This is only my 5th year boating. I just bought an EZG 42 which I totally am in love with, but I bought it thinking I'd sell my Ace 47 and Lil Joe to pay for it, (both currently posted). Now I'm having second thoughts about selling both boats, maybe I should hang on to one of them for new adventures and big water trips.
We put in for our first Middle Fork trip this year. I've never been on a multi-day yaking trip and am wondering if the EZG will be what I want on this type of trip, assuming we draw. Factors I'm considering are, 1. comfort, 2. ability to do more than surf and spin on the trip, (I can't squirt my Joe), 3. big waves and water that may make me scream in terror for Joe. (Factors not necessarily in order of importance.)
I will say that the Ace has taken me through everthing Joe ever did, the Ace is a little big for me, but I can play with it a lot better that Joe. So my main question is, should I yank one of these boats from the sale board and hang on to it for longer, possibly bigger water trips in the future? Or, will the EZG be all I ever need?
i'm with scott here. drop the ace and keep the lil' joe for river running. unless you only playboat, or only creek, then one boat won't cut it. park-n-play/ down river play requires one boat and creeking/ multiday another. it sounds like the EZG's a great boat for runs like the numbers, shoshone, and the play parks. and the lil' joe comes out when gore canyon runs in the fall, you pull an idaho permit, or you want to run mellow creeks.
disclaimer: i've never paddled any of the boats you mentioned and playboating gives me the willies. i prefer creeks. i do however have three boats and after paddling the lower gaulley in my salto i am well aware of the price of having the wrong boat for a given run.
Thanks guys. My gut says the same thing. I'm hearing from you that in the long run I'd be happier with two completely different boats for different situations. I love both river running and park and play.
Having no idea what I'm getting myself in for if I draw and considering your comments, I'm thinking for my first trip down, I'd be better off forgetting about play possibilities and be more concerned with soaking in all the beauty, fellowship and possible fishing opportunities in the relaxation and comfort of Joe. If I ever get the guts for Gore and maybe in my lifetime the Grand, it sounds like Joe would be the boat to have.
Unfortunately I have a potential buyer for Joe. Whoduhthunk that no one would want my old Ace. I better contact this person, get a second job to pay for EZG and sell the Ace.
When did you put in for the MF? Are you self-supporting out of kayaks or with rafts? Wavesport calls the EZG a RR/playboat which seems right for the MF except at very high/cold water.
4th of July 2 years ago at 2.5' I was happy to have a playboat (EZ) for a MF-Main combo trip (raft supported). Yes, it might be more cramped than a 'pure' river runner, but that sucker has some current even at the later/lower level we saw and we were happy to goof our way down the easy bits. None of the lines we took were hard to get to in a kayak. My son took his XXX.
Yeah, I have a Crossfire and a Necky Jive in the shed, but I haven;t taken them out since I got the EZ. At least I gave away the Dancer!
Good luck with the MF permit - I've tried 7 years in a row...
Jim (looking for a used Embudo for overnights or a Tornado for long self-supports)
BTW, MF of Salmon is pretty casual when the water isn't high. I ran it at around 2.5 (I think?) in my Big EZ and I thought it was a good boat for the trip. The waves I caught were all catch on the fly type things, so a faster hull was a benefit. An even faster hull would have been better. Unless it's low water, you might have more fun catching eddys and front surfing in your Joe. Also, make sure you hike up Big Creek and run it -- super fun and right off the MF.
Don't get too emotionally invested in the lottery either. I ran MF in the pre-season.
I think selling both boats should be a thing you should also consider. I think its clear that the Ace should go for sure as its a redundant boat to the EZG (you'll likely find the EZG just as easy to run rivers in and that its a better playboat too). As for whether you sell the Joe, it really depends on where you think you will be boating and what you need in the near future. If you are comfortable running class IV in the EZG and are thinking about creeking then its might be good to keep.
However, if you are seriously thinking about getting into creeking, then getting a more purpose built creekboat might be a good idea. The Lil Joe is a great river runner and can handle class V if it needs to (I, the 250 lb big dude paddled on once down Bailey and it took great care of me even when I outweighed it alot), but its not gonna be as safe or creeky oriented as something more purpose built.
On the other side, if all you are gonna do is class IV for a while and you are comfortable with the EZG, then sell the Joe sooner rather then later. Its just another boat you'll have to find space for and not use all that often, and you could still get a reasonable price for it these days. Wait another year or two after you realize you don't use it all that often and you'll find you lost out on a couple hundred bucks. That is a very common boat at schools and shops, so worst case scenario you could borrow/rent from a shop for the IV+ stuff that you didn't feel comfortable running in the EZG. I've found that I regret keeping boats in the past unless I am going to use them often. They lose value and often just collect dust. For most intermediate advanced types, having two mutually exclusive boats for use in easy to medium and hard water is the way to go.
Whatever boat you sell or keep or whatever, take the EZG down the MF! Even at high water you will have a blast in the smaller boat. And if you hit it around four to five feet, you'll be loving the play, especially in a boat like the EZG.
Thanks for all the food for thought. I know we'd be extremely lucky to even draw.
When I got my Ace, I hung on to Joe, not only cuz it was my first boat, but I really thought I would want it on new rivers. When it ended up collecting dust all last season I figured I might as well sell it. Makes sense that sooner or later would be good if I decide to sell.
We will have raft support, so I could definitely stretch in a raft for a while. I put in for the second week of July. My husband put in for the last week of June. Two more notches for EZG.
Ok, I'll try to quit thinking about thiis today...where's my breakfast of chamions?
Deb,
I with the seel it while you can group and rent a bigger/overnighter when you need it. The more you paddle that EZG of yours the less your think you need the others.
Good luck on that permit.
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Don't do anything, just stand there.
I better contact this person, get a second job to pay for EZG and sell the Ace. 
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