The purpose of this post is to get some discussion and input relative to
whitewater canoes. I am primarily interested in solo whitewater boats.

The latest issue of canoe and Kayak has a buyer's guide. I looked at
the whitewater section and found some manufacturers that I was not
familiar with. My guess is that they are smaller companies without
widespread distribution in the USA. I also found some companies listing
tripping type canoes as whitewater boats. I am going to list the
companies that they show.

Bell Canoe - Minnesota, offers Nexus, Ocoee, Prodigy and Prodigy X

Blue Hole Canoe company - they show it in Virginia, offers Sequel and
Sunburst II. Apparently these boats are now being made by Evergreen
Canoe of Ontario Canada.

Easy Rider Canoe and Kayak - Seattle - offers Ouzel, 15'8"

Esquif Canoes - Quebec - offers Paradigm (new), Blast, Detonator, Nitro,
Spark, Taureau, Vertige X, Zephyr, and Zoom. Many of their canoes look
radical to me. Some are designed by Foote or Kazimierczyk.

Hellman Canoes - British Columbia, Canada, offers Otter, 10', and Scout,
15'6". I had never heard of them.

Mad River - South Carolina - offers Caption, Freedom 17, Freedom Solo,
Outrage, and Outrage X. Apparently the Caption is being reintroduced,
although the Mad River website is so out of date that it references a
2005 Brochure.

Millbrook Boats - New Hampshire - Offers 19 different models!
Apparently all their boats are made of fiberglass or Kevlar. They seem
to be oriented to slalom racing. Many of the boats look fairly radical
to me. John Berry founded the company, the current owner is John
Kazimierczyk.

Mohawk Canoes - Florida - the buyer's guide shows 12 different boats.
Apparently the business has been sold, but the new owners are not up and
running yet. The web site shows all of their boats out of stock.

North Woods Canoe - Alberta Canada - offers Bugaboo 14. I had never
heard of them.

Pyrana - North Carolina - offers the Prelude and Spanish Fly. Primarily
manufactures kayaks.

Robson - Germany - offers, CU Fly, Finkenmeister, and Homes. Primarily
manufactures kayaks I had never heard of them.

Scott Canoes - Ontario Canada - offers River Dancer, Rain Dancer, and
Whitewater, all l6 feet long.

Souris River Canoes - Ontario Canada - offers Seena, 16'8" long. I had
never heard of them.

We-no-nah - Minnesota - offers Cascade, 17', Rendevous, 16', and Rogue, 16'.

I still have not bought a whitewater boat, still looking for a good deal
on a used boat. Some of you may remember my concern about a boat for a
200 pound person. Well, I am now down to 175, and I seem to be staying
there, by almost eliminating fat from my diet, so I am not so worried
about weight.

I am still using my Old Town Camper, 15 feet, as both my solo and tandem
boat. I run class II and occasionally III in that boat, solo. I am
still oriented to tripping, so would prefer a boat that I could load up
with 100 pounds of gear, food, and water. Since I have almost zero
experience in real whitewater canoes, I want to avoid the more radical
designs. I would prefer a Royalex boat, something that I could bump and
scrape without damage.

The whitewater canoes that I primarily see are Mad River Outrage,
various models of Esquif, Mohawks, and Bells. Are there any other
companies that I should consider? I have heard a lot of talk about
Bells not holding up, although I know some people love their Prodigys.
Mohawk does not seem to selling boats right now. That would leave me
with a choice of a Mad River Outrage X or an Esquif. Not sure which
Esquif, perhaps a Nitro, 11.5', Paradigm, 10' 8", or a Vertige, 13'. The
Nitro may be too radical. The Paradigm is listed as suitable for
novices or experts, a Bob Foote design. The Vertige is listed as
suitable for tripping, and less nervous, perhaps the best fit. The only
local shop that carries whitewater canoes carries Esquif.

Obviously, I may still find a good deal on a used solo whitewater boat,
but I have not found one yet. (Actually, I passed up a $500 Outrage
because I thought that I needed an Outrage X. In hindsight, I should
have snapped it up.) If I end up buying a new boat, what should I get?

Richard




http://www.fergusonsculpture.com
Sculptures in copper and other metals

You should stick with what you have. No real solo whitewater boat is
designed to carry you, (175), + 100 lbs of gear.

Sincerely,
Carey Robson
www.CanoeBC.ca

"Richard Ferguson" wrote in message
...
I am still using my Old Town Camper, 15 feet, as both my solo and tandem
boat. I run class II and occasionally III in that boat, solo. I am
still oriented to tripping, so would prefer a boat that I could load up
with 100 pounds of gear, food, and water. Since I have almost zero
experience in real whitewater canoes, I want to avoid the more radical
designs. I would prefer a Royalex boat, something that I could bump and
scrape without damage.