Introducing the Esquif L'edge

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:57 pm

and another dam thing

If the two bladed sittin on his butt crack was a swipe at PLG remember he never was in a boat till Nov last year, and we were doin unscouted first D's ( well two out of our nineteen were) besides I put in in a canoe on three different bodies of water down there. Funniest dam thing you ever seen, I don't think he could balance on a tricycle. Next weekend he will do his first canoe trip down the Ocoee. The Canoes in Mexico were so hard on him, the only way I could get him to go was give him two deathyak trip on the Ocoee and then I still have to let him use the Caption. He has gotton to where he can keep that barge up right on the lake (finally) so I don't think the Ocoee will be any problem for him, heck it is like a lake, but we'll have the video camera just in case he has any problems.

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:23 pm

Louie... based on one day on the river up here... it's very dry... it'll probably still be pretty darn dry without the decks on compared to what we're used to paddling. When we were cutting the plug we left enough room at the top to vary the gunnel height down about an inch-and-half on the open version so for those that prefer the deeper setup they can leave it alone and if someone would like it a little lower there is a small amount of room for adjustment that can be made. We weren't all made the same size so why "standardize" the boats depth if you don't have to? Also... the way the top of the boat is configured it was designed not to scoop water when you roll and even if you are riding on a brace the water wants to flow outwards... not inwards. (I suppose I'll have to do another little video down the road again to explain what/why/how everything was configured the way it is.) I'm glad to hear people are all revved up about this thing and tell everyone I'll be "down South" and "up North" when I can...

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:59 pm

don't take this the wrong way, but it not really you we want to see.

I mean a lilly white, constantly sunburned. premature balding yankee in burmuda shorts, with sandels and black knee high socks, we can see at any gas station as they fill up heading to Florida. The yellow thing on top of you car, I knowed you ain't drivin no truck, is what we would be lookin for.

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:17 pm

Louie... please have your wife or kids type for you.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:30 pm

I am at work and PLg is on Vacation so I am havin to wing it. I knowed I've won the argument or hit a sore spot one when the best you all can come back with is sumthin about my spellin or typin. If I have failed to communicnate what I was trin to say I can repost it if you like If it makes you feel any better you do have more hair than PLG and he is sunburned all the time also.

It is a shame that you can read my Mexican wife and kids rittin better un mine, unless you were wantin me to have one of my white kids post for me. I swear you Yankees are hard to figure out.

Walsh · Post by **Walsh** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:58 pm

Louie wrote:"it not if you hit a rock or not , it is if you hit a rock and bounce the right way" is just a sayin. Also despite what some people say lettin us test drive you boat would not be like turnin your daughter over to a bunch of drunk Cheacoula Appachies.

Louie, you're a gem.

p.s. Craig - how long do you think it will take to build a mold and go to production? I would guess 1-2 years, but gladly welcome any more positive estimates.

Randy Dodson · Post by **Randy Dodson** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:25 pm

Walsh wrote:
Louie wrote:"it not if you hit a rock or not , it is if you hit a rock and bounce the right way" is just a sayin. Also despite what some people say lettin us test drive you boat would not be like turnin your daughter over to a bunch of drunk Cheacoula Appachies.
Louie, you're a gem.

p.s. Craig - how long do you think it will take to build a mold and go to production? I would guess 1-2 years, but gladly welcome any more positive estimates.

earlier in the thread, Craig said hopefully by late summer.

cbcboat · Post by **cbcboat** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:41 pm

On a side note of the scooping water factor, well sort, of with my Ocoee, and I think others would agree, if you flip to the offside it sometimes gets stuck on that side without some funny under water strokes or aggressive momentum continuation. Have you played with that at all with this boat? Does it sit flat upsidedown like a decked boat would or does it kind of 'chose' a side to lean up to?
Thanks
B

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:38 pm

Wow you are right I had forgot about that. I hated it when the boat is flipped to the off side and you are tryin to set up but the Ocoee wouldn't go all the way over, ya Decker what about that?

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:25 pm

cbcboat & Louie... when the boat is upside down it lays completely flat... kinda like a Spanishfly... no teeter-tottering or hanging off to one side... that's something we picked up on back in the day when we used to cut down the ends 2" or 3" on our modded Ocoee's. The lower the bow/stern in relation to the middle the flatter it would lay upside down and the quicker you could roll it. Another reason it doesn't get stuck or scoop water is due to the gunnels being tucked in rather than following a line straight upwards like most canoes which facilitates the scoop effect when you are coming back up. Watch the video and you can see how it works.

Like I've said... I used all the best design elements of Frankies boats I could for this project with a few little tweaks of my own.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:30 pm

Ya I would have to agree, the fewer tweks from you the better, bein mainly a decked C1'er and all. You never answered my question BTW, are you comin to the Ocoee this summer?

Atucky · Post by **Atucky** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:22 pm

Boat looks great.

My brother and I have been dreaming of a plastic open boat larger than the prelude for a long time now. I think this boat will fill a large void in the current whitewater canoe options that are out there now.

Any idea as to how much the boat will weigh? It's probably been touched on in this book of a thread, but I can't recall.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:12 pm

With or with out the decks?

Atucky · Post by **Atucky** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:53 pm

I'm more interested in the without version for various reasons but mainly weight.

Mr.DeadLegs · Post by **Mr.DeadLegs** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:38 pm

Adam are you and Phil going to make this into a Tandem Boat, that would be sooooo cool. You guys may be a little close, but with it being symetrical you could paddle back to back. NANTAHALA BEER SURF would be so cool that way. Or just get matching boats and gear and that twin thing would be quite creepy.