Re: [Paddlewise] Why did you choose that boat?

Joshua Teitelbaum wrote:

> Mike:
>
> I, for one, would be interested in hearing why you chose the Viviane, and
> what you think of it compared to the hard chined Caribou.
>
> Josh

Hi Josh.
    First off, please remember that I am pretty much a beginner here myself.
Compared to most of the regular posters here I am a rank amateur.  All opinions
(most of the post is opinion) are based on my limited experience.  But they are my
opinions and I cherish them, until I find a newer, better opinion!  Like any
rational person I am always looking for a better opinion.
    Last fall I started a search for a new boat.  At the time I said that I wanted
something faster than my Caribou, which wasn't completely true.  As Matt Broze
pointed out to me, the Caribou gives up little in the way of speed versus effort
until about 4.5 knots.  Most of the time the group I paddle with is at 3 knots or
less, and I tend to be towards the front of the group.  (This is an odd experience
for me, I am used to riding sweep so I can keep track of my daughter.)
    The main reasons that I wanted a second boat were more cargo space than the
Caribou has and I was beginning to be bothered by the weathercocking problem that
the non skegged version of the Caribou has.  I had "corrected" the problem by
adding weight in the stern hatch, but that causes a new set of problems.  This
spring I took a class with a Vermont based company called Tidelines that taught me
a more proper forward stroke that almost completely eliminated the weathercocking
problem.  Technique wins out over hardware again!  But I still wanted more volume,
the Caribou is a low volume design.
    When I started my search my heart was pretty much set on the Current Designs
Extreme, I had been lusting after that boat from the day they introduced it.  Then
Sea Kayak magazine did a review of the Viviane.  I had seen the flyer for it, my
favorite kayak shop (The Country Canoeist, in Dunbarton NH) carries Kajak Sport.
But I hadn't really looked at one.  In a pretty much side by side comparison (I
had to drive 30 miles between boats) I checked out the Extreme and the Viviane.  I
found the Viviane to have a little more initial stability than the Extreme, about
the same as the Caribou.  In speed and tracking the Extreme and Viviane are about
the same, I would say that the Viviane is a little faster if you have the power
for it.  But the Viviane seemed to accelerate quicker.  This is subjective on my
part, I did not time myself over a set course.  What sold me on the Viviane was
the construction, it was built with seams taped inside and out, something you have
to pay extra for in most North American boats, and had Kevlar in high wear areas.
They also showed thought in small areas, such as the fact that the sliders for the
foot pedals use a captive screw, there are no screw heads sticking out of the
hull.  And I like the foot pedals.  The small flat bar that Current Designs (and
most other manufacturers) uses as a foot peg tends to cramp my left foot.  The
Kajak Sport pedal supports a much larger area of your foot, eliminating pressure
points.  But you can put Kajak Sports pedals on other boats, so that is not a
sticking pint.
    Comparing the Viviane to the Caribou is a bit harder.  I have only demoed the
Viviane so far, I will be taking delivery of mine soon.  In stability I would say
that they are about equal, but different.  If you lean the two of them slowly they
feel about the same, with the Caribou having a bit more secondary stability.  Both
boats with no gear aboard.  If you heel the boat fast by rocking it with your
hips, and keep it up and see just how far you can put it over without using the
paddle to brace, the hard chines of the Caribou grab and present more rotational
resistance.  They also get loud fast, the flat hull sections tend to slap the
water.  With either boat I can get in over the cockpit coming while doing this,
and feel comfortable, so they are close.  The tracking of the Viviane is stiffer
than the Caribou, but at more than a foot longer I expected that.  The Viviane is
more of a pack it with a weeks worth of gear and cover a lot of miles boat, the
Caribou is a day tripper that can do weekends if you want to.  People from a
backpacking background will disagree with me on this, they find the Caribou to be
quite spacious.
    I will not be selling my Caribou, it is a "little" sports car for the fun
trips, where you want quick acceleration and good turning.  The Viviane is a
distance cruiser that can cover the miles in comfort.  Comparing the two is like
comparing a Porsche to a Caddilac.  Which is better?  It depends on what you want
to do.

Mike

--
    Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are
visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great
blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a
mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your
passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space.
Mark H Hunt


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