I had some questions about classic Blue Hole Canoe designs and posted them on GDI. Got some great answers and I'm saving them here so I always have the information:
What is the difference between a blue hole starburst and oca?
Kevin H: Starburst has more rocker. I believe it is about 6" longer than the OCA. The Starburst was only in production for 1 or 2 years so they are harder to find.
Kelly M: Kevin is correct. The Blue Hole OCA was renamed the Prowler by Evergreen after they bought the molds from Blue Hole. The original Blue Hole Cumberland was also renamed the Starburst. Two very different boats. The OCA was more of a cross over canoe. You will not find the OCA around as much. You will find the more whitewater specific Cumberland/Starburst. You can see the original design Cumberland/starburst from Steve Scarborough in the Esquif Canyon and the Nova Craft Moisie. Now that Royalex is done Nova Craft is brining the original Cumberland/Starburts back in "Entegra" in the fall.
BBarnett W: What Kelly Mc indicates as the design intent may be true... but the reality was the OCA was /is a far superior whitewater boat than the big lumbering Starburst. AND there were vastly more OCAs sold than Starburst.
Kelly M: "Superior" is questionable. It's is just a deferent boat. The starburst is a "lumbering" beast but it is better in really big water. It's deeper and has more volume. Therefore drier and better for bigger water tripping.
Kelly M: If you want a more performance orientated canoe I agree the OCA is better.
Roy T: The Starburst is a great big water tandem canoe. More rocker and deeper than the OCA. I have a Starburst and it is a great boat for taking new paddlers down the Ocoee. I'd rather have a Starburst than an OCA. No ABS boats that size are really "performance" boats. For boats that size, the Mad River Explorer out performs them both.
Ryland G: Evergreen made a starburst. I think nova craft made a similar hull.
BBarnett W: Kelly , I'm not sure what you're calling big water but I've had an OCA on big water (in TN, Colo, N. Mex, Ga, etc) that I would not have tried OR wanted to rely on a Starburst in tough cross currents.to go from Pt A to Pt B ... "lumbering" is not a good quality to have in those waters. OCAs could get wet due to lower freeboard (and poor skills) but I'd take wetter over lumbering anyday.
Speercraft, Arkansas Traveler (?) , and one (?) of the big northeastern boat makers also made an "OCA type" boat.
4 comments:
I have owned them all and the Ocoee is my home river. The Starburst can handle the Ocoee with ease and is very dry. The OCA was a great boat sorta like a JEEP but on a river like the Ocoee , you spent much of your time in an eddy bailing water. I own a Cumberland , a Starburst and an OCA. The Cumberland went to Merrimac Canoe in Crossville for wood gunnels and cane seats. The hulls were exactly the same. The Starburst was quite heavy and it seems that maybe the wood trimmed Cumberland was a little more agile and slightly lighter . John England Cleveland Tennessee past member of Chota Canoe Club , TSRA and East Tennessee Whitewater Club Oak Ridge
I paddled an Old Town Tripper solo for a couple years and hundreds of miles in NM, CO, UT, AZ, and TN (forTSRA events).... and then some self-proclaimed "expert" told me that it was "too big to paddle solo."
I replied "Hide and watch, son," and have since logged 3K+ more miles with the "Moby Pickle".
https://buffalocanoemanufacturing.com/ Buffalo Canoe is making the Blue Hole OCA hull again, now in T-Formex.
I would love to purchase a used 17 ft blue hole . Please contact me at wbundy3gmail.com
Post a Comment