At wits end with MR Guide

Advice
#21

@eckilson said:

@Dick Summers said:
Yeah if I could snap my fingers and turn this into a Courier, I would. I don’t need increased responsiveness and find it a pita to always need to be on my toes. I’ve always liked beamy boats.
Decision made - nothing wrong with that.

Boats don’t fall of the sky around here, especially solos. I’ve seen exactly one Courier for sale in years.

I’ll keep my eyes open for sure, but I’d rather learn something about solo boat setup and techniques. Piece together the puzzle.

#22

It’s a great boat, so it would be a shame to let it go. It sounds like the boat is set up fine. So Iet’s look at technique.

@Dick Summers said:
Standing waves, etc aren’t really an issue per se, it’s more high flow spring run off conditions where currents are chaotic, swirling, boiling, etc. Sorry, my terminology is probably lacking.

Currents generally aren’t chaotic - they run downstream until they hit an obstruction like a rock. Behind the obstruction will be an eddy with an upstream current. An eddy line forms along the transition from the downstream current of the main flow to the upstream flow of the eddy. Moving in and out of eddies definitely takes practice. Swirling, boiling water sounds more like a hole - try to stay out of those.

@Dick Summers said:
feel like a top heavy cork with 98% of it’s mass above water and pivot point under my ass.

I am one of those folks that has 60 pounds on you, so the boat is deeper in the water for me. I’m also not quite as tall as you, but I do tend to kneel high (seat is up about a foot) so I also have a high center of gravity. With any of these relatively narrow solo boats, you need to stay loose in the hips - some people find these boats twitchy, and never get use to it. Your height and weight may compound the issue.

@Dick Summers said:
But even in calmer waters, if I stop paddle input the boat immediately goes sideways, backwards, etc.

To Guideboatguy’s point, your height and weight may have something to do with it, but these boats are definitely more responsive that something that is bigger and wider. I calm water I can see the boat gradually veering one way or the other depending on the trim and how you are leaning, maybe even spinning out eventually. Unless you are in some sort of current, though, it shouldn’t be making any dramatic turns sideways or backward. You probably won’t get the glide that someone bigger like me will.

@Dick Summers said:
Bit more… on a wave train… lets say knee high…bread n butter ‘fun’ stuff no weird approach, obstacles, basic current, straight, I have to paddle/rudder constantly to get through it bow first. the bow is like a wagging compass needle, the boat wanting to be pushed off the side to left or right of every wave front.

Yup - you need to paddle through rapids and control the boat - especially in a smaller solo. With a bigger, wider boat, momentum may carry you through with less effort, but it is still important to keep the paddle in the water. Again, at your weight the boat could be bouncing around more than someone like me, which will give you less room for error. Momentum, proper boat lean (also called carving) and a good wide stance in the boat should allow you to get through with more paddling and less ruddering, but it still requires constant attention.

As tdaniel said, a good brace helps as well for those times that you miscalculate. :wink:

#23

You might consider that the MR Guide is different from the other boats you have paddled because of the V-bottom. It reacts a little different to cross currents than a flat bottomed hull. If this is the case, the Courier would feel the same as it has a v-bottom as well. Also consider that you have been paddling longer tandem canoes which track much better than a 14 foot solo.

#24

Lots of us are coming up with all kinds of interesting points and possibilities, and here’s one more. I have often heard that some people are put off by the ‘V’ bottom of Mad River canoes in cases where the onboard weight is light, because with very little draft, the boat has a strong tendency to “fall” off center to one side or the other, and then become more stable in that slightly-leaning posture. Perhaps if you are trying hard to keep the boat fully upright, this might explain some of the unsteadiness you are perceiving. On the other hand, I’ve seen that a lot of people are pretty tolerant and/or unaware of how much their boat leans if they sit a bit off-center, and your boat might be leaning to one side due the light load and that ‘V’ bottom. Many boats have a fairly pronounced tendency to veer when leaned. I have no idea if this might apply in your case, but if it’s something you haven’t paid attention to so far, do so next time you are on the water and see if that could be part of the problem.