C-Forum

I admit... my used Ace III was by far the most difficult for me... even the Oxygen (and Maven) are easier.

That said, some of the problem may have been the flexing hull. I have a Bala (also a WildWater boat) that is far less terrifying.

An Aerobat-it taught me to roll. Boat was more comfortable inverted!

I have a converted Perception Amp that I am a little heavy for. I flip in that thing all the time! But it is so sweet for surfing.

Next to that would be the Atom. I loved that boat for class 2 & 3. Above that I was prone to Insta-Flips(TM). I saw an older video around here somewhere of a guy in an Atom doing class 4 & 5 rapids. It amazed me.

Those two boats taught me a lot about reading water. And rolling.

I'll admit to some amusing times in an Atom as well, though it didn't take top billing. I was a bit light for it, but not light enough to keep the back chine out of the water enough not to get caught. I was paddling down the Kennebec, and at the top of the Alleyway there is a bit of a wave with a curler river right. I caught just the edge of it..and it caught me...or rather the tail...instaflip. I set up to roll, and promptly pulled myself out of the boat (my atom was pre-hipgrabber... there is a reason they added it (and I purchased and added it to mine...). For those that know the river, I managed to swim in to Cathedral Eddy (not the best idea... but I missed running Magic Falls without a boat, which is a plus;) )

My cut-down - mainly because of the way I've cut it:)
Still not sure what it was, has a Gaybo sticker and they seem to have built Davey Hearn's designs over here. It has wings so based on the database here it is presumably later than a Cudamax? I got it in the early 90's and it was already old and badly beaten up then so can't be much later than Cudamax!

The repairs in the stern were bad, I did run a couple of rivers in it but it was always well down by the stern. When I took a jigsaw to it, the stern was almost as heavy as the rest of the boat. I took some off the front as well to try and balance it but only really used it in the pool a couple of times. When I tried to paddle it at a playspot I managed to lose a buckle and it was then nearly 15 years before I got round to fixing it...... which was a few months ago.

This time I threw caution to the wind and got straight onto the artificial WW course in Glasgow. It is a very short course and not especially difficult. 2 rolls and 2 swims later I flushed into the basin. After emptying it out at the steps I got back in to paddle over to the pontoon for another run - man it was handful on the flat water!

Basically I seem to have taken too much off the stern - it probably doesn't sit as stern low as it used to, but at around 220lbs I have the chine pretty close to the water, and without the volume of the bit I cut off any amount of edge just from normal paddling causes water to slop on to the rear deck. In the WW every wave tries to make a grab for it - the first play hole, which kayak playboaters struggle to stay in for more than a couple of ends backlooped me on my way through it heading downstream (I had no steering, I was in full survival mode before I got to it!)

It may yet prove suitable as a playboat, if I fix my Maverick and get some C1 time in I might learn to handle it, but right now it's beyond me. Something like a Pagan with some volume right behind the cockpit suddenly seems attractive....

Question is, is it better or worse than the WOOZ I tried in a pool? I probably could sit still with my paddle out of the water in the cut-down, I couldn't in the WOOZ, but that was 9 months earlier... I've had 9 months of throwing the Ocoee around in WW since I tried the WOOZ!

Running a single Class II rapid in the Maven. Got off water feeling like I had a 6 hr work out. I think the O2 would be just as hard. As for the ACE - never been in it so I take your word on that one Adam.

1. Zastera No- Name wildwater c-1. It had a huge bow, and a hard chine under it. Either the wind would catch it and it would take off like a sail, or I'd overweight a knee and the chine would lock in. Either way I was out of control, and on the verge of upside down.

2. Massive Groove. I actually had a great time in this boat, BUT I also never had it on anything more than class II+. I think anything harder could have led to tears.

I didn't realize it at the time but my Phoenix "Seewun" was fostering bad habits, failing to foster good ones.

Should've bought a Magnet.

Every boat Sir Adam has built.

That's what you get for paddling a squirt boat at a weight exceeding the cut;)

Well, except for the Demo Maven. You aren't heavy enough for that one!

I my old ACE III resurfaces try it out... or drop by and try the Oxygen;)

At six-five and 235...the Atom was a massive handful for me. Lots and lots of fun at times, but I'll probably never crawl into one again. Class II/III stuff was a lot of fun in it, but it made real class III feel like IV...and class IV feel like 'HOLY $$$%%$$$%%$OH MY %%$$$%***%%GOD YOU&&$&$**#(#(*. I never felt the need to try class V in it

I never could fit in any of Adam's creations. The Acrobat I tried to paddle, that had me sitting on the rear deck was tough - didn't get out of the eddy as I recall. I spent about 3 minutes in a Zoom (er, "wooz" once - again didn't get out of the eddy. Living north of 200# makes all boats smaller... Some designs that affects more than others, some less...

The first boat I designed, the "Special K', fell over by itself when I put it in the water. Slightly more stable when I paddled it.

Mentor. I don't think I got out of the eddy in that one.

The Oxygen wasn't horrible. I think it would be easier to paddle if I didn't already know how to paddle a C-boat.

Conversions don't really count, but Vic has a Necky Rip. I think it's around 24" wide. Awesome on a wave. Doggone scary on flat-water.

The WOOZ paddled & surfed fine, but it wouldn't flip all the way over. I don't know how many times I attempted to roll that thing. I decided that I was NOT going to swim. I finally switched hands & rolled lefty.

I got in one of the Mentors once. Ferried accros a time or two, didn't feel too bad.

Adam floats past: "You might want to try rolling it..."

Hmm, not a bad idea. Flipped over, rolled up, immediately went over backwards. This turned into an endless series of ever accelerating Screw-ups until I started to run out of air and finally managed to put on the brakes.


Tried a Prelude once, nearly flipped in each of the first dozen eddies I tried to catch. That one I think I could get used to though.