GAF Observations

[Sir Adam]

GAF Observations
by Scott B.

I went to the NOC GAF this weekend, which was held a week earlier than is normal.

The water was uncharacteristically warm (60o +!) and a little higher than normal. I'm told they were taking water off the top of the lake (spilling over the dam?)

This was the lightest turn out I've seen in 11 or 12 years (with 1 or two years missed), though it seemed like there were more folks on the water on Saturday afternoon than ever. The attempts to get the crowd (100?) to dance Saturday night were kind of sad.

Saw the Liquid Logic pedestal - dude said his was the first one ever. Took a picture. Not sure what I think of it yet.

Interesting C-boats spotted :
*Valley Mill Magnet, reportedly Andy Bridges own boat once, went unsold
*Mill Brook Wide Ride, in GAF "stockade", great shape, went unsold
*"Mini-Max" - same as Wide Ride? Unsold?
*Seda C-2 - sold
*Pyranha S-8 - looked neat
*Couple of Redlines, an X, Ego, other misc. playboat conversions - most sold
*Mohawk Edge, royalex - whitewater outfitting gutted and repaced with two cane seats for lake paddling (!), not surprsingly that did not work out... Not a scratch on it. $650 (!). It was here last year, it will be back next...
*Couple of slalom boats - Vajda (model?) and a Estanguet(sp?), think both went unsold
*Noah AQ C-1 - found a good home, interesting use of Yakima foot brace track to make adjustable lower thigh strap anchor (took pic)

Market prices for
*pristine Atoms ~$300.
*pristine Cascades - unknown, they weren't selling at $300
*Whip-It C-1s - fuggetaboutit. Glad I left my Whiplash at home.

Demo'd the Esquif Nitro and Detonator - thought I'd be too heavy for the smaller one (Detonator?) at 220#, but found I liked it more. Nitro (? the longer one) - fast, plenty stable, not as edgy as a Viper, seemed a little harder to turn (might be technique issues). Detonator - turned easier, handled my weight fine, turned and surfed better. Both - nice and narrow for easy cross strokes; both showed heavy wear on "ghost chine" - that would be an issue on shallow rivers...

Saw a new Bell white water OC-1, but did not try it. Looked wet (3" less free board than Esquifs) & fast (narrow ends). Comments I heard confirmed that, and added that it was "twitchy".

Did NOT see Kalin of the Great Frozen North...

Scott

Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 10:35 AM

I'm SO glad I didn't travel down...
by Sir Adam

Or I'd no doubt be figuring out how to pay rent this month! SO many boats unsold that could be added to the "museum"...sigh.

Thank you for the GREAT recap though.

If someone (hint, hint, Scott) organizes a "Southern Armada" for a few days, later this fall or in the spring (as long as it's not spring melt) I would venture down to check out all these great rivers y'all keep talking about (yes, I'll eat grits too!).

C-ya!
Sir Adam

Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 10:44 AM

Do you remember who was selling the Magnet?
by Angela Sigmund Angela Sigmund

And how much it was selling for? Maybe that's the perfect boat I've been looking for all my life...my Hornet is great, the fastest boat I've ever owned, it flies across the water, and at 26 lbs I can lift it with two fingers...but...the bottom of the hull is so curvy from side to side that I can't quite get the ballast I want...

Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 12:03 PM

caught my eye
by didn't get a boat

the boat wasn't in bad shape, some patch work.
cann't remember the $ but it was with a
carolina canoe club banner. if that helps
m

Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 1:59 PM


Magnet, other stuff
by Scott B.

The magnet was owned by a guy in the Carolina Canoe Club - Jack Shuler, from Chapel Hill. I found an e-mail for him in a for sale ad on the club page : cheajack@aol.com He was asking $375

Other observations :

Market price of a Gyramax - something less than $100 - saw one for that and it did not sell. Heard one went for $1 last year...

Value of a Dagger pedestal - ~$60 (more than a Gyramax!) Saw two, think both sold

Saw another Oxygen for sale - don't know if it sold.

There are still open boaters out there - saw more on the river in 3 hours than in the previous year, including the spring armada. That may not be significant as I don't get out much.

Scott


Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 2:24 PM


Man...
by Brettal

I would've taken the Gyramax for $100. Or a bit more, if it's not broken in half. I need to stop drooling over boats so I can afford books next semester. sigh

Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 2:31 PM


he was asking $80 n/t
by white boat good shape

33333

Posted on Oct 22, 2002, 5:41 AM

Contact info?
by Brettal Brettal

Anyone know who was selling it and have a way to get in touch with them?
I can justify it, I swear! No really, I can!

Posted on Oct 22, 2002, 2:22 PM


Gyramax in Mass.
by Sir Adam

Greetings...

If your looking for a Gyramax you might want to contact Mark Blatchley (marbla on the NPMB.com site)...he had a bunch of Gyramax's, Slashers, and Cascades he was getting rid of (I picked up one of each)...I think he's also got an old glass boat someone (NancyD) is trying to sell...I almost bought it for 225 a few years ago, but it needs work (like a gel coat...it leaks through the glass right now (DaveM's trick of paint would probably work...).)

Good luck!
Sir Adam

Posted on Oct 22, 2002, 6:13 PM


So many boats...
by Brettal

...so little money.

On the plus side, Thursday I'm checkin' out a Viper that I may well buy (provided I can find a buyer for my Wenonah Advantage so's I can have the monies...)

That'd even give me enough spare to pick up a Gyramax or a Cascade. I really really need to stop drooling over boats I can almost afford.

Posted on Oct 22, 2002, 8:14 PM

It's a slippery slope...
by Sir Adam of Multiple Boat Disorder (MBD)

It all starts with, well, just ONE more boat...it's not like any of the others! I can use it for X, or Y! and it will be MUCH better. Or as a spare when other people want to CBoat, or to convert boaters to the way of C!...then it's another...and another...and another.... Then you find you have 14, a boat in progress, and a Stealth mold...and you start looking at C2s...a slippery slope indeed....

For what it's worth I find a properly cut Viper is one of my Favorites by far...I had to keep just 5 boats it would be one of them (along with the Groove, Oxygen, Fanatic, and either Blackwater or Cascade (if I had a Hornet that would be number 5 I think...).

Good luck!
Sir Adam of MBD
P.S. If you want to try any of the colletion out, let me know...the Hudson is up right now and there's a nice class II / III section to try stuff out on...if you don't mind the 1" of snow we had this morning.....

Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 7:05 AM

Slippery slopes
by Brettal

I've seen this before. I don't know if I want to try and stop it before it happens to me.

I appreciate the offer to come try out some boats, though I don't think I'll be able to anytime soon (school and all that money-sucking stuff). Maybe this summer I can head out for a weekend.

Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 9:04 AM

Mark Blatchley?
by Brettal

I just did a quick search or three on NPMB's list of profiles and couldn't find him. Any idea on other ways of finding him? Anyone? Bueller? Anderson? Frye?

(I need to see that movie to get these lines out of my head...)

Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 2:13 PM


Check your e-mail:) (nt)
by Sir Adam

ha! there IS some text...

Posted on Oct 24, 2002, 5:01 AM