BigDog Force OC1?

[Pea Pod]

I'm interested in the Force OC1 as a replacement for my (not light) L'Edge for creeking. Any thoughts on this?

I've read that the Force rolls well, has good primary and secondary stability. Anyone know:
- how well it front and side-surfs
- how wet it is
- how good the original outfitting is
- how fast it is compared to the L'Edge
- how it carves compared to the L'Edge.

Any thoughts will be happily considered.

Cheers.

[Pea Pod]

And can anyone clarify it's mass. The BigDog website says 19 kg (42 pounds) but a 2012 cboats thread says 60 pounds!!

[the great gonzo]

Been paddling a Big Dog Force OC1 for 3 seasons now. Great boat, my go to OC1, even when I have the choice.

- Front and side surfs well. With the low volume stern, you can often stick the stern under a foam pile and surf waves that are steeper than with the full volume boats.

-As from the factury it is, due the not very agrressive splash lip wetter than it needs to be, small waves that wash over the bow get in, but once use a 2ft piece of 1 1/2" cut piece of garden hose as splash deflector and it is as dry as any other boat. I do not empty any more often that the folks in L'Edges or .
Options.

-I love the factory saddle, as it allows me to attach thigh straps ( all my boats have a thigh strap outfitting without footpeegs), but the factory foot pegs are not great due to only 2 positions and the factory plastic side floatation tanks are heavy. Replace them with foam panels. I also cut the front 'beerholder' decks out and replaced them with straps to provide for easy accesst to dstore gear in the ends and I replaced the heavy plastic and aluminum thwarts with hocky stick to loose weight.

-As fast as a L'Edge or Option.

- I find it carves just as good, if not better than a L'Edge.

The factory weight is probably 55 to 60 with the stock outfitting, but mine modified as mentioned above is in the same weight range as an Option. Never had it on a scale though.

TGG!

[cheajack]

I like mine. I took all the factory outfitting out, cut out the beer can decks front and back and built a foam saddle very similar to the factory one and added foot pegs from an old kayak. I foamed out the sides where the tanks were. I like the way it paddles very much. It has nice edges and carves well. It is as dry as my Superfly and Quake, but if you hit a wave head on some water is coming in over that raised cockpit. I put ash thwarts in where the factory ones were and added standard bag lacing. I think it lightened up around 15-17 pounds. It is as fast as anything else out there about the same length and weight. Coming to grips with having to buy a new boat and then totally redo it was the most difficult part. I am not rolling it as well as I would like to, but I think I have to dial in the outfitting a little more. The boat is very deep and at 5'8" I have raised the saddle height to 9" and it is very stable there.

[Pierre LaPaddelle]

Glad this topic came up. Mostly because of Gonzo's previous comments, I recently picked up a used Force. It came with beer-holder decks and side-flotation tanks already removed. It's still not light, weighing in about the same as my Option. Next step will be to rip out the plastic saddle, and replace it with foam, as Cheajack described.

Because the outfitting isn't a solid fit for my little legs, I haven't had in on the river yet. But I took it into the pool recently, and compared it to a Sp 'Fly. Rolling an OC-1 is not my forte (nor my thirtay, not even my twentay). But I had no difficulty rolling the Force. It rolled like a big C-1. It was much easier to roll than the Fly, and it came up MUCH drier than the Fly.

I'd love to see more ideas -- and pix -- about adding splash-deflectors like Gonzo described:

Rick

[the great gonzo]

Here are some pictures of the modifications on my Force:






Hope this helps!

TGG!

[Pierre LaPaddelle]

Hope this helps!

It does, it does! Thanks, Gonzo!

I note you used the rear flotation-tank bolt holes to secure your thigh-straps (?) Is that a good fit?

Wondering about ordering Forces direct from the factory: Is it possible to specify "Hull Only" (i.e. No saddle, and no flotation tanks?)

Rick

[Pea Pod]

They're great photos--thanks Gonzo. OK, so if I buy one of these, it looks like its gonna require a few mods, and then it has the potential to be excellent.

So, is it a worthwhile replacement for the L'Edge? Especially if I'm looking for something lighter?

[JimW]

Wondering about ordering Forces direct from the factory: Is it possible to specify "Hull Only" (i.e. No saddle, and no flotation tanks?)

Rick

Worth asking them, a lot of kayak manufacturers will sell shells only to people that busted their boat too badly to repair but still have all the outfitting.