September/October 2013 - Bluegrass Wildwater Association

Bearing that in mind:I'd look at the Dagger Mamba 7.6 even though you are 10lbs under the minimum weight simply based on other'sexperiences with it, but I suspect it's too big for you andwill be hole bait with you in it on bigger water. On theother hand, it is more creeky than some other choicesand might perform reasonably well on local steeps. Onlyone way to really find out.The river running edition of the LL Remix is a pretty goodcandidate for an all around boat. You fall right at thebottom edge of the weight range for the 59, so it's wortha try. Honestly though, I'd consider the 47 as least longenough to get in one and see how you like it. It's actuallya kids/small adults boat and you are at the top ofthe weight range for it. Disadvantage there is potentialsquirrellyness but it would be a boat that you could pusharound more effectively and I see that as a big deficiencyin your paddling up until now. Your boats tend to pushyou around because they're too big for you. The potentialfor you to be able to drive this boat effectively may outweighother considerations. It may not be the right boatfor you, but there's only one way to find out. Plus, youcan get a new one for around $600, possibly less sincethey discontinued it at the beginning of this month.One nobody's mentioned yet is the Dagger Axiom. Thisis a more general purpose river runner. It could do somemoderate creeking, but probably wouldn't be that goodfor steeper runs, but it has some big selling points. Itcomes in a kids/small adults version, the 6.9, that youare actually 10 lbs UNDER the top end of the weightrange for; AND a small adults version, the 8.0 that youare close to the MIDDLE of the weight range for (90 - 150lbs). MSRP is $629 for the 6.9, but $1029 for the 8.0. Aswith the Remix 47, I really think you should try these twobecause of the potential for you to be able to effectivelydrive your boat in a manner that you haven't been able tobefore.The S Burn is worth considering. It definitely has somecreeky characteristics built into a decent all-purpose design,but you are still near the bottom of the weight rangefor the S. Worth looking at, but I feel you are going to getbetter use out of a smaller design.Jackson actually makes several boats that should be onyour radar. They have by far the widest range of sizesand kids/young adults boats including transitional boats.The Jackson Little Hero may very well be the boat foryou. You're right in the middle of the weight range andit's a creeky design with what appears to be good generalriver running characteristics. Definitely give this one atry. The Sidekick may be worth a look even though you'renear or over the top of the weight range. Same sort ofdeal, creeky general river runner. The Fun 1.5 is definitelyworth a look just for perspective. Max weight of 120 lbsand more playboat than river runner, it won't creek welland it may be a little squirrellier than what you're lookingfor, but I think that a boat like that might make you lookat boating in a very different light. The Karma Small putsyou in the middle of the weight range, but it's more of apure creeker so it has a lot more volume than other boatsthat put you in the middle of their weight range. Definitelyworth checking out. A pure creeker is still usually a goodall-around boat for everything except playboating. TheZen 55 puts you near the top of the weight range for ageneral purpose river runner that could still probablyhandle moderate creeking quite well. Also, it doesn'treally have any edges to speak of so even if you're a bitnear the top of the weight curve, it's unlikely to be squirrellyor difficult to handle in big water.Last, but not least, keep your eyes out for a used DaggerPiedra. They don't make them anymore, but it wasa general river running boat designed for small adults. Inever paddled it, but I knew some small adults who didand loved them. Just a thought.Hanley LollerAli,The Diesel 65 you currently paddle is supposed to be agood all around boat. Maybe you should be looking for aplayboat for elkhorn runs.Joe W.Ok Zina, I may be a software engineer, but here's my twocents on the matter.My experience tells me that when you're in a boat that'stoo big for you, it gets surfed around a lot more. By that Idon't mean you end up in holes more, although you may,but that every wave with a little backwash on it tossesyou around and your boat drives you. You want your boatto be proportionate to your body so that you can move/lean/turn it with your body effectively. A boat that's toobig inhibits the boater's ability to effectively control theirboat.Additionally, a boat that's too big is harder to roll because14