Esquif Canyon

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 12:22 am

I've seen this boat online for a while now, has anyone paddled it? What is your opinion?

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 12:52 am

our canoe club has a few, ran a few rapids in them when one of the paddlers chickened out.
Great big water boat, very maneuvrable, but also fairly slow for it's length. Excellent WW tripping boat. It's handling reminds me a lot of a Blue Hole/Evergreen Starburst.

martin

allan · Post by **allan** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 1:18 am

I've paddled both the Canyon and the Starburst extensively, fully loaded, on some big (for trip anyways) whitewater.

performance wise, I prefer the starburst. Seems to be just a little bit quicker, dryer, and faster to turn. Both are exceptional boats for river-tripping.

When I pick-up my first tandem tripping boat, it will be a starburst. That being said, the canyons seem to be quite a bit more durable - and for long portages, I really like the backwards yoke, so that you can hold onto the stern thwart instead of the gunwhales.

hope this helps,

-allan

Anna · Post by **Anna** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:31 pm

I personally would take the Canyon over the Starburst. I really can't tell subtle differences in tripping boats, especially when they're heavily loaded, in terms of speed and manoeverability. I paddled the Canyon quite a bit last summer and I found it to be a great boat. In fact I liked it so much that I think my camp is going to order them for our fifty day Arctic expedition. As Allan mentioned above it does seem to outlast other boats in terms of durability. The difference between the Canyon's and the Trailhead Prospecteurs that came back in terms of wear was interesting. I also find them a really comfortable boat to portage-- nicely balanced. These boats are no Old Towns. Hope this helps,
Anna

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:54 pm

You mention the interesting differences in wear between the Trailhead and the Esquif...what specifically did you notice?

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:02 pm

Now that Old Town has been mentioned (they are actually not as bad as many people think, you just have to pick the right model), I actually use personally an Old Town Discovery Scout (16ft) as my WW river tripper.
It's a great nice handling boat, made from 3 layer crosslinked PE, way tougher than any royalex boat I have ever seen and 30 % cheaper, too.
Mine has still only minor bumps and scratches after 7 years of use, and I wasn't gentle on it! A royalex boat would definitely have been toast by now.
There are only 2 problems with them: heavy; about 12 lbs heavier than the same boat in royalex and it's hard to glue on any D-rings.
I have had to reglue my every 2nd season. And it is a pain to portage.
They also have a 17ft version of it, the Discovery 169, with lines similar to their oringinal Royalex boat, the Tripper.

martin

Longboatin' · Post by **Longboatin'** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:23 pm

OldTown actually built the best whitewater tandem ever several years back - the Kennebec. a late 80's playboat - 16ft- does everything well. You can load the hades out of it and it handles just the same as empty. Take a look on AW's site for some pictures of one being paddled on the Deerfield Dryway. If anyone has a Kennebec sitting around they don't want let me know.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 11:16 am

martin wrote:Now that Old Town has been mentioned (they are actually not as bad as many people think, you just have to pick the right model), I actually use personally an Old Town Discovery Scout (16ft) as my WW river tripper.

martin

I've paddled the Appalachian and loved it...always wondered how the Scout compared. The boats look virtually identical. Do they handle the same way?

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 12:32 pm

They are indeed virtually identical. If you put them side to side, I can't tell the difference, although some people say that the Appalachian has a little fuller ends, but I can't see any difference. When paddled back to back, they handle the same in my opinion, the only difference I noticed was that due to it's lighter weight, the Appalachian accelerates slightly better.
Overall I would say that, as long as you can deal with it's weight (12 lbs heavier), the Discovery Scout is, due to it's tougher material and lower cost, the better choice.

martin

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:57 pm

I was able to get a great deal, I mean great deal on a New Canyon. It was between the Appalachian and the Esquif for me...it was a virtual dead heat...the price was the tie breaker.

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Esquif Canyon

Esquif Canyon

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