WB Users feedback
07.06.2005
Wheelboy: Slippery Rock
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After family duties the family and I made it up to the Slip campground Saturday night (missing the pig roast which is a part of the Three River Paddling Club Slippery Rock Clinic). We set up camp and hung by the camp fire with Big Al and others. Martin, Steven and Bill showed up late Saturday night (really early Sunday morning) after spending the day on the Leigh – a five hour drive across PA for one North Carolinian and two Canadians (with 2 dogs). I’m sure these road warriors will have a post of their experiences as well!
For those who have not had the pleasure to paddle Slippery Rock Creek it is a small relatively short narrow class II-II+ (at the level we paddled it -.3”) creek with ample gradient and deep pools between each rapid. Rapids are fairly straight forward and safe and include boils, eddies, and every other feature you can think of… even at the low level we paddled it. It can also be a lot of fun.
We only did the Rose Point to Eckert Bridge sections. Missing out on the Kennedy Mill to Rose Point and the Eckert Bridge to Harris Bridge sections! A complete write up of the creek can be found at http://www.threerivers.org/Slippery_Rock_Creek.html .
Since Big Al was to be part of the OC clinic (safety dude) I waited around for Bill and C-boys to wake up and get the sleep out of their eyes and food in their stomachs. This doesn’t mean we were on “Kalin” time it just means we were not in a rush to go paddle. While we were getting our act together Bill helped set up shuttle for the OCs, I shipped my lad off as part of the kayaker clinic (remember he is only 10 and therefore allowed a training paddle), broke down camp with the wife and daughter and hung out as Martin and Steven check out the local paddling wares for sale. We then had breakfast and headed off to paddle.
To me it was a real pleasure to provide a guided tour of one of my favorite runs. It nice to see other paddlers enjoying the run with big smiles - and there were some big smiles! I have a tendency to forget the specifics of each run and just go and hit the nooks and crannies on auto pilot. Paddling with this group made me think thru each drop, describe it and really appreciate how lucky I am to have a nice little run so close to the house.
The Canadians (Martin and Steven) ripped it up in the C2 making all the harder moves (at this level). It was just darn pleasurable to watch them in the C2.
Although the water wasn’t really pushy there were a lot of tight slot moves and micro eddies to be had. Making it much more difficult for a Two-fer to get down without incident! The impressive thing is that it was only their second day paddling C2 together – and they nailed all their attempted moves and rolls. The poor kayakers in the clinics were floundering at surfing, playing and rolling and here is this C2 surfing, rolling and banging all the micro-eddies and making the harder moves. Not to mention that this was day two of their “southern” trip of paddling and had spent 7 hours on the Leigh on Saturday – so they had to be tired! I apologize guys for not pointing out some of the more fun attainment spots!
Bill had an eventful day. He started out strong loosening up and paddling well. Then he flipped in the upper left eddy at Z and was “slotted” up-side-down for a bit in a nasty little eddie that has a tendency to hold on to boats. I cringe now even thinking of it and was getting ready to hop out of my boat to assist (the kayakers were just watching in shock) but he hung in there and pulled off nice roll with a spin to set up for running the next drop – Airport! Which he did without issue! The kayakers scouting the drop had huge eyes as he held in there, running the crux upside down through some funky water, prior to rolling to run the next drop. He pulled off bow stalls, stern squirts, rock swipes and hole cartwheels (even a couple clean ones, linked at that!) as we paddle down the river. I remember his comment as “….the trip was worth it just for that!” referencing the cartwheels. Some major smile-age going on! He also got flipped (a couple times), got “pinned” (bottom river left in a very bony spot), and ultimately swam on the last rapid (freaking out a herd of kayakers – I’m starting to think he likes doing that!). But we’ll caulk that up as a function of him being sooooo darn tired from playing all day.
He also sold 2 boats which I’m sure made him happy too! Martin bought the red WB Bill had (darn that tall Canadian – I hope he made it over the board with that contraband) and I ordered a red one too. That’s right I spent money on a NEW boat – I have to stop hanging around Big Al he’s a bad influence!
Now as to the Wheel Boy… I’m 5’8” and about 180 with gear on, a solid class III-IV paddler (or at least I hope so!). This boat was a lot of fun, at least on the Slip at a lower level. Super stable and relatively fast for a short boat (the two other play boats I paddle are a XXX and a Zwo – both are squashed to make them looser and slower). It bow stalls on demand but squirts like a long boat (like my Viper which was really weird at first). This is mostly due to the volume in the back but that’s not a negative and it only took a while to figure it out. I actually see that as a plus and I’m look forward to seeing how a WB handles in bigger and pusher water like the LY or Cheat! It is short so it will get pushed about but I think that will be well within acceptable limits and might even be better than the Zwo for this.
The bloodly thing cartwheels and flat spins like a dream in smaller almost non-existence features – as good if not better than some of the newer kayaks I’ve been in (…to test for converting of course) – really impressive! Martin was also getting it to do a retarded “mush” in one of the features so that’s an interesting plus too! This means the boat can be dropped if need be but more importantly will quickly release. One of the other instructors from the clinic saw some of the action and made some very flattering comments as to what we were up to (I had to remind myself “it’s the boat not the boater!” At least not this boater ).
It gets to speed quickly and carves in and out of eddies quite nicely. It front surfs well and typewriters back and forth on small waves with easy and almost no effort. I really didn’t have access to a back surfing friendly wave (for this boat) so the jury is still out there but I could feel it settle on the smaller sets so I don’t think that will be an issue. Side surfing was easy (old school baby) and the boat release quickly when pushed so I feel its retentiveness will be more of an “on demand” thing and dependent on the paddler to set and work the edges. The spray skirt I used was a bit too large for the cockpit but the deep rim actually held it on quite nicely and the cockpit was quite roomy to get in and out of.
My wife saw me in it and just told me NOT to buy the green one (Marko – constructive criticism, lose that color and get an orange, blue or anything but puke green). She is not keen on my collection of boats so this speaks volumes on its own. She also said (from shore) I needed to “sit back a bit” which took me a bit to figure out since that’s not the kind of comment I get from her. Since this is a short boat I had to change my posture (shoulders move just a hair back) to trim the boat out correctly.
The boat is heavy but not too much so. I think the weight, due to the heavy lay-up, is worth it in a play boat you are going to rock grind a lot. The grab loops are well placed for getting in and out of the boat in squirrelly water (nice touch). However, beginner kayakers don’t like the placement if you are giving them a bow rescue (we got a chuckle out of that)!
The factor outfitting is actually okay. Some of the modifications I’ll make are straps further back on my thighs (not a suicide belt - but close), move my knees out wider and block them out, add ankle blocks and maybe move the seat position back a 1/8 to ? inch. I think moving the seat back a notch will help in terms of speed and in keeping the nose up. I’ll leave the seats butt / back block as is since it was wide, natural and very comfortable. Hip pads may be added but not really needed in the demo.
Finally, I liked the very small un-assuming name plate and its placement – it lets the boat speak for its self which it does quite nicely - and isn’t a paddling advertisement!
Thanks Bill for bring one up and over for me to demo!
Finally, my boy (Jacob) had a great time paddling the Eckert Bridge to Harris Bridge section making moves, surfing and doing mini enders (or so I was told)! He had a major paddling jazz going on when we picked him up at the camp ground! Both the kids were so wiped out they crashed most of the way home!
Now I have to dig up a boat for my daughter for the next clinic at the end of July!
_________________
CU
PAC
30.05.2005
Wheelboy: on the Ocoee
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OK, I paddled Will's on the Ocoee a few weekends ago and had my own by the next weekend. I think that by itself should say something.
I've had one now for about three weeks, and I'm still amazed every time I get in the thing. You expect playboats to be a tradeoff between certain things--hull speed vs shortness, slicyness vs loopability, etc. Forget all of that. This boat is good at everything.
First of all, it paddles like a little raceboat. It seems to glide with every stroke, especially on wave type moves. I'm not sure how this works, since the boat is two feet shorter than my creekboat and much faster.
It's stable and not too edgy. You can paddle it aggressively and not have to brace all the time, and the bow (mostly) stays out of the water when reaching forward. When boofing, the softer edges slide over rocks, and the bow lifts up.
The softer edges don't seem to slow it down on a wave--it turns back and forth almost by thinking. It likes to sit high up on the foam pile where you can move around easily.
It's very crisp on blunts. Because the boat stays back on the pile, it can accelerate well off a stroke. I haven't had it on a really big wave yet, but even on small waves the bow lifts out of the water.
It's quick and balanced doing cartwheels, and it stays in one place so you can link ends without flushing. It feels a lot like the session when cartwheeling, except that the volume keeps it in the hole better.
But for all of it's slicyness, it's still very loopable, and again it stays in one place.
Criticisms? Hmm, it's heavy. But that only matters when it's on your shoulder. You can't tell in the water, and the thickness/stiffness of the plastic improves performance. And I think it's built to last .
It is a really good design, and a really fun boat. I'll be happy to let people try mine...I'm usually at the Ocoee on weekends.
Marshall
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19.052005
Wheelboy: First Impressions
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Facts about myself: I am 5’11” and weigh 186 lbs. From what I understand, this is the very upper end of the design range. I have been C1-ing for 20 plus years. C1 is my major whitewater activity with some tandem open boat and occasional C2 runs thrown in for good measure. I have owned and tried a fair number of C1 boats over that period, but am only of average ability. Before getting this boat, I have only learned a limited number of playboating moves, and hope to use the boat to expand the repertoire. Can handle most Class 4’s, but still get a knot in my stomach on Class 4 rapids.
First Impressions: I took the Wheelboy out on a Class 2 river with one long Class 3+ rapid that I am very familiar with. I didn’t have the chance to bring it to a pool first. I outfitted the Wheelboy with thigh straps in the suggested positions. These worked well and I felt secure in the boat. I didn’t stay flipped over for any length of time because of the spring-time water temperatures, so I could not tell at this point if I would start falling out of the boat if I hung out upside down, such as when rolling in a boil or on the wrong side in a hole. That being said, the Wheelboy rolled easily. All attempts worked the first time and there was no struggling. I’ve owned boats that have rolled even easier, but the Wheelboy is right up there for easy rolling boats. When the hip grabbers become available in the States, I will install them and would expect that the boat will become even easier to roll although they are not really needed.
The Wheelboy felt very very stable. Its primary stability is very reassuring. Its width must play a large role here. Secondary stability is better than most boats. Nothing at all happened unexpected during the run in regard to its lateral edge behavior. Eddy turns were C1 sharp and predictable. Didn’t experience any squirllenous. (sp) On waves, the hull is the loosest I have ever experienced and this in my opinion is the best and most fun feature of the boat so far (till I get the cartwheels perfected). You could position the Wheelboy anyplace on the wave surface and it felt at home – on the face, at the top, in the trough. It carves across the wave surface well, and its balance was superb. As many others have commented, you can tell the boat was designed as a C1. It was so much fun having that degree of control on the waves.
My only major negative was that the boat was slow. I knew it was going to be but the ramifications of it being slow were disappointing. It was so slow (or maybe I was so weak) that I could hardly catch anything on the fly. This could be a function of the fact that I am towards the heavy side for the designed weight range. I could not accelerate upstream out of eddies to catch waves that in my normal C1’s or 8 foot conversions would not have given me any trouble. In the one Class 3 + rapid, the slowness did not appear to be a problem, but as I dropped down a small chute in the midst of the rapid, I did an unexpected and disconcerting bow stand. Nothing like that would have ever happened in any of the other boats I have ever owned.. Well maybe that converted Mr. Clean that I once had might have done something similar. Bracing into a partial pirouette, I flopped over on my side and with the good secondary stability recovered well, straightened out and proceeded down my line. The bow stand was probably the function of the shortness of the boat, relative low volume in the front, weak boofing, and my inexperience with it all.
One of my kayaking friends on the trip, in envy, commented that in theory you could build an extremely short C1, much shorter than any kayak, because you didn’t have to worry about where to put your legs in the shrunken bow.
In regards to the outfitting that comes with the boat, the seat and console are great. I don’t find any need to raise or lower the seat. The kevlar console is the best I have seen in plastic boats. Appears sturdy and looks like it will readily accept and adapt to almost any type of modification one could wish. The one gripe, which has been mentioned by others, is that the built-in knee positioning holds the knees too close to the center for my liking. I might have to rip out the knee positioning hardware/software and install a kneecup spread further apart, although by the end of the first day I found myself getting use to it.
Well that is it for a first impression from an average type boater. Overall, it was a very fun day and I’m glad about my purchase. It is my initial conclusion that the Wheelboy is at its best as a “park and play” machine, and as a river runner it will present some challenges. But the boat is advertised as a C1 play machine and it certainly delivers in that department. I am not sure I would take it into Class 4 this summer, unless experience gives me a good deal more confidence with its slowness and its bow standing/squirting tendencies.
For a playboat I liked the way it worked so much better than any of the conversions I have tried, that I am eagerly anticipating the Fatboy. I am hoping that because it too is intelligently designed as a C1 it will similarly rise above the conversions as a creeker, and that knot in the stomach disappears..
WheelBoy review
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Thanks to Bill and David for hooking this boat up for me this weekend. Took the Wheelboy to the Ocoee this weekend, here's what I thought.
Overall Size/Outfitting: I'm about 155lbs and felt perfect in the boat. A friend of mine who paddled the boat on sunday was about 160-165 and said it felt good for him too. Perhaps not as much pop for loops as he would have liked, but he wasn't sure. Outfitting is sparse, but offers a good base to add on to. Since it wasn't my boat, I didn't want to add or take anything away, so I just chocked myself in with some random bits and pieces of foam. This is how I usually do it anyways, haha, so I guess it works. The boat was really heavy. Bill said 42lbs, which I dare say is getting close to my Blunt. It seemed to have thick plastic so I am sure this had something to do with it. It had black, squishy foam in it which seemed like it may have been a little heavy as well. The skirt worked really well, narry a drop in the boat all weekend.
Play Performance: So the first hole I surfed, I all my skepticism about this boat flew out the window. As my friend put it, "I felt a moment of Barryness." This boat is unbelievably smooth on end and will throw down in the hole. It is smooth and in control, making technical moves like the tricky whu and lunar orbit easy. Easy is the keyword here. The stablility made it easy to collect yourself after a few ends or a blunt. Didn't have any big holes, but in the little ones this boat stayed retentive and on top of the water and would cartwheel with ease. Found it to be really quick on some little waveholes and easy to blunt. Lightning quick blunts... Loops were a little harder due to the extra length/sliciness of the bow, but it just takes some getting used to. Not as easy to loop as my All-Star, but I felt it got good pop and once I started figuring it out it wasn't hard. Huge Macho Moves as well. I would love to get this boat on a big wave and see what it can do. I'm a little skeptical still about the edges as I'm partial to hard, 90 degree edges on boats, like on Necky's. I don't like boats that have outward flaired edges like the Allstar much. This boat doesn't have very hard edges, but on the little waves I did have it on it seemed to carve well. It's certainly fast on a wave and really loose. You won't have any trouble with flatspins in this boat for sure.
River Running: Went down river well for a 6'4" boat. Good speed, tended to stay on top of the water, fun for wavewheels/macho moves, splats, rockspins, etc... Not a great down river boat, but not worse than any other short boat out there.
I loved this boat, and would/will probalby buy one if I ever get $1100! If anyone has a used one, let me know! I think the boat sold itself at least once, maybe twice at the river. I'm sure if there were more Cboaters there (I only saw 2 and they both wanted one) more people would've been hooked. This boat makes itself look good, despite it's less than attractive appearance, haha! One bit of advice though, it'd be nice if the boat said "Drakkar Wheelboy" on it somewhere so that I wouldn't have to tell 500 people what the hell it is! Other than that, it was excellent. My only major complaint is the weight. It is too heavy. Awesome job Marko!
Will Lyons
lyonsw@brevard.edu
WheelBoy playability on the river
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Playability, that exactly describes the WheelBoy in play on the river. My stats are 6' 185 lbs.
OK, I've given my WB review in the pool. Now it's time to review how it performs at the play hole. I've been to the river three times and the WB behaves differently in the current. The WB is edgier than I expected on those sharp and fast eddy lines -- so my first ferries were not too impressive. What I quickly discovered is the WB really tracks well when the bow is under water and on edge. This is very nice and my ferries are back on track.
In the hole, what I've found is you need to keep good upright and balanced posture and just trust the WB's floating hull -- and float it does. Spins are a real pleasure to execute and just plain simple.
The hole is still a bit shallow, so I've not been able to really get it cartwheeling on a consistent basis.
Everywhere I go, all the kayakers drool over the WB. Because I have one of the first WB's off the press, there are no labels, grab loops, or drain plug. Marko, I can't believe how many people learn about Drakkar because they all want to ask me about the boat. I've seen kayakers have the AHA moment -- they see the WB's design, the body leverage advantage, and the fact that it's just plain cool to be in a WB.
It's still going to be a couple of weeks before the big wave holes are running -- I can't wait!
Larry Horne, sounds like you are really turning heads over there in Northern California. Bruce, you better get that WB fast. If you give Larry too much of a head start you will always be boating in his shadow.
To all you Pacific Northwest WB owners, we need to plan a gathering of the WBs at the Reno WW Park. When is the best water play in Reno? We definitely need to capture some video footage at this one...Wheel-on!
For those of you that know Tom Long and his sons Trent and Kenneth of the C1 slolom fame, they run local pool sessions here in Boise and everytime I'm there with the WB, they always have to give it a spin. Every C1 boater that's tried my WB agree, it's a super fun boat.
Boise Bob
Wheelboy...well done!!!!!
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From reading the posts there aren't too many Brits who have submitted their thoughts/experiences on the Drakkar Wheelboy.
Well here are mine......Superb! awesome!....a breath of fresh air. I paddle at Englands top rodeo spot, Hurley, all the time and after years mucking about converting kayaks with varying degrees of sucess at last the real thing. I am having such a blast. I have had just one go so far but I am chomping at the bit to get back!
I found it super, super loose, very stable, dead easy to throw down blunts, ends, flatties and surprisingly fast for such a small beast. The extra volume around the cockpit really gives lift in boily eddies and punching small wave trains and though I am yet to throw one, should allow for easier aerial loops.
All in all well done Marko et al.
May such C-boats go from strength to strength
C1 Dom.
Is it really a ___Wheel___Boy?
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I've had to wait 5 weeks for this big event -- break out the champagne.
First, my stats -- 6' 185 lbs, previous playboat Robson NRG.
I went to a pool session last night and my first positive experience was hearing the kayakers say; where did you get that boat?, it looks like a surfing machine, who makes it?, and I love the hull design. I tell them its a play boat designed from the ground up as a C1 -- it's not a kayak and it never will be a kayak.
The first test, does the WB live up to ithe hull speed hype?
Oh, yes! It track straight with ease and requires fewer correction strokes. I tillt it on its side and it just goes. When I really dig in and aggressively initiate my stroke far forward, the WB bow enters the water. As I continue the stroke, the bow nicely moves through the water and resurfaces with grace and does not alter the boats tracking. This characteristic means the WB is going to be a very good performer on the river. Spud boats usually don't track well.
Is it really a WheelBoy?
Oh, yes! Marko said there is a difference between cartwheeling a converted kayak versus a WB, so there would be a small learning curve -- he is right. The WB's volume distribution designed for the kneeling position makes a huge difference. In the end, when you keep your body centered over the cockpit and keep a good boat-slicing angle, this baby just wheels and wheels. It's excellent secondary stability allows me to really drive my knee down to achieve a good slice angle and initiate downward momentum. I often use hand paddles to perfect my technique and lets just say I had a good time. It's clear I have used a compromising technique for my converted kayak to compensate for the kayak's design.
What about the outfitting?
C1 outfitting is a personal thing and I have built a bulkhead -- which is still work in progress. The console insert and seat height is just fine. I find the fancy neoprene foam gets slippery when wet, but is very comfortable. I have reduced the cockpit rim flex because the bulkhead provides additional structure in the front and I placed a 1" thick piece of foam on the back of the console. I plan on adding a hip grabber in the future -- this may be a custom job or Marko is working on a hip grabber for the WB. Because the WB is a balanced C1 design, I did find it less important to have a hip grabber. The remaining cockpit flex is not an issue.
Conclusion:
This review is from a swimming pool, so the best is yet to come in the spring on the river. If you want a play boat for your C1 pleasures, the WB is it--period! Marko has designed a winner that will significantly improve your C1 play boating skills and advance C1 play boating. I can't wait until I put this baby in a big fat high-volume wave hole and really test drive the WB. In my opinion, the only reason to convert a kayak is because you haven't yet save enough money to buy a WB. Larry, I now know why you kissed your WB -- I love this baby!
Boise Bob
Wheelboy review
I finally got to test my Wheelboy out today. For the record, I'm 6'0", 200 lbs (probably closer to 210 with all my winter gear on). My hat's off to Pawel, Marko and all the others at Drakkar. This is an excellent boat, even for someone my weight. I ran the N. Santiam, a class II-III run, at a medium-low level of about 1200 cfs. I'd never had the boat in the water before (even a pool), but was immediately comfortable in it. The most immediately noticeable thing was the stability of the boat compared to kayak conversions. I was as stable doing offside eddy turns, peel outs, and cross strokes (while playing) as I am in my Atom. At the same time, I could bow stall (for a little while anyway) with one good solid forward stroke and a good lean. I was able to greatly reduce the number of balance strokes and braces I use during playing compared to my experiences in conversions. Rolling is cake.
The best thing about the boat is the stern. The extra volume gave me much more control during cartwheels. In my Id (which has a very low volume stern), I have a hard time not going past vertical and flopping over during stern ends. In the Wheelboy, I could lean back much more without losing control during cartwheels (eddyline and flat water), and could therefore control my angle with more precision. And for a boat it's size, it had good hull speed - I never had to dig too hard to make the moves I wanted to.
I don't really have any negatives to report. The bow did pearl during aggressive forward strokes, and I had to lean back more in rapids than with my Id, but that shouldn't be hard to get used to. Also, I was not very successful in catching waves on the fly - the hull is somewhat slower than the Id. That also should get easier with a little more practice. I found it to be a great play boat, and a very good river runner for class II-III. Can't wait until the local play holes come in.
All in all, an excellent boat. I'm done with converting. Great job Drakkar! Can't wait to see the Fatboy.
Matt
p.s. I received my spray skirt from Drakkar in the mail on Friday, just in time to go boating - thanks guys. It was completely dry and seemed bomber - another great product.
17.11.2004 Link to original
Sir Adam
Location: Adirondacks, NY State, USA
Well, now that I've had the Wheelboy in the water exactly twice I'll give my impressions (hopefully if the other folks who ordered them can get out of their boats for a few minutes we'll hear from them as well...hint hint ).
Me: 160lbs or so (with gear), 5' 9". I left the saddle at the factory height because I found it very comfortable as it was. I was shocked when I measured it and it was a hair less than 6".
1st time was a pool session-first impressions were positive-faster than I suspected (though that is relative in a boat that's around 6 and a half feet), VERY easy to spin, VERY stable (both primary and secondary), sits on bow and stern stations OK (I just need more practice ), and rolls VERY easily (executed my first off-side roll and *almost* had a hand roll as well).
2nd time was on the Tohickon this weekend-new boat, new river. Thanks to Bob, Lee, Scott, and others for help with some of the lines. Nice running into you Heidi and RodeoClown!
Impressions-Well, first, please remember by nature I'm a glass longboater, but for the sake of fairness I will compare it primarily to the ForePlay I was in a few years ago (thanks again Kalin, wherever you are!)....It is a bit slower than the ForePlay (I know, it's a lot shorter...), but more foregiving. Although I truely felt like a cork going down the river I HAD A BLAST. The boat was super, super stable, easy to manuever in class II/ III water, surfed nicely. It only went vertically unintentionally on me once , and that was running a small drop, and it was a blast .
Overall-I found it a GREAT BOAT, and THANK YOU MARKO for designing a true C1 rodeo boat. I'll always be a glass boating long boater at heart, but I'm going to have A LOT of fun in this boat I can tell. It's a different type of boating, and takes a different type of finesse (well, so far I'd say less finesse than a C1 squirt boat or slalom boat), but it's a ton of fun, and there are quite a few things I did in it I would not have been able to in my longer boats.
Biggest plusses: Stability, Stability, stability, and ease of control. Responsive, quick to front surf (and side surf!), factory outfitting (carbon-kevlar plate and pedestal) is VERY nice, and helps keep the weight down and stiffness up)
Minuses: Cockpit rim could be a bit wider (could easily be trimmed), needs bow and stern grab loops. A hip grabber (in the works I believe) would also be sweet. Control is very good as is (as mentioned) but adding them would truely make the boat fit like a glove. Oh, and yes, it IS short. For those of you that like zipping in and out of the eddy's from one side of the river to the other, this is not your boat.
Amusing first time in boat occurance-the first time I eddy'd out I zipped in to the eddy nicely and did a 360...the boat is so short any extra torque / momentum left over from enterying the eddy will literally spin you all the way around!
If anyone has any specific questions on the boat ask away and I'll post a reply. That said, I did not try a 360 or any aerial manuevers (my next step is to figure those out now that I have a boat that I suspect can do them), so please don't ask any questions on the Wheelboy's performance of those.
_________________
Keep the C!
Adam
Raff
Location: Germany
I had my first wheelboy-session on friday on the river Rhein in Germany. Flatwater and no current.
I can confirm the statements of Adam. The boat is very very stable. "the floating hull concept" is striking! I am not so experienced in that kind of boat but I felt safe and comfortable.
I left the seat as it was. 1.90m and 80kg are no problem for the wheelboy.
The trim of the wheelboy ist very good balanced.
Rolling ist very easy, leaving the boat under water also:-)
This week I am going to test the boat at our artificial channel. I am curious about it!
Raphael
PS. Sorry about my poor english!!!!
Cone Bone
Location: Olympia, WA
I paddled a class II+ training stretch in my new WB this past Sunday. Bottom line from me: if you want a C1 that is focused on play, get a WB. Converted kayak playboats are a thing of the past! Marko, you and your team are to be congradulated.
This is the boat I was looking for when I converted a Forplay two years ago. The WB’s extra beam, and the general volume distribution that is designed for C1 paddlers, both offer a huge amount of fun on the river. I was surfing more, throwing more, and generally relaxing more than I ever have in a converted kayak. The “sweet spot” on this boat is much bigger than my converted kayaks offer, I was able to find currents and respond to them without flipping or needing to brace as much. So, for an intermediate like me, the WB seems a huge improvement. My learning curve just got easier to climb.
I agree with the specifics that Adam provided in his review. I will add that since I have always had a hard time keeping my Forplay upright and stable when it mattered most on the river, the extra stability of the WB more than offset its lack of top end speed when I was trying to work my way around on the river. More strokes per minute go towards power when I am not bracing all the time. So, even though it is a shorty, the WB seemed pretty efficient to me.
Now that I have gushed... I still wonder about the WB in bigger water. It is shorter than anything that I have paddled. This is a cool thing in class II+, but I don’t know how sticky it will seem in harder water that has some real holes… I do look forward to finding out!
For comparison reference: I weigh 165 and am 5’9”. The other C1’s that I am familiar with include the Cascade and Groove, and a converted Redline and Forplay.
Larry Horne
Location: Northern California
I finally got my WB out to a play hole today! (for about 20 minutes before my borrowed, 30 year old sprayskirt fell apart )
All I can say is, OH MY GOD! This boat is so cool! I was instantly able to do things that i could never do before. It is so incredibly stable, smooth, and balanced in a hole! I've never paddled anything like it. The volume distribution is brilliant. It felt a little weird when i first got in the water, 'cause none of the converted kayak playboats I've paddled have that volume behind your hips. But man, the first ride in that hole and I knew I was in love the WB I can't wait to get it out again(if my new sprayskirt ever shows up )
If you want a C1 playboat, you have got to get a WB! Conversions suck. I am not kidding around here.... Just get one!
I was actually seen KISSING my WB today!
BTW- it is noticably faster than my Flipstick, which is narrower and the same length.
and..... I don't know about everyone else, but falling over in eddies.....or rolling up and falling right over again... that's a thing of the past now.
Awsome job Marko! Keep it up!
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Larry