Asking Average Joe LOOKING BACK ON 10 YEARS OF BOAT TESTS
We believed it then and we believe it now, your best boat depends on who you are and how you paddle. From the mountains of B.C. to the waters of Moose Fest, Madawaska and the Ottawa rivers, we trucked boat testers, Renaissance painter Peter Paul Rubens and Weird Al Yankovic around to be the first whitewater magazine to bring you reader-tested boat shootouts.
Solo Boat Shootout (SPRING 1999)
In our first full issue we lined up 14 open boaters, trudged through three feet of late-March snow and put nine open boats to the test. Te boats were given either thumbs up, okay, or thumbs down for each of three tester ability levels. Dusting this issue off 10 years later, it is amazing that three of the canoes are still in production and the rest are hot commodities on used boat forums, fetching top dollar. And, every one of those testers is still open boating today.
River Kayak Test (SPRING 2000)
Tis was the beginning of the anything-goes era for river runners. Here we saw the Eskimo Kendo Evolution and Pyranha’s H2zone in the same category as the Prijon Samurai and Wave Sport Z—both in the rodeo boat test the summer before. Tis year we introduced the clipboard bitch to our methodology for recording immediate riverside feedback. We haven’t seen a Samurai since, yet the Dagger Redline remains a classic; don’t we all know at least one guy who just won’t part with his?
Rodeo Boat Test (SUMMER 1999)
In the rodeo boat test we featured the Dagger Medieval, Perception Mr. Clean, Eskimo Zwo, Riot Glide, Prijon Samurai, Wave Sport Z, Savage Maniac, Necky Gliss and the Pyranha Inazone series. Plus we included a first paddle of the Massive Y2K prototype, which was never released. Te shortest of the bunch was the Inazone 220, at 7’2”. Te Mr. Clean squeaked a perfect 10 vertical score. Good luck liquidating any of these from your yard. Try a sign, “Kitten $150. Comes with free kayak.”
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Creek Boat Mix (FALL 2001)
We sent three men to the B.C. mountains where they hucked and plucked down four types of creeks we defined as: steep creeking, green creeking, juicy technical and free falling. Each boat excelled in specific conditions but the Dagger CFS was crowned the overall winner. Te CFS was replaced in September 2003 by Dagger’s Nomad, which remains their creeker to this day. Te Perception Java, popular with smaller paddlers, was the last Perception creeker built for North America.
RAPID
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