Creek Boats- Robson Finkenmeister? Worth a look?

[mccrae]

I am looking at getting a creeker/river runner that will take me down pretty much any spring runs and creeks I choose as well as big water boat. I am 175 and 5'10. Is this the boat for me or should I be looking at something like the Burn or Diesel?
Any reviews on any of these boats would be appreciated.
Steve

[Larry Horne]

from what i hear, they're all good. i paddle a burn and love it for class iv-v.
where are you? you could try my h3 255 or large burn or (i bet) bruces finky if you're in california.

[the great gonzo]

Never paddled a Burn or Diesel, but I LOVE my Finkenmeister. Great speed, very maneuvrable, boofs well, resurfaces quickly and predictably after bigger drops, primary stability could be a bit better, but secondary is great, and once properly outfitted (you HAVE to add thigh straps, the factory fitting with the bulkhead and hip grabbers alone does NOT work for most people and certainly did not for me), it also rolls well.
Check also this review:
http://www.open-canoe.de/open-sucks/c1s/finki.html


martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[sbroam]

Got an interesting perspective from one of the guys at "Ain't Louie Fest" who was running the Little in it. I think his name was Randy - he said it paddled "weird", and that you had to "stay on it all the time". What I took away from it was that it may very well not paddle like boats you are used to and that you should try before you buy.

[PAC]

I paddled Martin's for a short time during the Over the Falls Race. I found the Fink stable and much to my liking.

I've been waiting for the FatBoy but I do need a larger non-play boat and until the T came out with the rim lip for a skirt the Fink looked like the path - delayed due to funding and the hope of the Fatboy.

I now need to demo the T to see how I like it. Seeing the photos from Louie fest has me very interested - a C1 / oc1 in one boat... for those times you feel like a nut or for those times you don't!

Back to the Fink - I found the Fink stable off of larger drops (one 18' and 3 within a 1/4 mile and never having been in the boat before) and rolled pretty easily - Martin had it outfitted very nicely (but for someone much bigger than I - but it all worked well).

But you do did need to stay forward in it.. pro-actively paddling it verses to just reacting to situations. Personally I'm more of a re-active paddler but found it easy to adapt and dial into it. Basically I liked it a lot. Its just so darn big and funky looking!
Paul C.

PS: Any one going to bring T to the NBoP event?

[joat]

I just got a Diesel 75 and have been out in it 2x so far (cold and frozen up here in Ontario). It is super stable and forgiving, with lots of room for gear. This is only my second year paddling, so take this review for what it is worth.

For the record, I am also a butt-boating 2 blader...sorry

[the great gonzo]

Sbroam as well as PAC are right, the Finkenmeister is not a floater's boat, IE if you like to just float down the river, the boat won't handle very well. It also does not like being paddled from the stern.
The designer, Thopmas Fink, apparently has a slslom background, and it shows. I pretty much never use a stern pry any more, I do all my strokes aggressively from the bow. If you do that, it's great. If you just float and like to paddle from the stern, you will get spanked.

If you live in Ontario or nearby and want to give it a try, let me know.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[mccrae]

Thanks for the input guys. Martin. I live in Kitchener Ontario and if you are around would love to give it a go. If you are heading up to the Gorge or Irvine this spring (a little low right now) we should connect.
Steve

[the great gonzo]

Steve, sure, not a problem. Won't go there this weekend though, as the water levels dropped below the point where the gorge is worth doing, and Irvine is too low.
Send me a PMor an e-mail qand we'll figure something out.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[Bruce Farrenkopf]

Hello Mccrae & Gang,
I've had my Finkenmeister for 3 years as my primary river running boat. I agree with Martin's description of the boat. I have had to make some adjustments with the boat setup (like thigh straps, moving my sitting position far forward) and some aspects of my paddling style but the boat performs very well. It does some things exceptionally well - boofing, rising after a big drop, turning, ferrying, and surfs well.
I am also about to convert the hull of one of Larry Horne's old Pyranha H3 255's. That should give me a great perspective on relative boat performance. Should be fun .
SYOTR,
Bruce

[the great gonzo]

Thanks for the input guys. Martin. I live in Kitchener Ontario and if you are around would love to give it a go. If you are heading up to the Gorge or Irvine this spring (a little low right now) we should connect.
Steve

Steve,

I will be running the Gorge (Irvine is too low, I think) tomorrow. If you are interested in trying the Finkenmeister, PM me or call me ()647-828-4189), and we'll set things up.

Cheers!

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!