Ok, so time for an update. It’s another long post, I apologize in advance. On Friday, I took off work, left at 5am, and drove up to Rutabaga to test paddle some boats:
I did not test paddle the Pocket Canyon but I did sit in one, and I was surprised at how wide the paddling station felt. It seemed wider than my Wenonah Prospector 15 and I know it’s not, so I’m guessing the seat was just more toward the center and the paddling station itself was a bit wider. I am still interested in paddling one sometime, but it didn’t seem different enough from my prospector in width to be what I’m looking for right now. I definitely want at least a little more speed and compactness while also still having good maneuverability, so I checked it off the list for now.
I was surprised to learn they had a Dragonfly 15 available for test paddling and was super excited to try it out. Unfortunately it was not what I was expecting and while it’s still an awesome boat, it’s not for me. I wasn’t in it for long, about 5 minutes, but it was super tippy feeling to me (even tried kneeling and still felt tippy) and I never got comfortable enough sitting in it to want to leave the dock. It just took too much effort and focus to be able to relax in it. I will post some more detail in the DF15 thread, but overall a cool boat, definitely a sports car for someone, but not what I was looking for (even though on paper I’d have sworn it was). I am very glad I got to get in one and find out. Pretty much also tells me the SRT is 100% out for me and also matches all of the advice on the SRT provided in this thread as well.
Next up was the Swift Prospector 14. I didn’t plan on testing this one, but after the DF15, they recommended trying it and I was thinking “yeah, geez, maybe I need all the extra stability it has”. And I must say I was very impressed with it. It is a fairly shallow boat on paper, but with the high volume it had a ton of freeboard even though I’m a bigger dude. It also accelerated much faster than I expected and even though it felt like it topped out fairly quickly, it was at a decent speed for me. It was very comfortable and just stupidly stable even with the seat in the higher seating position (it had the adjustable height pods). It also turned easier than I expected with the 1” of rocker. It felt easier to turn than my Polaris, and it even improved some when heeled, but it is so stable it took work to heel it much. As if it wanted to shove you back upright to the flat position. Still nowhere close to the MR Guide in turning, but closer in speed than I expected, and more stable. Again, it impressed me much more than I thought it would, and realistically it would probably be fine for a majority of what I do, although ideally I’d want a bit more top speed and a bit easier turning (don’t we all?).
So lastly we moved on to the Phoenix. Initial feelings were that it was a touch less stable than the P14, but I found that it was very comfortable to heel and lean in. It pushed back just the right amount. But lightyears more stable than the DF15 to me. Comfortable to just sit in, but capable of more performance than the P14. Very much like the MR Guide in stability. Then I paddled it. I do tend to paddle hard, but in three strokes it was faster than the P14’s cruising speed. In 4 it was faster than the Guide’s cruising speed. In 5 or 6 I was topped out but had generated some wind on my face and I thought “wow, this is nice”. I gave it a lean and a bow jam and the stern skidded around beautifully and I thought, “well that’s it, this is the one”. I paddled it around quite a bit more and found nothing I disliked. The acceleration shocked me, the top speed was good (to me anyway, I know it’s not an Advantage or a racing boat), and it complied easily with everything I asked of it. It’s a composite, lighter, newer, better Mad River Guide. That’s a little hyperbolic, and the Guide may still be a bit more “turn-y”, but it does have a lot of similarities and was a blast to paddle, at least to me. I loved it.
I also had some great conversations with different folks at Rutabaga about boats, paddles, history, etc and overall just had a great experience. I went ahead and put in an order for a Phoenix and already can’t wait for it to come in.
Now, that being said I had also already bought a used boat. The week before I had been offered a great price on a boat that doesn’t turn up that often and I just couldn’t pass it up so I had already paid for it and still needed to pick it up. So after test paddling at Rutabaga, I immediately headed for Michigan and caught the most brutal Chicago rush hour traffic you can imagine, AND even got rear ended (very minimal damage to my trailer, and a bent hitch were the worst of it luckily). But it was all worth it as I am now the proud owner of a beautiful Bell Starfire in the white gold layup, thanks to
@gumpus. It was really great meeting a fellow forum member in person and I wish I’d had more time to stay and paddle. The conversation was great, I got to see more boats I’d never seen in person before, and as a bonus, Gumpus and his wife treated us to some homemade blueberry muffins for the road. Very much worth the drive and the Chicago traffic. Made it back to St. Louis around 1:30 am (Central time, that MI Eastern time zone got me twice). I can’t believe I haven’t had a chance to paddle the Starfire yet but by no later than Wednesday that boat will be in the water come heck or high water (the profanity filter still works fyi). It’s beautiful, deeper than I expected (a good thing to me), and from all reports will be lovely to paddle. Did I mention it’s beautiful? Because it’s beautiful.
So overall big weekend for me, lots of great folks and experiences, lots of driving, and two awesome boats added to the stable.