September/October 2013 - Bluegrass Wildwater Association

more of it (and you) sits further out of the water.In the end it's a very personal choice heavily colored bypaddling style, but in general I think that seeking out aboat that is the right size for you will increase your performancedramatically.USNWC.orgVenus and I will go anytime if you want to join us on a tripout there. I recommend taking off a Friday and headingon down Thursday night so Friday and Saturday are openfor paddling.Case in point, we've seen a sharp rise in the last coupleof years in new boaters, (mostly guys, often big guys)showing up at roll session with the Remix XP9 or XP10.The boat is too big for them and they have trouble makingit go where they want it to. Now, this is exacerbated bysome of the touring characteristics of the boat, but evenwithout that the length and volume work against them.All that being said, I know you're at the lower edge orunder the weight range for your RPM and that you're verycomfortable in that boat. As I said, it's a very personalchoice and one person's experience differs greatly fromanother. Still, I'll stand by my comments for general application.Hanley LollerOne last thing to add. The performance weight rangesfor genuine creekboats (IMHO) are generally rated a littlelight because they're designed for steep creek performancewhere extra volume is desired to help avoid pins.Consider that when looking at the top range on some ofthese boats.Hanley LollerThere you have it Ali. Join BWA Team Nomad...myself andMike W. are the newest members...come to the dark side...You can play boat in them. Usually not intentionally, butwhatever.BrandonPhilipP.S. According to the specs on the Dagger site the Axiom6.9 should be just right for you. That is if you want a lowvolume stern. These are the closest you can get to theRPM design which I hear some like (Hanley, Chief ...)And... the 6.9 size is only $629!I plan on trying out one of these in my size next chance Iget.NOC on the Nanty will allow you to demo for one hourfor free and they have all the manufacturers boats. Run afew laps on the falls, hit some eddies and peel outs andyou should have a good idea how the boat feels. Half daydemos are $25.[store.noc.com]BrandonNOC on the Nanty is where I have done all my demos. Ifeel like falls laps are a great way to get a feel for a boat!One minor downside IMO is that if you demo multipleboats in a day, by the time you get to the last boat or twoyou can easily be worn out from carrying back up to theput-in for all those laps. I found the fatigue can put biasin how I feel about how a boat handles during the demo.My advice would be give yourself a couple of days if youdemo at the Nanty. That WW center deal sounds prettysweet also, especially if you can demo more and carryless!August 15, 2013Ali,The whitewater center in Charlotte has a wide range ofdemo boats. Take your gear, pay them $25 for the daypass and just $15 to demo and you can try every boatthey have. They have nearly the full line of Dagger, LiquidLogic, and Wave Sport. Also, they have rafting, zip lines,mountain biking, flatwater boating, and wide variety ofIPAs at the restaraunt overlooking the comp channel ifyour boyfriend wants to go with you.DerekNOC is the deal then for demos - they used to be moreexpensive than anyone $40+ as I recall for full day. Britand I have been working with Rock Creek Ocoee for ourdemos. $20-25 there for full day - not the selection asNOC but a better river for the testing.There is not one boat that will do everything well IMO. Ifyou must have only one boat and you like to surf I woulddefinitely demo the Little Hero and my old Mamba 7.5.The Mamba is not for sale, but you are welcome to try it15