one..

What boat have you been paddling, and what do you like/dislike about it?

a cut-down Zephyr might suit your needs (its light, dry, forgiving, tracks well, etc - a great all-round boat).

Also, it seems that small/light paddlers don't have nearly the issues with the Zoom's tippy-ness as the rest of us do, and they really appreciate its small size and light weight.

What is your paddling style like, and what are you looking to paddle other than a "grade" - there must be a favorite kind of paddling or maybe, all of it (which is also nice ;D)?

The Spark is a nice boat for smaller people, it's fast, lightweight and nimble. Some find it unstable but the verdict is.. YOU will be the stable one after sticking with it for a while, which IMHO is a much better place to be than being in a "stable” boat - per se.

A Millbrook Inferno might be another option, if you're more into the technical style of paddling these two boats deliver best on. If you're looking forward to creeking or the like, or have rocky rumble rivers at your place, you might consider the Prelude - which is PE - or a Big Dog Force, which without the factory outfitting (rip out or order empty and replace with full foam..) would be a reasonably lightweight option as well.

Oh yeah, and try the zoom. Try all of the above!

mahyongg wrote: . . . Try all of the above!

mahyongg is correct -- TRY before you buy.

Spend your first $1k on a good drysuit, paddle, helmet, etc., and put 'boat' on the list for next year.

Boaters usually have ol' beaters they are willing to lend. Hook up with local boaters, borrow whatever you can, then, on every trip, swap as often as you can. Try EVERYTHING -- then you can make an intelligent choice about where to put your $$.

Besides paddling characteristics, look at cost, weight (to carry), and what kind of water you are inclined to paddle. (And does the colour match your helmet, or your eyes. . .)

Have fun!

Rick

Since you mentioned gunnels, I'm assuming you are looking for an open boat (OC1) not a decked boat (C1).

Folks I've known around your weight (and lighter) seem to have liked the Phantom, and in some cases the Zoom. The Blackfly Ion and Esquif "light" L'Edge might be worth checking out as well.

You may also want to try out a Splash if you can - I think you're just on the upper weight limit for it, but when I paddled it around in a bit of current I found it surprisingly stable (I'm about 165 lbs...so grossly overweight for it by specification).

I'll also echo everyone else- try as many boats as you can!

If you can make it to a canoeing get together (CBoat armada, ALF, ARF, etc...) you have the chance to try lots of boats.

Where (generally) are you located... so others can help you out! Most cboaters will let jump in their boat to help you figuring things out.

Try before you buy is an often given advice but useless for quite a few relative beginners, since they can't get an idea of a boats capacities in a a short run.

Some real nice suggestions have been made (probably some others will pop up). But I'd say, try to find a good deal on a zoom, spark, zephir, homes, and stick with it for some time. Invest in some good quality instruction and you'll be fine. From the suggested boats, I don't think there is a wrong choice. It'll depend on your personality which will be the most optimal one.

Once you know what you like and dislike in a boat, you can try and buy. That makes more sense in my opinion.
Good luck with your boat-hunting!!

Thank you all for all the awesome & helpful advice! Sadly I am a New England paddler...where no other paddlers seem to be. But there are a few places where I can try out boats and I'll keep searching for other whitewater river paddlers in the area. Thank you again for all the help!

I know quite a few women who really enjoy the Bell Prodigy. It is fairly narrow, and not very deep, which makes it easy to reach the water at all times. ALSO, it tracks fairly nicely, which is very pleasant if you are paddling class 1's and 2's with some long flats. ALSO, it is a pretty dry boat, especially with a light paddler, as you are. ALSO, you can really grow into it. Plenty of other boats are wonderful boats, too. the best thing to do is work out a way to paddle the boats before you buy them.

Rob

In New England you can try neriverrunners a yahoo group or NPMB to meet up with some paddlers. AMC and PPCS in Maine have a number of active open boaters. There are quite a few of us left, we haven't all gone the way of the unicorn yet. A short (10ft or under) and relatively lightweight boat will be most beneficial. Most of those already mentioned are short and relatively lighter. A Milbrook Shaco might be nice. Try an Ocoee or a Detonator as well if you can. PM me if you need any more info, I'll be happy to help

Esquif Spark, or Mill Brook boat Rayge or Inferno or Shacho.... THe Zephir is an other option...

New Enlgand is, outside of the southeast, the BEST place to demo boats!

In New Hampshire you have Blackfly and Millbrook. Try a Millbrook Shacho, Rayge, and an Esquif Spark if Kaz has one in stock. Try a Blackfly Octane 85, Ion, and Option.

In Western MA, you have Zoar, which has a couple of demo Esquifs including a Zoom, and possibly a Zephyr. They might have a Mad River Outrage too.

Beyond shops/manufacturers, I would agree with others that you should see if you can find a light L'Egde. I also know smaller people who love the Bell Prodigy, and it would be worth trying out if you find one.

Good luck and go demo!

LBRiver wrote:I am a beginner whitewater paddler, seeking advice before purchasing my first boat.

I'm looking to buy a boat (hopefully used) but am a little baffled on what I should be looking for. I am a small woman, 5'3" and 110 pounds. I have only been paddling for a year and am sticking right now with class 1s and 2s with the occasional 3, but would like a boat that I could grow with. Ideally, I want to find a boat that's small enough that it will respond well to my smaller size with gunnels that will allow me to reach my paddle fully in the water on my cross strokes, and also light enough that I'll be able to transport it without huge hassle (although I'm not a stickler on that last part).

I would love to hear advice/suggestions from other paddlers out there.

Being small is good, that means you have more boats to choose from. Most boats start to become pigs as you near the upper weight limit, but you won't have to worry about that. My personal opinion is if you are going to grow into running class III or higher, you should look into PE boats. They will be heavier than similarly sized Royalex and composite boats, but the durability (for me) outweighs (no pun intended) the drawback of the weight increase. So, having said that, I would look for something short, plastic, and has a low freeboard. Something like a Quake, Spanish Fly, or Super Fly. These are wet boats, and only the Spanish Fly is still in production, but they are all fun to paddle, and all 3 can run as stout of whitewater as you want to.