Drakkar Wheelboy

[canotrouge]

Mike T still have one... I think?!!

[Berkshire Jack]

I paddled my Wheelboy today and again, had a blast. I weigh 194 lbs (88 kg's ?) minus gear. I feel I am at the upper weight range for the boat, so I feel that perhaps it is not quite the boat you might find fun.

I don't use it for plain old river running. I have other C1's that I feel serve that purpose better at my weight, but enjoy the Wheelboy for its play - squirts, cartwheels, bow stalls, surfs - nothing too fancy. I don't use the Wheelboy when the water is big and pushy. When the water is big, I can't get it where it sometimes needs to be. But when I am on an easy river, it makes the day delightful. I haven't tried any of the newer converted playboats, so I can't compare it, but agree with the others who thought that it doesn't have a lot of pop for aerial moves. It was too bad Drakker went under, they had some good ideas.

[Bruce Farrenkopf]

I paddle mine at the Reno Whitewater Park. Great C1 playboat. I won't be selling it. I believe this was the last plastic C1 design introduced into the US market, and based on it's poor acceptance by the C1 community it will likely remain the last:-( It seems it was not a winner because by the time the boat was launched, C1 boaters were very used to converting kayaks and the selection of convertable kayaks was wide and versatile. The Wheelboy design was actually very solid.
SYOTR,
Bruce Farrenkopf
P.S. I don't use it as a river runner but now am curious about how well it would do. I suspect it would be very slow. When momentum is required to punch a hole you might be out of luck in the Wheelboy.

[PAC]

I never ran anything big in my WB but SqueakyKnees (Shawn) run the Upper G in a couple times and came off with a winning grin.

I did take its bigger brother the "Big Boy" down the Lower G when they first came into the country. It was glass and man was it fast on a wave and not bad as a river runner but I was at its lower weight range back then. I have to say the glass version was even better than the plastic (being lighter and all) IMO. I tried to push it by making a number of the harder moves on the LG but knew I had to plan a bit more in advance than in the converted creeker I had been using.... but it held its own.

I think the Big Boy I paddled is still around - just not being paddled much... just say'n.