Boat Forum / Paddle Boats / May 2004

I'm thinking of buying my first canoe (rentals add up after a while), and I
saw that there are folding canoes (Ally and Pakboat seem to be the biggest
brands).  All the info I managed to find through Google is largely sales pitch
from retailers, and 1 or 2 actual experience (at ...

I need to chose Thunderbolt  by WSB or Surfski.
Can not have both.
What should I choose and based on what criteria?
Any opinions?

Someone I know is seeking a new PFD...
Their perfect PFD would look like:
 18 lbs floatation
 two large zippered pockets in the front

I am a novice (not brand new, but close enough) kayaker.  I live on the flat
part of the Potomac River and want something to drag down to the water in
the afternoons, paddle around thinking lofty thoughts for  a while, then
drag the boat back to my garage.

I was just wondering what some opinions on these two kayaks that I am
considering were from those who have either owned them or paddled them
extensively.
How do they behave in rougher water?

I'm considering my first Royalex boat. I've narrowed my choices down
to an Old Town Penobscot 16' for a whole lot of reasons.
The local REI has two of these exactly as I would want them. The
non-blemished one is on sale for their anniversary sale at $799 (down

Could anyone please recommend to me a good all around boat for my
girlfrend (115lbs, 5"0)? She's currently paddling a Pyranha Prozone
225, but finds that it's too slow and too advanced for learning how to
roll. She wants to be able to do some beginner whitewater, but doesn't

Thanks to all who posted particularly John whose comments re: cockpit
fit and posture I've recently come to appreciate. I'm now about a
month later in my search and am welcoming a well fitting cockpit which
only a month ago I found confining. The boats I still like are the WS

I am new to the group.
We enjoy holidaying in the Lake District every summer and have just
acquired a Canadian Open Canoe (a Coleman Explorer 166). I would be
grateful if anybody could kindly assist me, via this forum only

Is the Rogue the best river in Oregon to raft?

I need a tandem canoe with the capacity to carry large loads of
camping gear on shallow rocky rivers in southern Missouri and northern
Arkansas (I & II). Lake use will be rare to never, tho some local
rivers do have a few quiet holes of moderate length where the current

All,
I'm new to kayaking and would like to know if the setup below will work just
fine?  I have a factory rack installed.  or would you still go for the Thule
setup?

I have an Eddyline Night Hawk and my wife has an Impex Mystic.  We're
considering the purchase of a third boat, mostly to have a spare, and
it lools like the choice is between another Mystic or an Eddyline
Merlin LT.  I'm leaning strongly toward the Merlin LT for two reasons.

Can anyone recommend a good outfitter for a group white water rafting trip
in Oregan?

Went to Dick's Sporting goods yesterday and saw a yak marked "Classic" with a
"Victory" logo up on the nose.
  This is clearly a Pungo Classic 12' (my wife and I each have one of those
excellent kayaks), and a label inside the boat had the name Confluence