Whitesell boats

[yarnellboat]

If a Whitesell boat is describebd as plastic and 14'6" I'm assuming it must be a Pirhana? From the OC Rec Boat page, it looks like this was Whitesells only plastic boat, and the length is close enough.

They were designed as solo boats, but how do they do as a tandem?

Pat.

[yarnellboat]

Piranha. What a tough word to spell. I stand corrected, Whitesell also had a small plastic boat.

I'm assuming the plastic means Royalex. Why so much variation in width and wieght?

How might this perform compared to "modern" boats, somewhere between a Freedom/Appalachian and a Synergy/Caption? Maybe like a Vertige X?

Thanks, P.

[Paddle Power]

Whitesell made tough royalex canoes, all similar.
piranha at approx 14'
descender appros 13'
whirlwind approx 12'
All roll well.
They would outfit the piranha tandem.

[dixie_boater]

I have a Piranha and a OT Appalachian and can tell you the basic diferences between the boats. The Piranha has a funneled bow and stern which makes the boat much drier. It has more rocker, both in the ends and the pivoting bulge amidships. The Piranha was Nolan's first design and he made many first descents (most notably the Niagra Gorge) in this boat. The Piranha set-up tandem is best used on big water class III and up where it performs best.


The Appalachian is a rec class boat more suitable for use in runs up to class III. It is more stable and carries loads better than a Piranha. The ends have some flare and will shed small waves, but it doesn't run very dry in long wave trains.

The Piranha performs more like a Caption than a Vertige X. It is very different than a Freedom or Appalachian. The reason for the variation in width is that the hulls could be set-up to the width you desired. The hulls were available in either Royalex "tuff" or "lite". The tuff is heavier (and stronger) and the lite is markedly thinner (and lighter). I have a Whitesell Descender Lite and find it responds to turning strokes much better than heavier boats.

[sbroam]

The Piranha has a funneled bow and stern which makes the boat much drier.

What do you mean by "funneled" ? Just curious.

[Jim Michaud]

I paddled Whitesells for well over a decade and wore out at least a half dozen of them. I then switched to a Caption, wearing out two of them and now I paddle a Vertige-X.

The Whitesell was a fantastic big water boat because of the complete lack of chines. There was no sharp edges for powerful water to catch so it was just as stable filled with water as it was empty. Because of the round bottom it was possible to quickly scoop the water out of the boat with the canoe paddle. It was also so stable side surfing holes that I was able to juggle tennis balls while side surfing. It was lousy at front surfing though.

Going from a Whitesell to a Caption took a little getting use to. Compared to the Whitesell I found the Caption a bit edgy. It had more rocker than the Whitesell so it handled creeks better and front surfed like a dream due to the flat bottom. I could no longer juggle while side surfing though. Because of the extra rocker I was able to run many waterfalls dry or almost dry. I don't like it in big water like the Grand Canyon because the powerful current catches the edges when least expected.

I now paddle a Vertige-X and it's a honey. It has the flat bottom of the Caption but with softer chines. It has a wee bit less rocker than the Caption so I was wondering how well it would surf. I found that it front surfed much better than any other boat that I've ever owned, even the Caption. I've been able to catch waves that I've never been able to catch in the Caption. The Vertige-X is very predictable and forgiving. I paddled it down a creek running 9,000 cfs with an eddy only every half mile and found it controllable and very stable while trying to miss huge holes while swamped to the gunwales. There's better boats for extremely tight creeks like Fall River but then that's not where you usually find open canoes.

Jim

[dixie_boater]

Scott,

A funnel shaped bow doesn't taper down gradually to a sharp edged stem. Instead, it stays wide until just before the stem and ends in a blunt, rounded shape. The funnel shape adds volume to the ends of the boat and enables the bow to ride up on waves and rise more quickly after drops.

The Mohawk XL and Probe series have flared, higher volume ends. Their end decks are rounded much like a Whitesell Piranha or Descender. Their design was heavily influenced by their predecessors, the Whitesell-designed Scamp and Rogue.

[Jim]

Nice to see the OCers responding here. Regarding Jim M's review- note that he probably has more river miles in an OC than 'bout anybody, especially on the tough stuff, so those are some great insights. I followed him down many rivers when we were both in Whitesell Pyranhas and that boy can paddle, and the boat allowed me to keep up without too many mishaps.

As I sit im my office I face a poster of Whitesell going over Big Sandy Falls using that waterfall stern rudder that Alden just discovered- sweet stuff in a sweet boat.

Dixie Boater- it sounds like my old thwart is getting some river miles down south. Some day I want to get on the same rivers myself.

[dixie_boater]

Jim,

My Descender Lite (with your old thwart) is still on the water these days! It has to take it's turn on the water with my Caption though. I paddle the two boats alternately to keep from wearing one out before the other. I hope you do get a chance to paddle down south soon. The Chattooga has been holding a good level very well this winter. Last Saturday I ran the Little River Canyon in AL with a tandem team in a Dimension. It has been a long time since a tandem boat was seen on the LRC. The yakers were out in abundance, enjoying the low 60's temps and partly cloudy weather with us. They were amazed that such a big canoe could run Bottleneck (class IV-) with ease.

Jim Michaud did a great job of describing just how good the Piranha is at side surfing. I enjoyed jumping in the top hole of Double Trouble (Ocoee) or Witch's Hole (Ocoee @ Diamond Splitter) in the old days. That boat is so stable in big, pulsing holes that eat most other boats alive. I learned to roll on the Ocoee in a Piranha. If you didn't have a roll and played at Double Trouble, you were in for a long swim as the current is very swift for several yards below the second wave.

[yarnellboat]

Great feedback. I'll have to learn to juggle (and sustain a sidesurf).

For those of you have used & abused these boats, any recommendations about the width. The specs show a range of 29" - 34". I'll mostly be using if for tandem.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of 29" vs. 34".

Pat.