Charles Pezeshki wrote:

I heard that Eskimo may bring out a bigger Salto. True?

I heard the same thing, that doesn't make it true though. :-)

You're probably right at the top of the Salto's weight range, I'd think.

I'm within the range according to the people I talked to at Eskimo, but
some outsiders think differently. I think that in your case the 30 lbs
of extra weight might not be as much of a problem as trying to get
muscular thighs under the thigh braces. Have you ever tried to get into one?

I know a German paddler who outweighs you by probably 15 to 20 lbs who
also paddles a Salto. That's sitting lower in the water than I would
like, but he likes it that way.

The problem that I have at 250 lbs. Is that these boats behave VERY badly
for me. I get few of the benefits (only if the boat is on a plane) and a
new set of very bad traits. Lighter people wouldn't have the foggiest what
I'm talking about-- but think about it this way. When the boat is moving
fast, it planes. When it stalls, it sinks, and the gunwhales are now about
1" above the waterline. Very different than if you weighed 2/3 of my
weight.

I've had a few "over the weight for a boat model" problems myself, but
I've come to see paddling a boat like that to just require a different
style of paddling. As long as I manage the nose from burying, I'll try
it. My Flip Stick sure is too low volume for me, but I think it's fun
and I manage to squeeze in, so I'm not bothered by other people's
opinions. :-)

Then again, seeing people almost sink a Diablo because of being well
over the upper weight range does make me wonder about them having much
fun on the water. :-(

Looks like someone weighing over 200 lbs or being taller or more
muscular than average has a big problem finding a good boat. Eskimo
might have a point and a piece of the market with their idea for a
bigger Salto. The New Topolino is kind of like the smaller creekboat, so
a bigger creekboat would fit the scale nicely. :-)

Wilko

--
Wilko van den Bergh Wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.
http://wilko.webzone.ru/