yep - Osprey’s the best
I fully agree. If you want to have just one great allaround solo I’d take the Osprey over the Merlin or Wildfire any day. I love how easy it is to push the rail down to the water and when messing around you can get the tail just whipping around. What a great boat. I also think it’s the surprising one for how well it turns given the relatively low rocker on paper (1.5/1)…less rocker than the Merlin!
Kestrel
I’m surprised you find the Kestrel turns better than a Merlin. My take is that they are both lake boats that turn reasonably well but I’d put the Kestrel slightly behind the Merlin for turning and ahead for lake cruising speed.
I think that the boats we talk about also change character with load…I padde mostly with a dog and sometimes without…the Osprey gets slower, noisier and more stubborn to turn with a dog, the Merlin II and Wildfire love the dog’s weight and cruise better…and the Kestrel is amazingly tolerant of the weight and cruises like a missile even when over it’s optimal load. The Shearwater I had was fabulous with either a light or heavy load.
kestrel
part of the problem I had with the Merlin was it was so trim sensitive and really made a difference when loaded with gear for a trip and having to wind through narrow mangrove creeks. Empty it wasn’t a pig to turn. The kestrel is not as trim sensitive and I find it alot more responsive than the Merlin. It could be the fit as I may be too small for the Merlin whereas the Kestrel fits me perfectly. So basically have more control of the hull.
upstream
My favorite paddling is just as you described it.
Efficiency and speed wise, seems using sit and switch marathon style (with a foot brace and carbon bent shaft paddle) has an advantage over kneeling. The most efficient boat is a fast cruiser style (anywhere from a Sawyer Shockwave, Wenonah Advantage to a J boat etc.), and most sea kayaks will work, some will excel. But a canoe (the right canoe) is more fun for a number of reasons. And we are talking technique and equipment that will give you the ability to not just negotiate current, but Class I and cheats on Class II rivers.
Here is something I put together for a web site years ago about this style of paddling:
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Paddle up a fast river? You bet !! If you give it a try, keep in mind that your level of skill is paramount in determining where you go. Without skills and experience, it can be very risky on a twisty stream or those with trees in the water, as sooner or later you will find yourself sideways in the river and heading right for a sweeper or rock and must negotiate your way out of it. Safety starts first with staying out of trouble, but getting out of trouble is even more important. So start slow, by that I mean pick a friendly and safe river with current, but slower current. You will need a fast boat, usually that means relatively skinny and long. A WW kayak or WW canoe will make it a little ways, but the goal is miles, not yards.
Work into it. Pick a river with mild current, lack of rapids and sharp corners, adequate depth, fairly straight course, and few shore obstructions (overhanging or downed trees). Begin your adventure by staying close to shore to take advantage of the eddies and the slower water, and WATCH YOUR ANGLE !! especially when you leave an eddie and enter current. You will not want to vary far from facing directly upstream most of the time, or at least a few degrees on either side of that (you will need that few degrees to negotiate, but only a few). Entering strong current from an eddie line a few degrees too strong will put you sideways NOW, add some speed/momentum to your entry and you are on a crash course for the other side of the river, perhaps not where you want to be. Boat control is huge here. Again start slow…
Learn how to both avoid and correct a “situation” using sweep strokes, draw strokes, ruddering, edging the boat (to assist in turns), and learning the concept of how opposing currents lines affect a boat and can assist in “eddie turns”. What can get you into trouble can also get you out of trouble. A little White Water experience helps here. Learn how to ferry facing upstream and also facing downstream (backpaddling) as it will help you to get out of some trouble and ferrying will help you change sides of the river. Also learn how to lean downstream and “skull brace” WHEN (not if) you find yourself sideways in the river, especially in strong current and standing waves where a skinny boat can become very unstable. Then learn how to correct and return to facing upstream. All this should be practiced and proficient in slower rivers before you get adventurous.
Oh yes, wear a life jacket! and take a complete extra change of clothes, and something to eat/drink in a dry bag which is strapped in. Anything loose should be secured. All of these warnings are relative to the complexity of the river you are going to paddle. The risk is less in slower moving rivers, more in rivers with faster current with riffles and even rapids. High water in more technical rivers doubles the risk. Did I mention to start slow.
That said, paddling upstream and becoming good at it is one of the most useful tools in skills development I can think of. You will use technique that will transpose to every type of paddling you will ever encounter. Kayaks work well enough, but some rivers with stronger current can limit you on how close you can paddle next to shore with a kayak (one-two feet at times is ideal, which requires paddling on one side for a number of strokes, hard to do with a double blade). A kayak paddle is more prone to hitting things overhead also. Staying close to shore allows you to take advantage of the slightly slower water especially when eddies are not available. Paddling out in the middle is much harder and will become boring compared to working the shoreline. Therefore, although not exclusive by any means, fast canoes are better suited for this type of travel… again not exclusive. I use an old Sawyer Shockwave solo canoe (which I am very fond of), the sit and switch paddle technique (i.e. C1 marathon race) and a carbon bent shaft paddle. Sawyer is now defunct but several other manufacturers make fast solo canoes. Years ago I used to use a cruiser C1 marathon J cruiser which is not recommended unless you spend a lot of time in one first. But realistically, these days most people own a kayak, not a canoe, so go do it anyway! Bottom line is having a faster boat will help your upstream progress considerably which is why canoes-kayaks of at least 14’ (ideally 16’ and longer) work best and will at least give you a feeling of progress.
This type of paddling can be hard on the equipment so keep that in mind in rocky or shallow conditions. I have a beater paddle that I switch to when the shore is really rocky or in a particularly rocky riffle or rapid. Tandem canoe is also a blast and excellent for skills, but the divorce rate is even higher than paddling in still water (did I say that?).
What else can be said? What you learn will be very useful if you ever paddle the tidal constrictions on the ocean. But in general, you will become stronger, faster, more confident, and learn advanced boat control skills. Not bad. I am convinced it has also made me better looking, my dandruff is gone, and my kitchen floor is shinier to boot. All this simply from learning how to paddle upstream, amazing.
makes sense
Makes sense to me. I paddle 99% of the time with a dog and together our load is 260+ with a little gear while solo I’d be under 200 total and I like the Merlin II way more WITH the dog and I’m not in love with it without her…without the dog it turns better but still nothing like a good river boat and it gives up too much glide without the dog’s weight.
The Kestrel of course is a bullet that turns cooperatively both light or loaded.
Personally I also like the Fire boats much better with the dog because the weight adds a ton of momentum for cruising but they still turn on a dime and the dog’s weight adds some luxurious stability.
makes sense
Makes sense to me. I paddle 99% of the time with a dog and together our load is 260+ with a little gear while solo I’d be under 200 total and I like the Merlin II way more WITH the dog and I’m not in love with it without her…without the dog it turns better but still nothing like a good river boat and it gives up too much glide without the dog’s weight.
The Kestrel of course is a bullet that turns cooperatively both light or loaded.
Personally I also like the Fire boats much better with the dog because the weight adds a ton of momentum for cruising but they still turn on a dime and the dog’s weight adds some luxurious stability.