[skeeter]

After 12 years of kayaking I am giving serious thought to dropping the double-blade and learning to canoe.

I know some skills will transfer, but can any open boater tell me what I'm in for?

Also, I'm looking at tandem boats...its between a Bell Nexus and an Esquif Veritage X. The Veritage is 12 pounds heavier. Will this make a big difference?

Any help apperciated...

 

[peterB]

Open canoe is a wonderful whitewater craft. It makes you look at water differently. picking dry lines and using the water to your advantage is the way of the OC. A must use skill is getting the boat to heel or veer toward your blade so you are constantly traveling in an arc or circle as you descend the river. This is the best way to have any power and is actually a skill/feel that you can gain in your kayak.

get you boat moving and make it start turning toward one side. tilt the boat and paddle. in a canoe some strokes fine points with this will be a slight bow draw, put the blade under the boat, and paddle mainly in front of you body.

Off side strokes feel great and you can work the same veer on the off side. The big thing is that to get any real power you need to be pushing a gainst that veer. The old j stroke and keep the boat going straight is fine but slow and requires that you have some speed. Once you get use to the veer thing you can initiate them quickly with a bow or crss draw and then start working the stroke on the inside of the veer.

I am not familiar with those boats. i paddle a old Dagger Caption. Bell is doing several of their boats so they may be doing a version of that as well. It is a good boat. Once you get under 15 feet Weight placement is a big issue. It took me three tries to get the seat placement right in my caption. Farther back is better on the whole. Also I have mine as a tandem, solo crossover which is all I want but set up the boat weight wise for tandem and then deal with it solo. It is easier to compesate when there is only one person then two.

Peter

 

[skeeter]

wow, thanks Peter.

i'm not sure I'm totlaly grapsing how veering works, but some of it makes sense. I'm sure I'll revist this post when I actually get in the water.

Sounds like it is going to be quite a new learning experience! I cant wait. (Not that K1 left me without anything new).

As far as weight displacement goes, should I leave it up to whomever I buy the boat from to install the outfitting, or should I do it? (why is it sooo expensive if a shop does it?) Seems like once its in there its pretty much perminent? I am mainly going to tandem with my wife (uuuhhh no I'm not crazy) and less solo. So how do thwarts paly into the picture?

Thanks...these are a lot of questions. If no one feels like answering, thats cool too. I can ask a sales rep =P

skeeter

 

[mountainmiser]

I will help you how with the boat. Do not pay the guy you buy the boat from because he does not know what you need. It is nice to have a presonal touch to the outfitting.

I am currently i a C-1, but started out in an OC-1. Have you thought about a C-1 or OC-2. They are dryer, warmer .

Gary
[email protected]

 

[Chief Niwot]

Skeeter, I am an OC-1 paddler and started as a OC-2 paddler. I would be glad to talk to you about open canoes, outfitting, and paddling them.

If you want to email me your telephone number at ajohnson at ntfax dot com, I would be glad to give you a call.

I am also a member of the Rocky Mountain Canoe Club. This is an organization dedicated to canoers. They also have pool sessions on Sundays at Meyers pool 10:00 to 2:00.

 

[skeeter]

sweet, thanks for all the help.

I'll be contacting ya, both!