Savage Skeeter

johnd · Post by **johnd** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 4:44 am

I am thinking of buying a Savage Skeeter. I weigh 250 pounds, am six-foot-two, and generally run Class 3-4 rivers out west. Any thoughts on this boat. I paddle a Viper 12 right now.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:03 am

John,
I went through three vipers myself, great boats. sorry i don't know about the skeeter though. Hey, it's good to see another canoeist on california whitewater!

billcanoes · Post by **billcanoes** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:00 pm

I think you would be able to paddle the boat, but it would be very tippy. You would be near the Max weight limit before taking on any water. I owned a Skeeter and didn't recommend it to a 240lber. I think 220-230 is max before taking on water. I'm 195. From what I hear the heavier paddlers scoop the seat out to lower the center of gravity adding stability.

Bill

nathan · Post by **nathan** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 3:52 am

I am gonna have to agree that you may not want to try to make the jump from your Viper to the Skeeter. I paddled a Skeeter last year at 175 lbs and found it tippy. I have paddled the Viper and found it a lot more stable. My friend even tried it once and he was way over the weight range (250+) and didn't care for the initial lack of stability that it offers. Good luck though with whatever you decide.