Just some short points about the Pueo for those of you that are interested. I had a chance to paddle the boat in
Kailua Bay, Pinky's canal.
what I liked:
- very good glide in flat water - competitive with the Hurricane
- very well balanced - the ama comes up with every stroke, yet the boat does not feel tippy.
- single foot well - comfortable
- seat, Fusion style - comfortable
- set up - ama easy to attach, three snaps and one screw - very well done
- very responsive steering - even on the waves the boat goes easily right and left
- very easy take off downwind
- didn't feel the ama
anything to improve ?
- the boat felt light - actually 18 lbs. For me a little more weight would be fine. This particular boat did not have the new and slightly heavier core material yet.
- while surfing downwind the boat takes off very well, but you need to keep paddling for max efficiency. It's not like a Zephyr that runs on it's own once it's going. A question of mass ?
- I know it's not realistic due to material cost and labor: it would be nice if all OC 1s could be offered at lower prices.
Maybe a fiberglass layup with a real thick core and less high tech materials overall could be an option.
- it is not a high volume boat; I weigh about 205/210, no problems though.
- the foot well should be placed according to customer needs - tall, average, small. I felt that I was sitting slightly behind the sweet spot; Kamanu composites is considering this feature for the future.
Afterwards, I went to the factory and had a look: very impressive, this is serious business. One of the hulls was being prepared for layup. It had a new core material, really nice stuff, probably 8 - 9 mm thick, and stiff. Nice tooling, all professional grade. Waiting time for a boat is 3 1/2 months at this time. Three different prices according to layup/core material used.
After paddling a variety of boats in the recent past I can assure you: it's not the engine, it's the boat ! :).
Tommy Connor's Striker and this Pueo are my current favorites.
I remain loyal to the Fusion when it get's big - the further out we paddle, the more I appreciate that boat's sturdiness.
PS: Goodwaka, keep your rudderless stuff, go get yourself a ....... :)
Submitted by eckhart on Sun, 10/12/2008 - 10:14am
yes the peak values are fun.
that said, a more realistic evaluation of a boat would be how efficient it is between say 6 and 12 mph. or whatever the speed is that most paddlers go most of the time.
#71 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 9:15am
jc9_0, I think that it is quite difficult to evaluate boats in general.
If you take the boat into flat and constant conditions people will say that there were no waves. If you take it into the waves people will say that the conditions were not stable. They are right.
For myself, I have measured distances where I do stroke counts upwind and downwind on most days when I paddle.
That gives me feedback regarding ama set up, glide etc.
What might be a way to get somewhat objective data:
If many paddlers in a certain area would paddle a prescribed short ( 100 or 200 yards ) upwind/downwind course and record time and stroke rate and conditions every time they paddle, one run at the beginning, one run at the end.
You may get a good average picture of performance for that course. The more recordings, the better the result.
For longer sections and higher average speeds it would get even more difficult.
#72 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 9:57am
Ill tell you how to evaluate a canoe. Its the same way people used to tell everyone how to evaluate a boat. GO PADDLE IT!!!!
#73 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 10:03am
I agree with the "go paddle it" but when you can't get your hands on one sometimes for a year, it's good to hear personal opinions until better testing come out......
Unless we are talking beer cause I hate when I don't have a pint and someone tells me how cold and tasty their is. Thats just not the way the world should work!
#74 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 1:08pm
Most equipment reviews (regardless what is being reviewed) are little less than advertising. Everything is always great, nothing bad is ever said. "Its fast in the flats, fast downwind, surfs easily, great upwind, even quick on and off of your car.
Mountain Bike Action magazine has deviated from this formula in the past. They have called some bikes junk and have lost big ad dollars over past reviews. They don't review a bike for a day or a week, but will ride it for a month or more, shared between a group of riders. Some rec, some racers, some cruisers, some thrashers. They'll ride it uphill, downhill, flats, bumps, jumps, straight trails, winding trails, etc.
At the end they'll give their feelings. Sometimes all the riders will agree on something, sometimes certain types of riders will like or dislike certain traits contrary to other riders. All in all, their in depth reviews can give you a pretty accurate feel for the bike.
The bike market is way bigger than paddling, with way more magazines that have way bigger budgets than anything in paddling, but this is something to aim towards.
#75 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 1:41pm
Sure - go paddle it. What else ?
Even old time builders like a GPS to evaluate performance, measuring performance has its place, too.
#76 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 1:41pm
and how well something is built ,you don't know for a while after you own it.
with all due respect to the great canoe builders
#77 Thu, 01/08/2009 - 4:02pm