C1 short boat - which is best

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:13 pm

Debate, im gonna spend a small fortune on a boat soon, and wanna knwo what to go for, at the moment it says lizard 350 on my order form, but I keep getting tempted to change it to a Martikan.. I usuallly paddle playboats so am used to the baance issues te martican has... what you reckon?

ninja · Post by **ninja** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:57 pm

personally i have tried the lizard and i'm not keen on it. the two people i have borrowed them off though realy like them. i have never tried the martikan but i do like the look of them. i paddle a ninja and appart from the fact tha mine leeks like a sive, i love it. i say try as many as you can befor you buy! :p

NEIL SETFORD-THOMPSON · Post by **NEIL SETFORD-THOMPSON** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:42 pm

hi there i tried the martikan last year and did not like it so much it seemed to be very fast in a strate line.but with your legs closer together it felt very tippy and this was on flat water .it wood be interesting on white water,and if you try hardenuth you can get used to most boats good luck.

canoebabe88 · Post by **canoebabe88** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:05 am

Im in the same situation as well, not sure what boat to get what to look at for starters,
What makes a good C1??
What aspects of my paddling will effect what boat I get?
Is the menace last season? as I have paddled one of them and liked it but is there better out there?

I need help :p

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:42 pm

does anyone have a Martikan that I could try this weekend? I weigh about 80k

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:47 pm

I weigh 70Kg, and my Martikan feels small - I don't think you will get anywhere near it. AFAIK it isn't made up to your weight, though Steve Hesford might be able to give a definitive answer on this.

However, if you are small, it is great fun. I think I am getting used to the edginess of the boat now, but I will have to see when I start racing this season.

I quite liked the lizard, though funnily enough it was the longer version that I preferred. I didn't like anything else enough to make the change from my old long boat.

canoecrazy · Post by **canoecrazy** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:18 pm

arrowcraft shortie hybrid!!!!! now theres a boat

ninja · Post by **ninja** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:01 pm

i tryd a martikan the other day and i LOVE it. it was quite tippy and i did role twice (but that may have been due to the fact i was doin some seriously mint sturn dips in it

). i also tryd the macko and that was quite nice and not quite as tippy.
if you gonna get a hybrid canoecrazy then you might as well go all out and get a full 4m one, arrr the memories...

C1stu · Post by **C1stu** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:13 pm

The best C1 available at the moment that offers good stability easy paddling, spins bloody fast and runs fast in a straight line is the GalaSport Makao.

The Lizard is good, but for big water, which there in none in the UK.

The Martikan is very unstable, slow in a stright line and you must be very good to paddle it, ideal weight is 70Kg MAX!!!! But in my view is too hard for a junior to use.

Galasport also do a special Makoa for 60Kg+ paddlers, A boat for around 75Kg paddlers and can add volume for a paddler weighing 85kg.

It is the fastest boat a the moment. easy to stay on line and hold speed.

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:34 pm

I have to disagree about the suitability of the Martikan for juniors. Firstly, it's primary stability is not that bad, a short person (such as me) can't be any less stable than say the Cressars in their kayaks, and look what they can do.
In some ways the narrowness makes it easier to control the edges. It is a lot more progressive than a flat boat like the Makao, and in situations such as crossing through stoppers this makes it much easier to use.
I believe that it's lack of primary stability, and greater progression on edge transition is especially beneficial to small juniors, as they will find it easier to control the edges, and this will allow them to learn faster than in a wider boat. We all know that juniors learn faster than seniors, so if you put them in a narrow boat now it will become second nature to them.

However, I don't think it is the right boat for Pykey, he is quite a lot bigger than me, and heavier, and I think he simply won't fit in it.

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:37 pm

I actually test drove the Martikan the other week, and I can see where stu is coming from. the boat does seem slow on the flat and in a straight line (im not sure whether that has anything to do with the tromendous amount of rocker the boat has, I tried Dans boat, and watched dan paddle too, I didnt find it too tippy, but then again Im used to paddling tippy boats anyway. it was suprisingly large given that I beleieve that it was cut to 70 kg, and I weight nearer 82. I would have been inclined to push the seat fwd considerably, as even when dan was paddling it the boats balance appeared way off front to back. with the bow riding really high. it turned well, but I think no better than the lizard.
thats my 2 pence worth, im no expert having only rcently returned to slalom paddling. It would be interesting to see more reviews of all slalom boats to help guide people like me.. just look at all the playboating hype, reveiws and reports.

aries · Post by **aries** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:01 pm

At the end of the day it all comes town to prefernece. some people like a stable boat like the Lizard where others don't mind being less stable for the edge that the Martikan has. I agree with Dave about the width of the boat for younger paddlers. For people who aren't sponsored to paddle a certain boat its as much about built quality as anything and the wear of the Galasport boats seems much more than Vajda ones I've seen, especially where the paddle rubs on the boat and on the carbon seams.

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:52 pm

pykey wrote:I would have been inclined to push the seat fwd considerably, as even when dan was paddling it the boats balance appeared way off front to back. with the bow riding really high. it turned well, but I think no better than the lizard.

Yeah, I put a block at least 2 inches thick behind my bum to balance the boat better than the standard set up.

I don't think these days the speed a boat turns is really an issue, since they all seem to be capable of turning faster than I can keep up with anyway. I think it's more to do with the how the boat feels, and of course it is this that is down to personal preference.

canoecrazy · Post by **canoecrazy** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 8:34 pm

this weekend i demoed the galasport macao and i loved it because it turns so fast and you can get some decent speed out of it on the flat and white water, i would definatly recoment that you try one before you make up your mind...

Shorty · Post by **Shorty** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:55 pm

hey,
jus a suggestion...
what about a kind of guide on boats? like the course guide? Made by the paddlers for the paddlers??? and anybody can add their opinion so that it won't be biased like.

What do you think???

Discuss! lol