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Old Town Next?

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Anybody have one? Do you like it? Pros/Cons? Its on sale near me for ~$800


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Well it's poly and for a 13' boat dang heavy (listed at 59lbs).

Is that $800 for a brand new one because the list price is only $999?

I do like the colour!
 
I don't know what kind of canoe(s) you have, Al, since your photo shows a whitewater kayak. It depends on what kind of paddling you want the canoe for. To me at any age, the Next would be too heavy for such a short canoe. You can get longer plastic canoes that are lighter, and composite canoes of that length that are much, much lighter. That said, it gets generally good reviews in the 33 reviews on p.com, but so does just about every canoe because of the confirmation bias that attends most new purchases.
 
Modern popular canoes are crummy. I like the older ones much better or the smaller manufacturers that you cannot find at a big box store. It takes some looking. Since having canoes is like eating potato chips, I like used boats. I usually improve them and sell them for more I paid for them.
 
Is “crummy “ a pro or a con? Lol. I like how small it is. I’d never consider a new tandom. All the used boats near are me large cheep tandems. I read probably all the online reviews for the Next and agree no one says anything bad. How would this compare to other solos? I want something for class 2 plus rivers so quick handling is most important. Only extremely limited flat water/lake use. I admire all restoration projects on here but I want something pretty new that can hit a rock or two. I’ve also never seen anyone take the seat out and kneel in this boat. I’m hoping to talk with someone who had tried one

i have Coleman 17’ now that I don’t like
 
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That seat is horrid. Have you sat in it? It is a misguided response to the Pack Canoes that multiplied several years ago in the Adirondacks. Those have been around in various forms for 140 years. Generally pack canoes are sub 30 lbs not 59. The seat mechanism is heavy and cartopping it induces a problem it would seem with the seat getting hung up if you do a rear slide onto the car.

A way better option is to take something like the Wenonah Argosy and paddle from the lowest seat position. That is a RX boat ( find it used), For PA rivers I have used Rapid FIre Dragon Fly ( Curtis and Colden ..neither are plastic but are good designs)

The Next appears to have been targeted at casual floaters on gravel bar Midwest rivers. Its lack of versatility makes me not desire one. It might be a fine craft if that seat were re designed.
 
Big Al,

I have never paddled the Next, but I have a lot of boats of various dimensions and paddle all of them on a regular basis. Prospectors to Madriver Outrage X.

I paddle mostly rivers up through Class 4 and have 8 or so canoes (sold my Jefe Grande and no longer use kayaks). I couldn't find any information on the Next rocker dimensions, but it seems pretty flat and at 13' x 29" (it doesn't look very deep) I can't imagine it will be anywhere close to quick handling with more than 200# in it. My smallest canoe is a Yellowstone Solo Rx at 14' x 27" with some rocker, (not including Outrage x which is full on WW) At my size 6'-1" and 215# it is a wet ride on Middle Yough at lower flows sometimes. I should say that most of my boats are tandems with rocker and generally get paddled as much or more than my solos. I've been paddling an Rx and Wood Canvas prospector solo on a lot of rivers and occasionally paddling a Bell Rockstar black gold. Not sure what the chances are that you would find a Bell Rockstar in Rx online, but if you did that would be a pretty sweet boat. If you are going to primarily paddle on class II and up rivers, I would not even look at boats with less then 2" of rocker in the front IMHO.

Cheers,

Barry
 
Class2 with random 3 sections is probably the limit for me realistically in a canoe. I’m keeping my WW kayak for anything else. Maybe I need to try some small tandems
 
The Next is not a 2+ whitewater canoe. It's a flatwater float boat.

Do you want to sit on the bottom, sit on a tractor seat, or kneel off a seat (or thwart)? You haven't said. A saddle or pedestal is much safer for any whitewater running -- say I, who once almost drowned when my legs got trapped under a kneeling thwart in class 1 water.

If you want a solo open canoe with a kneeling/pedestal position that is optimized for quick maneuvering and play in class 2+ water, that would narrow it down to a shortish dedicated whitewater hull, or a significantly rockered combo hull such as Mad River Guide. I'm not up on the current models of that kind of WW canoe, but there are lots of used ones available from the past 40 years, starting with something like the Mad River (or Millbrook) Flashback and Perception HD1, up through various models of Blue Hole, Dagger, Mohawk, Whitesell, Old Town, Mad River, Millbrook, Hemlock, Nova Craft, Esquif, Western Canoeing, and others.
 
May to let this idea go. Spec says”minimal” rocker Click image for larger version  Name:	F6FAB90D-63DF-4C16-98D8-3BC23A71F6DE.png Views:	2 Size:	512.4 KB ID:	96829Click image for larger version  Name:	F6FAB90D-63DF-4C16-98D8-3BC23A71F6DE.png Views:	2 Size:	512.4 KB ID:	96829
 
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Wood canvas prospector showing good rocker and is 16’ x 35” easily handle 600 lbs or just you and a cooler for a day trip. The Bell Rx version is same dimensions with 2.5” rocker bow and stern. One of my favorite ways to transport brats an beer.
 

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The Old adage, "Try before you Buy ! "

That pretty much applies to anything, well there are a few exceptions !!!

Good luck !

Jim
 
You may be able to find a used Curtis Dragon Fly in your area. It is a favorite solo canoe among whitewater paddlers in your area.. Or the upgraded SRT by Hemlock.. Both are nimble whitewater boats and their presence seems to be higher in Western NY and PA.

You do not want a pack canoe as they have shallower depth..The Next is only 11.5 inch deep as is typical of pack canoes. My Dragonfly is 14 inches deep. Pay no attention to the myth that whitewater river runners must be plastic.. A well built composite as the ones above are tough. I suggest used as new the boats are expensive.
 
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May to let this idea go. Spec says”minimal” rocker

With a canoe that short rocker becomes less maneuverabity critical. Even I could throw a 12’ OT Pack around with abandon. But the Next’s rigid backrest frame would annoy the heck out of me in any double-blade torso rotation.

At the risk of eliciting crappy “pack” boat disparaging, some of Old Town’s “Pack” canoes were agreeable solo canoes in certain applications. Not so much the over-weighted “Next”.

59lbs is plain stupid for a 13’ canoe. Old Town’s RX “Pack” was speced at 33 lbs, and usually weighed in close to that. Even the 11’ 9” poly clone Discovery 119K weighed in at a still manageable 43 lbs.

Those pseudo “pack” canoes had a mass market niche; as “sport” boats for hunting and fishing, for swamp and marsh day trip explores, for noodling around on calm waters, for flat bottomed novice loaner boat, or etc.

That may be a good niche to have filled, and if that sort of application is your intention, I’d keep an eye out for a used RX OT Pack or poly 119K.

Not a Next.
 
Does it the 59 pound weight matter once it’s in the water or just for carrying it?
 
Does it the 59 pound weight matter once it’s in the water or just for carrying it?

More so for carrying and portaging, but a lighter canoe will also be more maneuverable and acceleratable on the water and more buoyant over waves than a heavier canoe of the exact same dimensions. Note that all paddling racers go with just about lightest layup possible consistent with the water they are paddling, whether they are marathon canoe racers, whitewater slalom and downriver racers, outrigger and surf ski racers on the ocean, or Olympic sprint racers.
 
Though there are others, I would think the Hemlock SRT would be perfect for your stated use. Check it out at hemlockcanoe.com Close to a do-it-all hull as you can come, with admirable performance in all conditions. As usual yellowcanoe is right on the money.
 
Though there are others, I would think the Hemlock SRT would be perfect for your stated use. Check it out at hemlockcanoe.com Close to a do-it-all hull as you can come, with admirable performance in all conditions. As usual yellowcanoe is right on the money.

Nice but 3k is too much for my use. I only use the canoe for overnight and weekend trips. Else it’s kayaks. Never have or will portage. I appreciate the ideas. Mad River solo freedom or guide or whatever they’re calling it seems to meet my specs. It had some rocker and is not flat but I can’t find it for sale on the mad river site? Is it still available?
 
Unfortunately, the Courier/Guide/Freedom Solo line ended with the demise of royalex. Sure wish they'd make a composite Guide again. ( I know. Broken record )
 
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