C-Forum

This was brought up as a weakness of the Ion in another thread, and I would mostly tend to agree. The bow is practically unsinkable with my meager 140 lbs. in it, so I imagine that plugging big drops would pretty much be off the table. I also assume that landing flat is what I should be shooting for in the Ion. I know from watching the Big Sandy promo vid for the Ion that the boat is capable of handling big drops. I also know that Mark and Jeremy are far better paddlers than I am, and they seemed be nailing the flat landings.

Am I correct in this assumption? I've paddled hard and on some good rapids since I got the Ion, but I haven't gotten to test it on any true vertical plunges yet. Any tips on how to attain that flat landing? I've run some decent drops in my Probe 11, but I was mostly just plugging away.

I've never ran the Upper Tellico, but it is calling to me. I think my skills are almost there. I would like to get some vertical practice in here locally, but it's only raining in Alabama just enough to keep the grass in my yard flourishing. Any tips or advice regarding flat landings or just running bigger drops in general would be appreciated. The Tellico is calling...

The Upper Tellico is

a) not that hard because all the drops are so clean.

b) probably the best training ground for boofing a canoe.

meatgrinder/jarrods knee are noticeably harder and more continuous than the ledges above. Have Fun!

Thanks! Yeah, I see what you're saying. I've recently begun to realize that maybe I've been guilty of making the Upper Tellico meaner in my mind than it actually is because of the vertical aspect. Watching some of the video footage that's out now, I've begun to think, "Hey, I can do that."

Some years back I was a solid Class III boater, primed and ready for the next step. Then... life happened. I never stopped boating, but I kind of got caught in the stagnation that can occur at the Class III skill plateau. I've been working on taking the next step. I feel that I'm better now than I've ever been. Of course I'm older than I've ever been, too. But I'm trying to make up for lost time.

Yes, I would say for big drops, the Ion has a tendency not to plug the landing, so while you may be high and dry, you may also lose some momentum at the base of a falls. I think its as a much an advantage as a disadvantage, and how many open boaters are running 20+ foot waterfalls that you really want to be plugging? For runs like the Tellico, I prefer the Ion anyday over the Option for the fun of it and the ability to boof the drops flatter and drier. Its a great all around boat and a different feel than the Option, but just as practical for creeking.

A little different twist on this thread. Does any one have a fair guesstimate of what a maximum weight limit would be for paddling an Ion. The wife has agreed to let me "maybe" take a ride in HER Ion. So I was kinda wondering about a limit. I am 6'0 / 225-235 lbs and paddle L'edge, C1 Everest and Spanish Fly.............Just curious? Thanx Barry

I goofed around in one for a bit one day. I am 215 and it looked like that was nearing top end. Very cool little boat and I want one!

Thanks for weighing in on this, Mark. I’ve got a lot of respect for your paddling skills. I just need to work on my boofing skills over a good drop or two and let the Ion do the rest. I’ve got a lot of confidence in that little boat, hence my itch to push the envelope a little.

Could anyone who runs the Upper T. regularly tell me if low water runs over Baby Falls are feasible for times when the water is too low for a full run? I know the highway runs right with the river, but I don’t know how easy it’d be to just park above and put in for a quick run or two over the falls. I know some places locally that would make for some good practice IF IT WOULD EVER RAIN!!!

Mr.Deadlegs has been in the ion ..maybe he can chime in ... after all he is the friendly giant as far as the tellico is concerned ... take the ion it would be a blast ...

boathead wrote:So I was kinda wondering about a limit. I am 6'0 / 225-235 lbs

It would be close in my opinion. I've let a couple of people in the 200 lb range try mine, and they seemed to like it. I think the Ion would begin to lose some of what makes it so fun at much over that. Then again, the added challenge might actually add to the fun. Give it a try... if the wife allows.

I think the boat would be good to go at your weight except for low water creeking. WHen I had the boat loaded to 215 with myself and winter gear it was great, but caught more edges on low water runs where a SPanish FLy would not on the same run at the same weight.