September/October 2013 - Bluegrass Wildwater Association

Off the CuffComments from the ForumWorth RememberingRe: What should I test drive?August 14, 2013I'm going to ask Santa for a new (or at least new to me)boat for XMas and I want to try as many as I can this fallso I can choose the best for my needs and paddling styleand you guys can help me narrow down my potentialchoices.Me: 5'0", 110#. I'm looking for a good all around boat.I like everything from creeking to big water and wantsomething versatile. As much as I'd like a boat for everyoccasion that's not financially realistic for me.If you have a suggestion or, better yet, a boat in my sizeI could borrow for a run or two that would be fantastic. Ialready have a small Burn to use and can't wait to checkit out. I'd like to try out one of the new Diesel 60's as welland whatever else you guys have in mind. The difficultyfor me is that, like clothes, nothing is ready made to fitsomeone like me and outfitting a boat usually requiresfoam and adhesives so if you have any recommendationson how to circumvent that at least long enough for a testdrive that would be great.AliI have removable hip pads you can borrow and a happyseat. If you take those along with you on a demo weekend,that should help you fit into most smaller boats.Happy boat hunting!Oh, and for what you want (a good all-around boat) outsideof the small Burn, and Diesel, I'd try out a Mamba.And I think the new Jackson Karma looks interesting.love,bethanyLiquid Logic Remix. Word on the street is it creeks, likesbig water, and everything in between. And what B saidabove...Dagger Mamba and Pyranha Burn. They seem todo a little bit of everything, even surf a bit. A lot of peopleknock the "all-round" boats, but with your paddling styleand not wanting to focus on just one specific type of kayakingI'd say any of these would be ideal for you...demo!I think the Burn has more of a planing hull than the others,Remix seems to be a good mix of planing and a bit of displacement.You are going from a very flat bottom Diesel,so the Burn might feel more comfy to you right off the bat.Again...demo! NOC weekend, perhaps...13BrandonYour weight falls at the tail end of the LL Remix 47 andbottom end of the 59. You would want to try the the 59 forsure, once you add gear and such it would be ideal. Andthat way I can try it out...[liquidlogickayaks.com]The new Mamba 7.6 says lower end of the weight limitis 120...that seems high to me. You won't know until yousit in it, might feel big or just right. I think there are oldermodels that have a lower weight limit.[dagger.com]BrandonIt seems to me that being lighter than the low end is notan issue if a) you're not particularly interested in throwingends, etc. and b) you fit well in the boat and have goodcontrol. If you are slipping around in the boat, that's nogood, but if you're a little light sometimes you glide over/through stuff which would otherwise grab you. I mightbe wrong about that, but that's what I've observed. Onthe other hand, don't know if that means you'd also gettossed around in big waves, or maybe that would happenbased on overall weight anyway.OK engineers and others, tell me how I'm wrong.ZinaGood advice all around and largely mirroring what I wouldsay, except for the absence of the obvious choice (theRPM)Seriously though, all good advice, but your big problem isthat your weight puts you right at the top or bottom of theweight range for most boats. You inhabit a very underserveddemographic.