Thanks for the comments.
You guys are pointing to bigger boats for tripping, it seems. 13 or 14
feet. The impression that I get is that the bigger boats are also
easier to paddle, but of course you give up some performance and quick
turning. The bigger boats also seem to be preferred in big water, but
not for creeking, makes sense. I probably lean towards big water
instead of creeking.
My question is whether I would notice a big improvement in whitewater
performance going from a 15 foot boat to a 13 or 14 foot boat. Of
course, the length is only part of the story, the Camper is 36 inches
wide, the other boats are less than 30 inches wide. The Camper has a
couple of inches of rocker, most real whitewater boats would have 4
inches or more rocker. If I am going to have two boats, I don't want
two boats that are only subtly different. It would seem illogical to
have a 14 foot boat and a 15 foot boat. But I guess I could trade up
from a 15' boat to a 17 footer for tandem tripping, if I could find room
for the larger boat. Maybe I will have to build a canoe shed. ;-)
I have heard that Mad River may be bringing back the Caption canoe, 14',
which I have heard people praise in the past.
If I have to buy a new boat, I am leaning to an Outrage X, 13'. At my
current weight, I may not need an X, but with camping gear I am sure
that the larger Outrage is the way to go. People do seem to like their
Outrage canoes. The Prodigy X, 12.4 feet, is probably the logical
alternative, maybe it just comes down to what I can get a deal on. If
Mohawk gets up and running a Probe 14 would carry lots of gear, a
tandem/solo boat. The Esquif Vertige, 13 foot, may not be as strong in
whitewater, some sources say that it is a beginner/intermediate boat. I
have done enough whitewater to want a little more performance. At this
point, I believe that there are only two whitewater canoe shops within
at least 200 miles, one carries Esquif, the other Bell, so not sure
where I would buy a new Outrage if I wanted to go that way.
I have not seen much information on the web about Esquif, probably not
widely distributed in the USA. I even looked in French, since it is
made in Quebec, and came up empty. Lots of comments available for the
various Mad River, Dagger, and Bell boats, even the ones long out of
production.
Richard
Richard Ferguson wrote:
I posted a note a while back about the buyer's guide in Canoe and Kayak
magazine, and the only response that I got said that whitewater solo
canoes are not intended to carry the person and 100 pounds of gear,
food, and water. I weigh 175 pounds, and sometimes need to carry water
on muddy rivers, so the 100 pound cargo number is probably in the ball
park. 7 days of water, at 1 gallon per day, weighs 56 pounds.
So, what should I be looking for if I want a whitewater canoe for
tripping? My only canoe is a 15 foot Old Town camper, rigged for solo
whitewater or tandem fla****er. It is good for carrying lots of stuff,
not bad in big water, but not good for quick maneuvering.
My take is that Bell has a bad reputation for durability, Mohawk has
been sold and is not up and running yet, Esquif has a range of canoes
and a local dealer, and Mad River offers Outrage X. There are some
other niche companies, but those seem to be the usual vendors. I figure
I want a Royalex boat, something that will take some abuse, we scrape
rocks a lot on the local whitewater run. I don't want a radical design,
since I have essentially zero time in whitewater canoes, and prefer not
to swim a lot.
For those of you who may remember my past postings, I am still looking
for a good deal on a used whitewater canoe. I am starting to consider a
new boat rather than pay $800 for a boat that has been beat up. Also,
my weight has dropped from above 200 to 175, so my weight is not so much
an issue.
Richard
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