Comparing new OC-1 solos for 200+lbs

[yarnellboat]

Filling the gap between the Octane 91 and the smaller, slower boats is a good way to describe what I'm looking for.

Condor & 20/20 are clearly in that ballpark.

Does anyone have the specs for Agent 88? It's not on Silverbirch's website. I thought it looked smallish and Option-like, so I'm surprised it carries the weight better than a Covert 9.3. Looking forward to knowing it's size.

P.

[insolence]

The Excite is the "grown up" version of the extasy (Extasy weight range: 50 to 70 kg) (Excite weight range: 70 kg to 90 kg)

it's not available yet, but thats the specs for the prototype: length 2,90m, width 0,7m
Production specs may vary slightly
It's designed to be quite fast and sporty, and according to my male colleagues who have paddled it yet, it is

Material is gonna be T-Formex


sorry for the metric but I still can't handle american Units
(will I ever learn)

[Wendy]

Agent 88 specs from video link: length 8'10.5 inches 31.5 " width depth at center 18 inches weight 50 pounds
FB link to excellent video about design including specs as noted above: https://www.facebook.com/silverbirchcan ... 917859628/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[yarnellboat]

Thanks Wendy. Ah ha, that's some width! That would explain how it can carry a larger paddler than the Option! (Not that you can judge all boats by their length and width, but if you're 230 lbs with no chance to test paddle, it's something to compare. And width is harder to see than length and rocker in pics and video.)

P.

[valhallalongboats]

Viper 12.
Clipper will still build you one.
There isn’t a hotter boat for 220 plus.

[BAD paddle]

Hey Pat-- how's the search coming? Curious as to what end up working for your new ride!

[TonyB]

Im a 230+ paddlers and am currently rocking a 91 for my stepup runs and when im feeling lazy. The covert 9 3 that i use for most class 3-4 runs.
I've paddled these others to. And if I were starting my quiver over today. I'd have an 88 for creeking, and 20/20 for river running or if just one, have a condor.

[The.Tall.Canadian]

Hey Pat.
Just couple thoughts on boats. Paddled some of them and observed others.
Firstly
Option and Agent. I would put these two in the same category. The Agent is about 8'8 and the Option is 8'7. With the Rocker profile being quite similar (Agent is a tad wider). I haven't jumped in the agent but not sure if you can really compare it to a Ocoee or Viper since those are quite a bit longer.

Covert 9.3 and Ledge are kinda similar, Found the Ledge to have a bit more primary stability but the covert glide nicely off of boofs.

Condor and Rebel are roughly in the same class. Haven't spent time in the rebel but got a decent amount of time in the condor this fall. Loved it.
Also have a side to side comparison of them.
For the most part the photos kinda show the main differences between the two. And show how the performance would differ.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Cvh8F ... hq1IPvn-ov

Mainly I just know that I really enjoyed paddling my condor this past fall. Took it to the Gull River open canoe Slalom and had a blast in it running gates. And then also had a ton of fun in it on the fall releases in the states. Beaver, Moose, Yough etc.

[pmp]

I paddled the Excite prototype briefly. It's fast, quick to turn. Not a creek boat. It's a boat that will spice up your usual river runs. It's bigger than the Extasy, but still not a big boat.

[arhdc]

I have finally added a Condor to my list of big boy boats paddled so I feel that I can make an evaluation:
I currently weigh in at around 250lbs.

Option - Great Creek boat for <220LBS Paddlers. Wet for anyone heavier.
Agent 88 - I paddled the last prototype. Quick, forgiving. Good Creeker, maybe a little wet for big boys. Would like to have one in the quiver.
Covert 9.3 - Fast, super dry, fairly responsive. Very unstable for heavy paddlers. Fur Trapper says that moving the saddle forward will solve this but I can not verify.
Covert 10.5 (solo) - Fast, nearly Octane 91 stable, seemingly fairly dry. Fairly responsive. Would like to have one in the quiver.
Octane 91 - Big, stable, dry IF you drive it hard, nimble for its size. Not fast. Has been my main boat for a couple of years and I love it but it does require work to move and keep dry.
Rebel - Unstable and wet for me at 250lbs.
Condor - The boat that I have always wanted. Fast stable, dry, nimble, nice edges. A very balanced boat that handles big guys with ease. It is longer but still maneuverable enough to creek in. I am going to buy one to replace my Octane 91.

So, to summarize, the Condor is my current choice of a big boy boat. An Octane 91 is an awesome boat and I still love mine but I feel the Condor is a little more balanced. I hope to eventually add an Agent 88 as a creeker but I found it too wet to be my main/only boat.

[yarnellboat]

With the rivers now thawed, I'm getting back to this. Thanks for all the posts/updates.

I just had a chance to see a Covert 9.3 and Condor in-person. Covert appealed to me more than expected. Condor looked surprisingly Octane-like. Didn't get the chance to get them on water, just grass.

Considering the weight of the plastic and the type (II-III) and (in)frequency of my paddling, I'm giving the 20/20 a good look as the best canoe for me.

The reviews of the Condor are right up my alley and very convincing, but I may have to go with the appeal of light weight.

Pat.

[arhdc]

A 20/20 is a good choice. My first whitewater boat was a woodstrip Stinkeye (Blink) that I added 6 inches to in the middle, sort of a 20/30 (or 20/15 depending on the perspective)

I still love that boat, it only gets hauled out of the barn for special occasions like Gualeyfeast but then it winds up going down the Upper Yough which defeats the purpose of taking it to deep fluffy Gauley waters. It is a great boat and the 20/20 has more volume and is a more refined design overall.

I am also loving my Condor, now known as the "Green Banana". Great boat, Rodeo Clown nailed this one, fast, forgiving and dry. All of the fun with half the guilt of paddling an Octane 91.

[yarnellboat]

As appealing as the 20/20 looks, and as much as I'd enjoy flying around in a 27 lbs hull, the shipping logistics & costs put me back to what I could demo and what I could buy locally.

Ultimately I went with the Esquif L'Edge Lite. I feel like the Lite was a fair bit more responsive to paddle than the original L'Edge. It's a little different to roll than my Ocoee, but hopefully I'll figure that out. It's not light like a dreamy 20/20, but it's about the same as my Ocoee, so not too heavy.

The specs of the L'Edge Lite and the Covert 9.3 are very similar, so I couldn't justify chasing down a Covert. The Condor is just that much heavier and looked too much like an Octane 91 (which I didn't enjoy), so I didn't pursue the Condor because of the weight, despite its great reviews that match my interests. Based on this thread, the 20/20, Covert 9.3 and Condor were the only boats I'd have considered buying without trying. The Rebel, Agent 88 and others sound interesting, but perhaps risky for me. And of course these all would have the same shipping hassles to figure out, but Esquif had a truck heading west now, and I can just pick it up locally with no cross-border issues.

Also a little Canadiana-ness snuck in. I was influenced by how a who's-who of Canadian instructors are attached to Esquif, and how supportive the Esquif team has been of local events across Canada. So having more personal connections to the retailer, rep and ambassadors/instructors factored in.

Thanks for all the input on this thread, hopefully it will be useful to others as well. Nice that there is now more choice for heavier paddlers! Lots of great boats I didn't even know about that I'll hopefully get the chance to try some day!

Cheers, Pat.