[img]images/boats/eskimo/cerro-th.jpg[/img]Boats Database: Eskimo Cerro 2006

Better than ever!

Has anyone used and can say how well the Cerro runs in big water?
Guys I respect warned me off the Pyrannah everest/burn due to the ease in which the plastic wears through. He swears by Bliss but I am too large for that being 6'5\" and 18st. Hence my interest in the everest/cerro.

I talked to the distributor guy for all eskimo boats[kayakpsych.com]who said that Cerro is not good for serious cl.5 water.Only up to cl.4.I would advice The Green Boat for big guys winner of the Green Narrows race available thru NOC.com. Mark:)

I think the Cerro does well, depends on the paddler handling/- ambitions. Can't beat the materiall!!
Try move the seat 1-2 positions up front. That makes a difference!
In big 4-5 you'll have to paddle active and powerfull as in any boat that size. It's fast and I think underrated.

As a reminder, an example of big water would be the Futalefu, Zambezi, etc.(Niagara Gorge?). Many people run these rivers in playboats, so the only problem would be getting pushed around. Just to make sure, can you tell us what rivers you paddle? If they are high volume, almost any boat will be fine. As an example of this, here is a video of the Gauley by Michael Briere (Username: Wakawai). Video . The boats are, directly from the description, a Fluid Nemesis, Bliss-Stick Smoothy, Bliss-Stick SCUD, Bliss-Stick RAD 175, and a Fluid Solo. If you know anything about these boats, the Nemesis, Smoothy, and RAD are playboats, the SCUD is a playboat/creekboat, and the Solo is a semi-displacement creekboat. This is just to show that on big water, just about any boat will work. A longer boat might be a bit easier, because more water normally means bigger holes, so it would be easier to punch them with a longer boat. The Bliss Stick RAD195 may work well for your size.

I think you can't compare a RAD 195 with a Cerro/ Everest etc. those are totally different boats. The biggest disadvantage with short boats is the absence of forward speed downriver, crossing boils etc into/ out off eddies. The guys in the Niagara video are in a total different ballgame as 'we normal' paddlers....

I think it really all depends on what you are looking to paddle and the rivers you are paddling. If you are talking big water than plastic doesn't mean much due to the lack of rocks. If you are looking something to do class V low volume creeks where you have the possibility to wear out a boat then plastic means more. But then again what if the right boat has weak plastic and the boat more that doesn't fit or doesn't fit your paddling style has incredible plastic, what is more important. At that point you have to figure out what you consider most important.