Mohawk Probe 11 - Good Beginner Boat?

Gaut · Post by **Gaut** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 6:51 pm

I have a friend looking for a boat to start Paddling in and she has found a Probe 11 she likes. I have never paddled one, but I would think a bit longer boat would be a little more stable for her? Any first hand experiences out there?

Randy Dodson · Post by **Randy Dodson** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:44 pm

depending on how much she weighs, a Probe 11 could be a very good boat for her to start out in. It is 11'8" long which is longer than the 11' Ovation I've started several beginners out in. Probe's have good secondary stability and pretty decent primary stability.

philcanoe · Post by **philcanoe** » Sun Aug 05, 2007 1:22 am

all-n-all it's not bad

...however...

IMHO a first boat is a critical juncture, one that can have quite a big influence on a persons future direction...purchasing the wrong boat can really hamper your progress... it sets the stage for how you relate to the sport... if you are not going to get another boat for a couple years, a wrong choice could be potentially result in a rather short paddling career ... too quick a boat, or too heavy, or not responsive enough, and it's NO FUN... it's all relative, that's why there's so many different canoes... if you notice some folks want a round bottom, some wouldn't be caught dead in one, personal opinion can often be affected by what you own (mines better'n yours/mines good enough)

If I was mentoring a complete newby, I would have them beg, borrow, rent, and cajole as many different boats as possible before buying one. If you have access to good canoe shop (with access to /on the water) a day spent test driving would be my 1st choice.

just one guys opinion

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:21 pm

A woman in our club started with one and she's progressed nicely from class 2 to class 3 runs. I think it's a good boat for Outrage-sized people--under 190 lbs. I got in it once for about 15 minutes and it felt a little faster and edgier than an Ovation (which isn't saying much). Didn't get to surf any significant waves, but the boat looks like a surf machine to me. My conclusion was a good beginner boat that you wouldn't grow out of too fast before moving on to an Ocoee, Zephyr, Paradigm or something else with some real edges.