Introducing the Esquif L'edge

[Craig Smerda]

Eli's impressions of the boat... http://thecanoeguru.com/

[Craig Smerda]

My new toy should be arriving in the mail tomorrow... I hope to get a few of my hired goons into the boat over the course of this coming weekend to shoot some on-board footage.

I've been procrastinating getting one of these for quite a while but after seeing the footage that Justine shot during Nationals... well... I pulled the trigger.

http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=7

It looks as though like Mrs. Smerda will now be able to get a new pair of shoes... and another matching donation will go into our daughters college fund.

[mtalbot]

Craig,

Here are my first impressions on your new design, after paddling the L'Edge on the slalom course in Wausau last July. As you know I paddle a Zoom for the big water and occasional slalom, and a Spanish Fly.

It is fast for its length.
Agile boat, very edgy - I like (well I paddle a Zoom, as I said...).
A pleasure to stop in a small eddy using counter-tilt.
Carves very well too.
Very dry - but a bit difficult to empty with the decks, like the Taureau.
Forgiving boat (as long as you stay off holes!).
Good primary stability.
Water was not big enough to really assess secondary stability, but a few runs through the big drop at Wausau left a good impression.

It does not feel like it is made for hole riding! Window-shades right there if you do not put a lot of your weight on the downstream edge and tilt like crazy! Although I wonder if one could get to tame the beast with VERY agressive tilts. I could execute a few nice ferries in the small drop (Wasau) standing on my downstream knee. Maybe you could get the same stability/carving combo with shallower indentations in the bottom?

Feels to me like it has its place somewhere up there with the Esquif Zoom and the Pyrhana Prelude!

Would be interesting to ride the Beast on the Ottawa Main Channel some day - I think a prototype is coming our way?

Cheers and congrats!

[Craig Smerda]

I made a real quick and dirty video shot during the freestyle competition yesterday to test out my new camera... nothing spectacular... just a bomber run down the Wausau course from above the dam down to Big Drop... no eddies, ferries or anything fancy. I also have a 20 minute plus one with all that I'll put up at some other time. So far... I think the camera is pretty darn cool... I also have to come up with a few more mounting locations.

Enjoy! http://vimeo.com/6124740

Yes... my right index finger and hand are killing me today

[Bob P]

Sorry about the finger. Try to keep it out of places where it doesn't belong from now on.

Sometimes a little Rain-X on the camera case lens helps prevent those water drops. I tried soap once, but it didn't seem to help much. (No comments on my personal hygiene please! )

Pointing the camera back at you from the bow is an interesting perspective too. If I had a second camera, I'd be tempted to do videos from both directions and meld them into a single wide screen shot. At least you're better looking than I am.

I duck tape the flat (display?) mount that came with the GoPro right to my deck plates. There's a safety line that goes to my grab loop just in case the camera gets knocked off in the process of me getting trashed, not that that ever happens.

[Mikey B]

Nice...pretty slick!
I like how it makes the boat look 15' long

[ckingoc1]

Dang! I wanted the 200th post ,now I have to wait for 300.

Nice video.

[Craig Smerda]

I duck tape the flat (display?) mount that came with the GoPro right to my deck plates. There's a safety line that goes to my grab loop just in case the camera gets knocked off in the process of me getting trashed, not that that ever happens.

I considered using that as well for alternate locations... the only thing I'd be concerned about with the display mount is the very small amount of d/s tape that's on it... but as long as you tether the camera case to something else it shouldn't be too much of a worry.

The "Surf Hero" comes with this type of mount http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?ar ... oductid=13 that sticks on the nose of a surfboard. I'd like to get about three more of them.

The camera/case does not float btw... I'm going to fix that with some minicell and a bright color... just in case.

I have a few other unique mounting ideas as well...

Edit... here's a few pictures of the camera and how it's mounted at the moment. (No... it's not tethered into the safety loop... this was just to give perspective.)

[Craig Smerda]

Just for fun we took out a Skeeter this weekend for a bit of comparison and nostalgia... compared to the L'edge sitting upside down on top the truck Eli's old Skeeter looks like a decked C-1

[jakke]

Hi Craig,

That "surf plate mount thing", is that a stick once, leave there forever? Or can the plate be moved to another location?
Once the plate is attached, can you still mount the camera looking in the same direction as you watch (and thus making nice splash videos) and filming you when you paddle or is it one direction only?

No flash here for the moment, but I thought the camera did capture you completely while paddling?

Oh, and does this version has a viewer/lcd screen so you can see what you're doing, or are you still shooting blind, hoping to have something good after the ride?

Thanks

[kanur]

L'Edge L'Edge L'Edge L'Edge L'Edge When we gonna get a L'Edge

[the great gonzo]

Will there be any demo boats somewhere within a day's drive from Loops???

TGG!

[Bob P]

Hi Craig,

That "surf plate mount thing", is that a stick once, leave there forever? Or can the plate be moved to another location?
Once the plate is attached, can you still mount the camera looking in the same direction as you watch (and thus making nice splash videos) and filming you when you paddle or is it one direction only?

No flash here for the moment, but I thought the camera did capture you completely while paddling?

Oh, and does this version has a viewer/lcd screen so you can see what you're doing, or are you still shooting blind, hoping to have something good after the ride?

Thanks

My mounting plate is a little simpler than Craig's. No sticky side (if his has one). I just duck-tape the plate down to the deck, so it can be aimed in any direction by moving the whole plate around. There is a hinge on the mount so you can raise or lower the shoot angle.

The camera has a simple viewfinder: No LCD. Just a window in the back that you can squint through. Since I'm not in the boat when I aim it, it's mostly a matter of squaring off the thing in the general direction of the shoot. My aim has only been off (in a dozen times) once so far.

After shooting the first videos with the camera in the bow, pointing forward, I came to the conclusion that it's much more interesting to watch both the paddler and the path. Better perspective.

[Longboatin]

Craig,
It does not feel like it is made for hole riding! Window-shades right there if you do not put a lot of your weight on the downstream edge and tilt like crazy!

Its obviously not, as can be readily ascertained by the first still pics of some peeps paddlin the thing posted earlier on this thread. Everyones bustin a high air-brace while ferry'n across a miniscule hole. So this boat is aimed at the Class II-III expert crowd then?

[kanur]

Craig,
It does not feel like it is made for hole riding! Window-shades right there if you do not put a lot of your weight on the downstream edge and tilt like crazy!

Sweet! Just what I'm looking for. Put it on edge and carve like it is Thanksgiving turkey.