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< May/June 2002
	Gear
Five Whitewater Canoes Hull to Hull by Neil Rucker and Rob Rudkin

There are dozens of canoe designs on the market meant for whitewater. Fortunately, most of the canoes produced today are fine boats if used as the manufacturers intended them to be used. So the trick is matching "personal need" to "boat performance." That may sound like a no-brainer, but often the prospective canoe buyer has a difficult time determining a boat’s possible performance when that boat is still on the rack in the boat store. This is especially true if the salesman is not knowledgeable or is a little too eager to make a sale. We’ve seen some fine boats in some very strange places, places that they ought not to be.

The best way to solve the "what boat to buy" question is to buy half a dozen—one for every occasion. However, if that’s not practical for you, then read all the catalogs, check the Internet, talk to friends and read the following. It may help you narrow the field somewhat. We paddled these canoes in Class I-III on the Klamath, Trinity and Sacramento rivers in Northern California, catching eddies, surfing waves, hitting rocks and other things you do with canoes. Here are our observations.

Old Town Appalachian and Discovery Scout

The Appalachian, though not designed to be a competitive boat, is, nevertheless, a great all-round playboat in Class II-III water. It has enough volume in the nose to run dry, enough rocker to catch all but the smallest of eddies and plenty of room for gear. And, of special interest to me as an instructor, the Appalachian is a very forgiving boat with beginners on whitewater. We have watched "new folks" do an amazing number of bad things in the Appalachian and still survive.

The Discovery Scout has been described as a Crosslink 3 version of the Appalachian, but we don’t think that is so. The front end configuration is a little sleeker, making it cut through the water easier but also making it wetter. At least with my 185 pounds in the bow (225 in the stern), we took a good bit of water at Humbug Rapid on the Klamath. The waves were about three feet or so, and, admittedly, we were more interested in having fun than in trying to stay dry.

We like the name of this boat because it’s a canoe that Scouts and other adventure groups should take a close look at. The Crosslink hull is tremendously strong (important when working with beginners), and the price of a Crosslink canoe is hundreds of dollars less than a canoe made from many other materials—good things to consider when you’re thinking about a fleet of boats. Alas, you always give up something for something. The downside in this case is weight. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of scouts toting the boats up to the trailer, what’s the problem? Also, the seats are of the "web" type, by far the best choice for whitewater in my opinion.
Boat Beta:

Model: Disc. Scout Appalachian

Material: Crosslink 3 Royalex

Length: 16’ 16’

Width: 35" 35"

Depth: 15" 15"

Weight: 78 lbs. 67 lbs.

MSRP: $779 $1,049

Info.: (207) 827-5514, www.oldtowncanoe.com

Mad River Outrage X

The Outrage X turns well and accelerates quickly, but we bet you already knew that. If you follow canoe slalom racing, you certainly know this canoe placed first in the national competition this year. And of course, we knew all about this stuff too, but still we asked Mad River to send us a boat so we could paddle it and tell everybody that it "turns well and accelerates quickly." However, it turned out that there were some interesting surprises. We had several beginners paddle the boat, and they all found it very comfortable and very stable (remember that this is a "performance" craft). In addition, its graceful lines satisfied the most romantic and traditional members of our paddling group.

We asked to paddle the Outrage X because Rob is of the large variety of paddler, but the younger brother of the X, the Outrage, also deserves a nod here. It incorporates the same awesome performance capabilities of the X, but in a package for the small-to-medium sized paddler. As such, if you fit into the small to medium bracket, it’s certainly one of your better choices.
Boat Beta:

Model: Outrage X

Material: Royalex

Length: 13’

Width: 25.5"

Depth: 15"

Weight: 53 lbs.

MSRP: $949

Info.: (800) 311-7245, www.madrivercanoe.com

Mohawk Probe 12 II and Shaman 12

Although the Probe is not particularly new, it has all the classic elements of the all-around open playboat. The Probe was among our favorites of the boats reviewed. It doesn’t just turn quickly or track well (when reviewing

12-foot open boats tracking becomes relative), nor does it merely carve well, accelerate quickly or stay surprisingly dry. The Probe does all these things, and therefore gets a nod for being very versatile. With its five-inch rocker, the Probe is at home in technical water, big water, steep creeks, and the local surfing hole alike. If Mohawk has one thing going for them besides refreshing designs, it’s their outfitting. Both our Probe and Shaman came with Mohawk’s patented thigh-retainer system. This is probably the most comfortable and secure system on the market. As such, for beginning to advanced paddlers, the Probe 12 II is an excellent choice for all levels of play.

Yet another boat that put in an appearance at the OC-1 Whitewater Slalom National Championships, the Shaman is a great do-everything boat. It turns quickly, and for us felt a touch more stable than its cousin, the Probe. In addition, the boat seemed to perform better overall in most areas. Although not as dry as the Probe, it was a little better at carving, and seemed to stick in eddies well. The Shaman rolls easily, and is a very appealing boat to look at, especially in red. Also, the overall hull speed of the Shaman is ideal for big water and tough attainments. While the Probe was more entertaining while hole surfing, with its 4.5-inch bow rocker and five-inch stern rocker, the Shaman seems to do better on glass waves. In short, for big water or slalom, we’d go with the Shaman. For steep creeks, we’d go with the Probe, and for a play run, we’d have to flip a coin. Kudos to Mohawk for yet another great canoe design.
Boat Beta:

Model: Shaman 12 Probe 12 II

Material: Royalex/R-84 Royalex

Length: 12’7" 12’2"

Width: 28.5" 30"

Depth: 15.5" 15.5"

Weight: 46 lbs. 46 lbs.

MSRP: $925 $899

Info.: (407) 834-3233, www.mohawkcanoes.com

Two Touring Canoes from Old Town

Old Town Discovery 164 and Penobscot 17

Old Town offers two touring canoes in the Crosslink 3 hull. Balancing length, weight, carrying capacity and ease of paddling, the Discovery 164 comes out as our favorite. The 164 paddles easily and has good glide. We paddled this boat on the Sacramento and found it an excellent canoe for that big river which has many flat sections but also some interesting side channels that require maneuvering. The pleasant lines and the stained ash and cane seats and thwarts combine to make this a classy looking canoe.

Since we were paddling only two of Old Town’s touring boats, it was unavoidable that we should directly compare the Penobscot 17 to the Discovery 164. And, apart from the difference in length and hull material, they share many characteristics. Both have shallow arch hulls, both are 14.5 inches at center depth, both have similar turning radiuses, and both are beautiful boats. The Penobscot 17 is considerably lighter than the 164 and is a little deeper in the bow, which gives you a drier ride in big waves. Of course, the extra length provides a little more cargo room. The one area in which the canoes are least similar is weight. If you have situations where you must carry your boat, choose the lighter Oltonar/Royalex hull.

After we had done our initial testing, I paddled both of them solo. There are special times when the river guide must also carry some baggage or special equipment, and a fast, easy paddling Penobscot 17 (or Discovery 164) rigged out for solo would be just the ticket.
Boat Beta:

Model: Discovery 164 Penobscot 17

Material: Crosslink 3 Oltonar/Royalex

Length: 16’4" 17’1

Width: 34" 35"

Depth: 14.5" 14.5"

Weight: 74 lbs. 65 lbs.

MSRP: $779 $1,049

Info.: (207) 827-5514, www.oldtowncanoe.com

—Neil Rucker is an ACA Whitewater Canoe Instructor Trainer and Rob Rudkin is an ACA Whitewater Canoe Instructor. They are owner/operators of Canoe West, a whitewater canoe school in Northern California. Neil is also the author of A Canoer’s Guide to the Middle Klamath River. Find more information on their school at: www.snowcrest.net/canoewest.