|
|
|
|
Riverman, have you ever considered an Inflatable Canoe?
riverman"
Typed in Message-ID:
Both good thoughts, although my experience with inflatables (duckies) are
that they aren't really hard enough in the chine to feel like a canoe while
carving eddy turns. A grand canyon friend was aftermarketing some SOTAR
inflatables by putting 4" ethafoam floors in them that fit VERY snugly,
and
that stiffened them up enough to hold a cooler and ammocan for selfsupport
trips, but they still didn't feel like a canoe to me.
The stiffness of modern inflatable in pretty impressive. My Aire IK's are
almost as stiff as my hardshell, the Lynx's floor is definitely hard enough to
load your pack directly on the inflated floor.
The two inflatable canoes that I tried are pretty stiff also. The increased
width will make you adjust the old J-stroke, but it
wasn't a big deal. They both actually have
reasonable speed tandem and track pretty well too. The Aire is faster IMO than
the Soar, but both lost speed quickly when you stop paddling. Interesting
boats, but not one that I'm interested in putting in my stable right now.
I would like to try the Innova and Grabner boats. That 12' Innova canoe is very
light weight and has a good price point. It should be fine for solo
explorations with gear.
The Ally Pak Canoes have always fasinated me too. Larry Rice, who contributes
to Canoe&Kayak Magazine, uses one and has good reviews. An expensive boat to
buy before you try though.
If you come through the Southeast on your journey, e-mail me and you can try
out a couple of my IK's if you are interested. I currently have three, a Force
XL for creeks and whitewater play, a Lynx I for solo whitewater overnighters
and weekend trips, and an Aire Super Lynx as
a tandem touring and tripping boat.
SYOTR
Larry C.
|