Nova Craft Ocoee Opinions

[keithmasill81]

Anyone have any long term experience with the Nova Craft version of the Ocoee? Durability, deviation from original design, etc...

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Peter K.]

Five or six people I paddle with have had the NC version for several years. The hulls look in pretty good shape to me and I have heard no complaints. However, there were issues with the factory outfitting. Several have adjusted the thwarts and moved the saddle and outfitting.

Don't know how the NC boat compares to the earlier versions.

[pblanc]

Nova Craft version is significantly narrower, less stable, and somewhat faster than the Dagger and Bell versions is what I have heard from multiple owners.

[milkman]

Based on the one a friend has, it's built better than the Bell version with stouter gunnels and a heavier layup (he has the Novacraft heavy layup version). I've never paddled it to compare with our Bell Ocoee.

[ian123]

they made them in heavy and light versions

[arhdc]

Yes, Novacraft made a standard Royalite version and a heavy Royalex version.

[pblanc]

When it comes to canoes, Royalite usually refers to R84 which is a thermoplastic of different composition than Royalex. I don't believe that NC made Ocoees out of R84. I think they specified two different gauges of Royalex.

They called one standard and the other heavy, but judging from the finished boat weights in comparison with the original Dagger Ocoee, the so-called heavy or "super" Royalex was what would have been standard for the Dagger boat. The one called regular Royalex by NC was a significantly lighter sheet which I would not expect to hold up as well in the long term.

[KevinAmirault]

It is narrower. They cut the thwarts much too short and it makes for a significantly less stable boat. In my opinion it is not nearly as nice to paddle. The hull shape has been changed by the thwart change, because the mold is the same, but the thwarts are shorter. This results in the walls of the hull being "pulled in" making for a less significant chine.

[Bob P]

It is narrower. They cut the thwarts much too short and it makes for a significantly less stable boat. In my opinion it is not nearly as nice to paddle. The hull shape has been changed by the thwart change, because the mold is the same, but the thwarts are shorter. This results in the walls of the hull being "pulled in" making for a less significant chine.

If the hull is the same, it's a pretty trivial exercise to put in longer thwarts.

[DougB]

The NC is made from a different mold that is narrower. Still wider thwarts make a big difference. Adding 1.5" wider thwarts makes it pretty close to the Dagger profile.

[yarnellboat]

What are the numbers we're talking about?...

For a Dagger Ocoee how wide is the boat as measured at centre, outside to outside of gunwales?

I'm pretty sure I've seen different specs/measurements mentioned in different places, maybe because quite a few people made personal changes to the width? What's the stock width of a Dagger Ocoee?

Edit I: On the 'boats' section of this website, it says 29". Confirmed as 29" max width (27" @ 4" water line) in a Dagger brochure from '96. Hmm, I'd always assumed mine was stock, but I'm pretty sure it's more like 27" at the gunwales. Maybe I'll widen back a touch to see how that feels?

Edit II: On Nova Craft's website they give the specs as 25" (and length as 11'3", 1" longer than Daggers). Assuming Nova Craft's 25" width compares to Dagger's stock of 29" max width, that's not a little narrower, 4" is a lot more narrow!

Edit III: My Dagger Ocoee is 26.5" wide to the outside of the (vinyl) gunwales. So, presumably modified, though I always thought it was standard. I wonder how it would be a little wider?

Thanks, Pat.

[cheajack]

I have a brand new NC Ocoee; never outfitted for sale in North Carolina.

[Axamer]

I bought a Nova Craft Ocoee canoe and that's right the boat was pretty narrow, but Echo Paddle put me somw wood gunwale and put the original size and the boat is very sweet now on water. I have also a Mike Yee outfitting and that's very nice too.

[KevinAmirault]

I bought a Nova Craft Ocoee canoe and that's right the boat was pretty narrow, but Echo Paddle put me somw wood gunwale and put the original size and the boat is very sweet now on water. I have also a Mike Yee outfitting and that's very nice too.

I have also heard good things about the Echoee. Guy that modifies them is a nice chap as well.

[milkman]

I bought a Bell Ocoee when they first came out and it was the same thing as people are saying about the Nova Craft. The boat was narrower than the Dagger specs. A friend who had had several Dagger Ocoees before buying the Bell Ocoee, disliked the narrowed Bell and ended up putting in new thwarts. I thought I would follow his example, but first my wife and I paddled it. We liked it and kept it the way it was. So try the Nova Craft Ocoee stock before you mess with it. And if you do mess with it, keep those shorter thwarts in case you want to go back.