I am a new paddler in the Dahlonega area and I am having a heck of a time finding a WW Canoe to Demo. I want to buy my first WW Canoe and I don’t want to go and put down a bunch of money on a boat when I have never paddled a WW Canoe. I was hoping to go to the Mohawk Factory in Chattanooga and test paddle a probe 13. However, they don’t offer that option.
I am wondering if there is anyone out there relatively close (-2 hrs) that has a probe 12 (13 now) that I could meet at a river to test drive?
Thanks for any suggestions or help with this.
Some of the chain stores have a very
liberal return policy on kayaks. It’s highly unlikley you’ll find a Mohawk but you could find one that’s close and paddle it.
cboats.net
– Last Updated: Apr-12-07 6:24 PM EST –
Try asking on the cboats.net forum, there's bound to be some open boaters in your area.
Is the Probe any longer, or did they just change the name? Too bad Mohawk doesn't offer test paddles! No retailers or clubs in the area that could help you out?
PY.
Probably too far for you, but…
– Last Updated: Apr-12-07 4:59 PM EST –
April 27-29, there will be a whole bunch of open boaters and c1/c2 paddlers having an 'armada' on the class 2/3 North Branch of the Potomac. See http://cboats.net/cforum/ for more details. I'll be there with a Probe 12, and I'm betting just about every other open boat model will probably be represented, too. But that'd probably be a pretty heinous drive for you if you're in GA.
See the last post in this thread:
http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php?t=5679&start=15
Additional Boats
Yarnell, I just posted close to the same message on cboats. But I thought hey, if I am going to try to beg a demo off of someone why not go big and broaden the request to all of the boats I am interested in? So same request for anyone with the Blast, Vertige, Outrage X, Prodigy X, and Shaman. The Potomac would be too far to go without my own boat.
Bell PX, Vertige, Supernova
are available for you to try near Lexington, Virginia, which is still about 6-8 hours from you.
Wish I could be more helpful.
How far are you from Nantahala Outdoor Center in western NC? They stock Bell P and PX, Vertige, Nitro and have test paddling options.
NOC
I have put in a few emails to the NOC about test paddling options but havn’t heard anything back from them. That is a little over 2 hours away and I don’t want to make the trip without talking to them first. I am about two weeks out from placing an order so if it gets down to the wire I will go ahead and drive up there. It would be nice to get on the Nantahala anyway.
NOC.com
they have a 4 day white water canoe course May 13th that might interest you. However, if you’ve not been in a whitewater saddle before its best for you to at least try it out before you sign up for a 4 day course.
Whitewater Canoe Course
I am planning to join the Gorgia Canoeing Association after I get my boat. They are offering some training this summer that I am hoping to get envolved in.
awelch, I don’t have a Probe, but I have
a Mad River Synergy rigged for solo. It will quickly give you the idea of what it takes to make a whitewater open canoe behave.
I will be out of town this weekend and next, but email me and maybe we can meet either in Dahlonega or Atlanta. (Won’t see your email till Sunday evening maybe.)
Also, if you want to drive down to Go With the Flow in Roswell this Saturday and Sunday, they will have a bunch of boats on the lake. $5 admission payable to Chattahoochee Outdoor Center. Call them toll free at 888-345-FLOW.
noc
E-mail can be hit or miss with NOC, but they are very responsive if you call the 800 number. They’ve got a bunch of demo open boats and, even better, people on staff who actually know open boating.
Now that I realize that you’re new to whitewater, the Potomac wouldn’t be a good trip even if it was close - it’s slightly harder than the Nanty and equally cold. If you’re going to take a few swims in cold water, might as well do it right next to NOC with a friendly store employee to keep an eye on you :).
Long haul …
I’m too long a haul away from you to be of any assistance; unless for some reason you found yourself in cental Missouri. Then I could assist you in test paddling both a Mohawk Probe 12, and a Probe 12II. Stranger things have happened; I sold my Mad River Outrage to a guy from Georgia, while he was visiting in Branson, Missouri.
BOB