-- Last Updated: Nov-14-16 4:00 AM EST --
RG, Traverse, Katana? I'm looking for a boat with a skeg that will handle white water and flats ... any preferences?
katana, fusion, and traverse
all are solid in the ww, none particularly speedy on the flats-
things to consider- price, fit, length, quality of outfitting, weight- just go for the best combo you can get for the price- any used boats near you to save you some money?
I admit I don’t paddle my xp10 as much as I used to,moved primarily to a creeker, but won’t give it up because it is such a versatile boat, you can ww, camp out of it, good for curvy creeks, swamps, drier ride in ww in winter
xp10
Thanks!
xp10
– Last Updated: Nov-15-16 7:33 AM EST –
is the slowest of the bunch with an enormous cockpit, and it is hard to lock into the thigh areas for the ww. Super forgiving hull that surfs well. Very sturdy (heavy) boat- thicker and stronger plastic than some others The Newer models (not the xp) are finished off better with outfitting.
Basically what you get in any crossover is an enlarged ww river runner- crossovers are versatile- you can pack some gear, run some ww, a skeg to help with tracking on the flats but ultimately you're just paddling an enlarged ww river runner that is better for camping in ww than a regular ww boat. Boats are also very forgiving to learn in- heavier to load, and carry and harder to drain than a regular ww boat.
Stinger, RG
Thanks for your advice here! In all these discussions I’ve been having I’ve realized that I should probably get a longer boat, I want something that can handle some WW and overnights but speed and tracking on lakes and class 1-2 is far more important to me. Does anyone have an opinion about the Stinger or RG?
a number of freinds have had stingers
the boat does carry a lot of speed for a ww boat. I don’t think of it as a beginners boat- some experienced folks have spent additional upside down time when transitioning from a creeker or regular river runner to the stinger in class III and IV ww. Sorry i can’t tell you more without actually paddling one.
If speed and tracking is key…
If speed and tracking are key you might want to jump up a size or two.
I have a Karma RG and use it for ocean rock play. But if we have more than a few miles of paddling, I switch up to a 14-ish foot boat (in my current case, a Dagger Alchemy - see my profile for a pic of me in an Alchemy). If you are looking at class I and easy Class II, Alchemy would do fine (with appropriate skills, of course). Not quite as good as a true white water boat or even a cross over, but that is the trade offs for better tracking, speed, and packing ability.
Some boats in this 14ish foot class:
P&H Hammer
P&H Delphin
Dagger Alchemy
Dagger Stratos
These 4 all are pretty maneuverable. Jackson Journey and Valley Gemini fall in the size range, but I find are not as maneuverable. YMMV.
the karma rg is a beast
of a ww boat, have a bud that paddles one, swear it weighs a good bit more than the listed 56 pounds- heavy and awkward to load and unload due to length and weight. Harder to load than my xp10 and that’s sayin’ somethin’. Buddy uses it to attain- its length makes it good for that, carries speed well on the water- not sure about how well it tracks on the flats but it holds a line in ww.
Class I-II plus flatwater and camping
For a heavy plastic 14 footer the Jackson Journey is the best in my opinion. Enough room to camp out of it for week or more and will handle I-II-III with ease. Has rudder for flatwater and windy day travel. Weighs about 60 lb.
For a lighter more expensive option, the thermoformed Delta 14 is the ultimate river camper in my opinion. Weighs about 40 lb.
THANK YOU ALL
for your comments and suggestions! This is So HELPFUL.