C-Forum

Hi, kayaker here who's been getting interested in OC-1. I have access to a triple-outfitted Blast, and I've been paddling it solo. I love the combination of stability and edges for control, and have been having a fun time in it. It's big and heavy, though, being really a tandem boat. I'm serious enough about canoeing to want my own boat, and I'd like something in the same ballpark as the Blast's performance that's a lighter, dedicated solo boat, a little more high-performance for technical rivers. Seems like the Detonator or Nitro are the standard choices? What is the difference between those two boats?

It seems to me that a lot of new canoeists I know have started in a used Detonator, worked on their skills, and then pretty quickly got themselves a new, more high-performance boat, usually a L'Edge or Blackfly Option.

I'd definitely like a boat that I can grow into, and I'm pretty comfortable using edges, so I don't think I want a traditional "beginner" boat that's built for stability more than anything else. I suspect, though, that a L'Edge or Option may be a bit too high performance for me. But I do want something that will stay fun for a long while.

What say you all? I know there are a million opinions on boats, and that I need to demo. I'd like to narrow down boat-types before I start trying things out, and I'm hoping readers here can guide me to some designs to consider.

I'm 170#, and mostly looking to do class III to -IV paddling.

Thanks!

Chris

*Broken Record time*

Where do you live? If you can get into a L'Eege, Option, Detonator, or Nitro, you'll have a very good idea of how they all behave for you. At your weight, I would say that the Nitro and L'Edge will require a little less driving from the front (cross-bow forward strokes) if that is something you are not yet fully comfortable with.

Shep

Thanks, I'm in northeast PA.

Yeah, sorry--I know you all must get this question about a thousand times a month. Maybe the "Just starting out" forum could have a pinned post up top that contains the standard answers to the "I'm new, what kind of boat do I want" question?

Thanks for any advice!

The real broken record moment was my question "where are you?" Fortunately, it seems like there are a lot of people in NE PA willing to let you try out their boats.. Creeker is not far from you and is very generous with his time and boat demos. He's also a convert, so can probably give you better advice than anyone on what will work for you.

Shep

There is nothing out there much more stable than a L'Edge.