5’9” 240lb and loosing weight. I need a solo for the rocky ohio shallow rivers. I don’t know a bunch about paddling, but i get wet and have a good time! Will use my kayak paddle. Would i like a bell rockstar?
I suggest you make yourself a nice cup of coffee and spend a couple hours on this forum reading the opinions of those on here that have been paddling decades. Write down what sounds interesting and then research the reviews on those kayaks. There are many with your height to weight stats that ask the same sort of question. If you have e the option to of buying a Bell Rockstar than go give it a try. If you can’t demo it on water at least sit in it. Just don’t buy it sight unseen.
Uh,that is what i am doing dave, getting opinions. Rockstar is a canoe. I never drink coffee,tastes nasty! I do like the smell though,
@wick said:
Uh,that is what i am doing dave, getting opinions. Rockstar is a canoe. I never drink coffee,tastes nasty! I do like the smell though,
Heheheheh, ironic that I’m reading this and DRINKING MY MORNING COFFEE (LOL)! Hang tight and I’ll give you an opinion on the Rock Star soon. I just picked up a used one last week (Actually, I bought it a couple months ago and it has been shuttled from the Twin Cities to the MO Ozarks to me). I haven’t paddled it yet, but hope to later this week. Since the Rock Star was not made very long before Bell #2 folded, if you find a nice one I’d snatch it up. You will have no problem selling it if you don’t like it.
I have a pretty good idea that it would be a river canoe that would suit a larger guy? I own a Bell Morningstar and used to have a composite Starfire, and they both work well as a big-guy boat.
If you get a chance, we have some Paddling.net folks whom get together a couple times a year for our Ozark Rendezvous. We will begin planning the Spring Rendezvous soon, so stay tuned and watch for the thread on the “Getting together and going paddling” section of this website. It’s a good place to meet paddlers and paddle some different boats. I’d even let you paddle my Rock Star for a few days and see for yourself if it’s the boat for you?
Here’s a few other old threads and reviews here and elsewhere and a pic of mine on the truck awaiting a good “Paddling” (LOL)!
@wick said:
Uh,that is what i am doing dave, getting opinions. Rockstar is a canoe. I never drink coffee,tastes nasty! I do like the smell though,
Aren’t all canoes the same? 
I hated coffee too because my parents drank instant but when I had real coffee I was hooked.
thanks wildernesswebb. I read all those threads. The 3rd one made my head hurt a little…
@wick said:
thanks wildernesswebb. I read all those threads. The 3rd one made my head hurt a little…
LOL… Its much better if you can get Charlie with a Zin in hand.
You might feel wobbly at first, but the boat ought to fit. Now as to if its right for you alot depends on how much swimming you are tolerant of at the outset. You said you like to be wet. Fear is your enemy. I suspect you have none.You can always lower the seat if you want to sit and the seat feels too high…ie you feel unstable.
One of your challenges will be to find a double stick long enough not to dribble in the canoe. Id advise single sticking or taking the time to learn it. There are some canoe courses especially if you are in the Columbus or Cleveland areas.
I have a very long double paddle i used in my prism. My prism is a graphite ultralight, so i dont want to take it down our rocky river, which is the reason for the royalex rockstar. I am about 1 hour from columbus. Wouldnt mind going to paddle school a couple times. I finally learned to paddle that prism without falling out every 10 feet!
The Rockstar is a good size for you. It will certainly feel different from a Prism. It won’t track like a Prism and might feel a bit less stable, being 1 3/4" narrower at the waterline. It is also an inch deeper at center than the Prism, so you might find it more difficult to paddle with a double blade.
@pblanc said:
The Rockstar is a good size for you. (Snip) It is also an inch deeper at center than the Prism, so you might find it more difficult to paddle with a double blade.
I do have a nice looking bent paddle that still has the tags on it, unused. I’ll try it out.