I was wondering about the hull and handling of the discontinued mohawk scamp. I believe it was 14 feet long, a solo boat, which was last built around 86, and made of royalx.
Scamp
Almost before my time but the Scamp was an early Mowhawk whitewater boat. Wide and stable, somewhat maneuverable, much like an XL as best I could tell.
Folks On Cboats.net might be able to tell you more.
copy of Whitesell Piranha
Actually the Scamp is pretty much a copy of the Nolan Whitesell-designed Piranha, an early whitewater solo canoe.
Very large by today’s standards at 14’ and 3-4" with about 34" beam at the gunwales. The Piranha was the boat Nolan used to run the Niagra Gorge. Some folks have converted Piranhas to tandems.
I know a few large whitewater boaters who still like the Piranha. It makes a very capable whitewater tripping canoe. With its considerable rocker and bulbous ends it would not make a great flat water boat.
Nolan stopped making canoes years ago but his website was still up relatively recently. I can’t find it now, however. If you are on Facebook a member of the GDI group recently restored a Scamp and you might find the photos and comments of interest:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GDIh20/
Thanks I knew someone would know
I am more interested in something like their odyssey that is not so strickly ww
could be visual deception
But I have a pyrana and a friend has a scamp. The scamp appears much more svelte to me. Nice cl. 2 boat where as the white sell is just as dry with twice the weigt.
I doubt they came off the same mold
– Last Updated: Jan-15-14 12:23 PM EST –
Dimensions listed for the Piranha and the Scamp are pretty much identical. But Nolan frequently modified his boats for the paddlers (stated this with some pride in his advertising) by pulling them in, or pushing out the sides some, or even cutting them down, so there was some variation in Piranha dimensions.
I have a Piranha, have seen many, and seen the odd Scamp, but I don't believe I have ever seen them side by side to compare.
Test paddles…
– Last Updated: Jan-16-14 1:05 AM EST –
Test paddled a Scamp quite a few years ago. My opinion; it was built like a battleship, about as heavy as one, and would probably hold up quite well to regular beatings. It was a tiring chore to keep it moving on slow straightaways, and I found it lacking in manueverability. On a faster, higher volume river, I might have liked it a little more, but
doubt that. Basically, I just wanted out of it as quickly as possible.
I paddle a Piranha on a fairly regular basis; find it preferable to the Scamp. I think about selling the Piranha; don't really use it enough to justify the space it occupies. Somehow it never gets sold. I'd never consider buying a Scamp; even at a bargain basement price. If I remember correctly; the owner of the Scamp was trying to unload it, at a very low price.I passed.
I'd really love to see a Scamp, Piranha, and an Old Town H2Pro sitting side by side, and try all 3 on the same day, at same venue. When it first came out, I lusted after an H2Pro. Alas, not much mad money available back then. Same with the Piranha. Saw it in Whitesell's shop window, on the Nantahala river. Couldn't afford it then, but knew I'd have one some day & I do.
Others experience may vary,
BOB