I presently own a new hurricane and have a opportunity to purchase a new pegasus in the spring .I'm looking for those of you with experience w/ both to tell me your thoughts between the 2 .I like my hurricane but is the pegasus that much better of a canoe and worth spending some extra money ? Is it faster in the flats or bumps ? Also whats the difference on the pegasus seats as they offer an optional seat
I live on the west coast and conditions range from flat to bumps and we see the odd 5 footer sometimes .
thx for any input ........
Submitted by OCsprinter on Wed, 11/09/2005 - 10:54pm
Great question?
I presently own a Pegasus and feel that it's the best boat for "me" here in Hawaii. It's great in the flats and fun in the bumps. I think it's one of the better (of the smaller) boats out there for the surf.......especially for my size. (5'8" - 158 lbs)
I paddled the Hurricane a few times. Really really fast in the flats. I finally got a chance to surf it on a Hawaii Kai run. (8 miles down wind) It was 2- 5 feet (face) with some 15 to 25 mile an hour wind.......and the boat did great. In the smaller bumps it was awsome. But in the bigger stuff, the nose would bury on drop-ins, which would cause the hull speed to drop drastically making it tougher to start up again. Angling my take-offs helped a bit keeping the nose out of the water.
Bottom line:
______________________________Pegasus__________Hurricane
In the flats________________________A- ____________A+
Small bumps______________________A+____________A
Medium stuff______________________A______________B
Big stuff__________________________B+____________C+
These stats are based solely on my "personal" ability (style of stroke) opinion, and experience and should not based on anything else. I still get my ass handed to me by Hawaii's top surfers when the wind is blowing no matter what they're paddling. Other paddlers will disagree, but again I say, this is my opinion between the Pegasus and the Hurricane.
Bottom bottom line:
If I had to choose a boat specifically for racing in the flats, the Hurricane would be hands down my first choice.
But with the conditions here in Hawaii, I do alot of recreational paddling. In the flats,surf, currents, and actually surfing it at a surf break, I prefer the Pegasus. Good luck on your decision.....either way you'll be having fun out in the ocean.
Other boats I've tried or owned:
Makia, Polaris, Vantage, Fusion, Fuze, Axis, Viper, Wave Blade, Pegasus,
Old and new Hurricane (prefer the old version)
#1 Thu, 11/10/2005 - 12:36am
Tango, So I see what your perfer. I too have tried the Hurricane, just for a short period, did not really get comfortable with it. I would like your opnion on the Fuze, Vantage and Polaris. I'm hoping to plunk my money to one of these companies. Mahalo Brah.
Nalu
#2 Thu, 11/10/2005 - 10:07am
I live on the west coast and currently own a new Hurricane. A buddy of mine owns a Pegasus and we've switched off several times. These boats are very comparable and similar. They both perform well in the flats and bumps and they would be my first two choices among any of the kanus, especially in California.
The main difference I have seen is that the Hurricane has a much lower profile, both in the body and in the ama, which is beneficial in crosswinds. My buddy has complained the high-profile ama of the Pegasus catches wind like a sail at times. I also like the assembly system of the Hurricane much better than the push-pin system of the Pegasus, which tends to loosen over time (like the old Hurricane).
Both are excellent choices for the west coast...you really can't go wrong.
#3 Thu, 11/10/2005 - 10:25am
I paddled the pegasus for a year in California and thought it was great for California conditions. In the dead flat a hurricane will deffinetely be better-- and there is the occasional dead flat race up there.. But the Pegasus takes off as soon as the wind picks up a little. The hurricane is a great boat, especially for California, and, like SDC2447 said, you can't go wrong with getting either the pegasus or the hurricane. I think that Tango was pretty right on with his grading scale too. But it all kind of depends what you're looking for and where you're going to be training. If you're training in a harbor all the time or by chance in a small little resevoir... maybe go with a Hurricane, cause it'll fly in the flat and you'll be comfortable on it and fast for the races. I've never done a race in southern california that was too big for a Hurricane. So it'll kind of always be good. But... if you're going to be paddling in the afternoons in the ocean where there's a bump, i'd go with the pegasus. If you can get comforbale on a pegasus in the slightly choppy afternoon water up there, then you'll fly in the races. If you're in Northern California i would easily go with a pegasus over a hurricane. Maybe i just got lucky, but every race i went up there for had (relative to socal) great conditions for the Pegasus. I think that the Pegasus is faster upwind into a chop also, and since everyones always going upwind into the chop up there--- I am biased though because I paddled the Pegasus for a year and dont have that much experience on a hurricane. And again--- whichever boat you get will be good.
#4 Thu, 11/10/2005 - 1:05pm
Not to highjack this thread (maybe expand?), but can anyone with experience compare these two canoes with the Kaimana?
#5 Thu, 11/10/2005 - 5:53pm
Thx for the great responses so far keep them coming I would still like to hear others opinions.This is a tough decision I find . My water is mainly flat to small bumps in most of the races
The only thing I dislike about the hurricane is how fragile it is . Is the pegasus the same way ? Seems the slightest little impact leaves a dent in the carbon but I assume thats because the foam behind gets damaged not allowing it to pop back out as its bonded together .
I keep reading about a upgrade ama but I assume thats for the older style hurricanes .........
#6 Fri, 11/11/2005 - 8:35am
I wouldn't personally put the Kaimana in with these two boats...it's very different. I've paddled it also on several occasions and it just feels like a much bigger boat - similar to the Stingray. After paddling my hurricane, it felt like sitting on an aircraft carrier. I think Pegasus and Hurricane are the best two boats for a smaller paddler (180lbs or less) in California waters. Just my opinion.
#7 Fri, 11/11/2005 - 9:22am
I would say the hurricane would be the better boat in flat to small bumps. Off the start line the hurricane will pick up speed faster and with no bumps the pegasus won't catch up. Construction wise the pegasus feels much more stiff and better built.
#8 Fri, 11/11/2005 - 10:05am
I personally own a Kaimana and love the boat and I am 190lbs. Yes it is a larger volume boat than both the Hurricane and Pegasus however the boat sits up on the water pretty high (low wetted surface), is very comfortable and surfs just awesome. I have not had a chance to paddle the Pegasus so I can't really compare it from a feel-speed perspective. The Kaimana is an excellent all-round performer in my mind. It's good in the flats and in small to medium bumps it just takes off. The Kaimana would be a great boat for Cali. As far as I know it's a pretty hot item there especially with Danny Ching paddling the boat.
I am super happy with mine here in the North-East.
#9 Fri, 11/11/2005 - 10:10am
[quote="OCsprinter"]My water is mainly flat to small bumps in most of the races[/quote]
I owned the old version Hurricane and have no doubt that the Hurricane would be a better choice for these conditions. As you can tell by the responses and info contained in this and other posts, most paddlers believe that the Hurricant is the fastest of the small boats in flat water. I, too, share this opinion. It's small cross-section/volume and its slight rocker give it its advantage in the flats. It is also excellent in the small stuff but that's about it. The traits that make it a killer in the flats and small bumps are actually the cause of its relatively poor performance in the medium+ stuff. In medium+ stuff, the canoe gets buried in turbulent waters, tracks and pearls. Its slight rocker and low volume also make it difficult to maneuver.
[quote="OCsprinter"]The only thing I dislike about the hurricane is how fragile it is.[/quote]
My old hurricane was rock-solid and never dented. You may just have a "soft" boat or as I've heard people call 'em---a "sponge." I've seen demo Hurricanes that were sponges. If you left one of these canoes on a rack, the rack would leave indentations in the hull or the deck. That's why its important for all prospective hurricane buyers to test the rigidity of a new or used Hurricane before they make the purchase by pressing along hull and deck from front to back. This is actually recommended for all canoes --new or used.
[quote="OCsprinter"]I keep reading about a upgrade ama but I assume thats for the older style hurricanes .........[/quote]
What upgrade ama are you refering to? A Waveblade ama? I've seen custom iakos used to mate the Waveblade ama to the newer styled Hurricane and can probably put you in touch with the person who can make them for you. The fabrication process requires the destruction of the Hurricane iako but I think the end result is well worth it.
#10 Fri, 11/11/2005 - 1:33pm
We own several boats including a Hurricane. I have both the regular Hurricane ama as well as a customized iako system that allows for a Waveblade ama. After using both, I feel that the Waveblade ama system works fine if you don't mind a light/tippy rig. I only weigh 120 so anyone heavier that gets on the rig says it feels even tippier. As far as I know Hurricane is one boat that was developed using a CAD....and therefore there is a reason the old ama works best with that hull design. The guy I know that makes iako for the old Hurricanes does not need to destroy your old system push pin style iako. That way you'd have 2 setups to choose from.
#11 Wed, 11/16/2005 - 2:40pm
Aloha, on a similar note, anybody have an opinion on a fusion oc-1? I am 190 plus and race on the north shore of Kauai.
My take is that the rocker causes this boat to excel in the big stuff but drag on the flat, as, does, the Pegasus for heavy riders.
Any opinions?
Tom
#12 Sat, 11/19/2005 - 8:30am
I've had the fusion for almost a year now and it's a great boat for heavier paddlers. It excels in the big stuff and upwind in the chop. You have to work a little harder than most in the flat because of the volume of the boat. I weigh 220 lbs and I feel that is a little to heavy , even for the fusion. At your weight (190) it should be perfect.
#13 Tue, 11/22/2005 - 10:35am