Introducing the Esquif L'edge

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:46 am

Congratulations Roy Crimmins!

OC1 Open X
1 Roy Crimmins........231.64 00 231.64 226.32 00 226.32 226.32
2 Eli Helbert.............217.71 20 237.71 228.69 10 238.69 237.71
3 John McConville....222.35 30 252.35 227.30 20 247.30 247.30

cbcboat · Post by **cbcboat** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:36 pm

Heres my thougts on the boat, in my limited time in it and not fitting the outfitting idealy. The boat is actually pretty quick and obviously in the decked version very dry. I rolled it once and it was still fairly dry. because I was sitting a little high in it until I got used to it the edges they were definetely noticeable, once useto them they were really nice and itdidn't feel as edgy as it looks, because the edges do look aggressive. Overall speed is obviously nothing like a longer boat, but from past experience in other similar boats it did feel a little faster than say a Taraue(?). Overall it does still feel like you are paddling a canoe, which personally I think is a good thing. I will certainly be interested in trying the production model when they are out. Sounds like there may be a few tweaks going to happen but I think so far so good. Wish I would have spent moretime in it and maybe even took a race run in it just for fun. Nice work Craig, should be a good one.
B

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:38 pm

Thanks Brandon... and for those of you that don't know him... he's a good sized cowboy that happily crammed himself into the boat.

FWIW Brandon is equally as skilled with the paddle as he is at doing kegstands... but I could swear we saw the airbags deploy on that one particular tandem run the next morning.

fez · Post by **fez** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:16 am

will the L`edge be shown on the Kanumesse in Nürnberg / Germany ?

Would be great for the european tribe!

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:41 pm

fez wrote:will the L`edge be shown on the Kanumesse in Nürnberg / Germany ?

Would be great for the european tribe!

I'm not certain Fez... but I do know for a fact there is one more prototype getting outfitted by one of the elves today at a little workshop that's a lot closer to the North Pole than here.

kaz · Post by **kaz** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:16 pm

Hi there. I only spent about 15 minutes in the L'Edge but I did like it. Can any boat be drier? I think not. I like the way it can track in and out of eddies. This is a boat for running rivers. It's reasonably fast for a short boat. It attains upstream fairly well too. I would buy one, unless Esquif wanted to give me one for free!
JKaz

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:43 pm

Craig,

Any word on when they will be ready in plastic? GauleyFest I'm hoping? I'm dying to take one out on the Green.

It must be really good for Kaz to give his stamp of approval to a short boat!

Dooley

Yukon · Post by **Yukon** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:31 pm

Craig
Workshop closer to the North Pole? Well I am pretty close to there, well a lot closer than most on this board. and it is gettting outfiftted in my shop and I doubt very close to hear, but would love to try one out. Looks like a great fun boat.I am still adjusting to my Taureau and this may much better

Post by **sbroam** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:14 pm

kaz wrote:Hi there. I only spent about 15 minutes in the L'Edge but I did like it. Can any boat be drier? I think not. I like the way it can track in and out of eddies. This is a boat for running rivers. It's reasonably fast for a short boat. It attains upstream fairly well too. I would buy one, unless Esquif wanted to give me one for free!
JKaz

Perhaps there would be a market for a composite version...

sganarelle · Post by **sganarelle** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:40 pm

Can the l'Edge come with pre drilled holes for painters?

Canoes have to have painters. The Spanish Fly/Taureau dont have them. This might be because I am used to older boats, a Genesis and an Explorer, are my boats.

jrsh92 · Post by **jrsh92** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:06 pm

How does the speed of this compare to, say, an esquif Nitro? I find the nitro to be a little bit sluggish (possibly because the other two boats i've spent a lot of time in are the Spark and Zoom, both impressively fast) and enjoy paddling the faster boats i mentioned a lot more, they're just easier to maneuver and ferry in than the "tank" (nitro)... though the Nitro's stability lets me do a lot of stuff i wouldn't be going into in the Zoom... any thoughts?

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:06 am

kaz... thanks man... but you could make a cast iron bathtub look like a good boat. (Hey... there's another class we can add at Nationals!!!

I'll run it by my Rep's) I look forward to a weekend on the Gauley or ??? when we can trade the Inferno for the L'edge.

Dooleyoc-1... I hope so buddy. We'll have to see though. At the least... I'll have a prototype there. If I can't come (for some reason) Roy will have it with him for you to jump into. I gotta see how this whole messed up hand deal plays out first. I think a cast iron bathtub would be fun on the green... as long as it doesn't have the claw feet still attached. Kaz said the L'edge was stable... REALLY stable.

sbroam... I can see Kaz and I co-conspiring on something in the future. Should be really odd looking.

sganarelle... huh? It doesn't even have grab loops on it at the moment.

Don't fret... production versions will have plenty of bells and whistles... and possibly a bull-horn and microphone.

jrsh92... the Nitro is probably faster in a straight line. I think the Zoom might be a touch faster than the L'edge as well... but I'll let Martin Talbot compare them as Martin has spent more time in the Zoom and he paddled the L'edge here in Wausau.

Here's a few of my own thought's on "hull speed".

It's great to have hull speed but for the most part it's not always the deal breaker in regards to me liking a boat or not. I'll confess... I'm actually a fairly lazy paddler when I can be and I always try to let the water do the bulk of the work. I'll often times search out the greatest concentration of current (green water) to propel myself or catch the blade in. I actually can turn it on when I have to though.... "uh oh... time for a boof stroke"

A Spark for example has loads of hull speed but for the average boater at times that speed means missing eddies or not being able to turn the boat quickly and easily. It doesn't mean the boat can't... it just goes really fast better. For creeking or running drops/slides/etc. I don't always find speed necessary as sometimes going with the rivers flow and throwing in a few quick powerful tugs on the paddle at the right time yields more positive results. My favorite boat (SpanishFly) really does lack speed at certain times when you really wish it had more of it... but for the most part it isn't needed for running a drop or steep ledges with fast moving water. It's those times that you have to have a bit more speed that made me deviate away from copying the SPFly's rocker profile completely.

So... If a boat has too much speed (typically less rocker) and not enough speed (typically lot's of rocker) you often compromise a bit of the boats turning ability for getting in and out of those tight spots when creeking or running tight and technical rivers. Finding a balance between these two things is really a challenge... especially with nine feet to work with.

I feel as though every boat's platform and length combined with it's own intended uses needs to find it's own ideal hull speed and turning ability. Each time you move one direction... you lose a bit going the other direction. As it stands I feel that this boat has fairly good overall hull speed for it's length and very good turning ability considering how much rocker it lacks in it's midsection. The L'edge is faster than the SpanishFly in a straight line or accelerating on the flats or in the green water. The SpanishFly would most likely beat it an "into and back out of" the eddy competition. The L'edge is far drier. It has more volume. It will be less taxing on your body after long stretches of flatwater... and for those of you that asked for it... it actually looks like a canoe. Oh... and you won't wear it out after a season or two of bouncing it down and off of rocks.

Sorry for the redundant ramblings... does any of this make sense?

Maybe I'll condense this after I've read it a few times.

Marc Evans · Post by **Marc Evans** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:49 am

Thanks Craig - I think you answered all my questions as they relate to comparing the L'Edge and SFly. Sounds like a really fun boat.

When the production model comes out, can you please encourage Esquif to bring a demo boat out to the northwest. I know that we are off the radar, but it would be much appreciated.

Marc

yarnellboat · Post by **yarnellboat** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:50 am

Marc,

It's probably premature for a L'Edge to appear, but at the Tamihi Five-0 OC Slalom (Sept 19-20 on the Chilliwck River), Esquif is planning to have a trailer of demo boats.

Since it's so rare to have a decent group of ww canoes together in the northwest, Western Canoeing (an Esquif dealer near vancouver, BC) has been very supportive of the event and has been working with the Esquif rep to get Western and Esquif more involved.

Craig, if you have any influence - can there be a L'Edge out West by September 19th?

Marc, come check out the T50!

Pat.

Marc Evans · Post by **Marc Evans** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:40 am

Pat, I'm in need of a new passport, but would love to see a slalom some day. I am in need of that experience.

We do need to get together with some of the other northwestern Cboaters. Right now it's mighty lonely in my neck of the woods. Maybe next year - a Northwest Armada!

I'm tempted to head over to the Roaring River Slalom on the Clackamas (OR) in September.

Marc