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Hello from Montreal

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Gary, here, new on the channel. Interested in trying solo canoe tripping for a first. Used to do small two nighter canoe trips with a small group when much younger. Rental canoes were super heavy back then so, mostly suitcase portaging. I'm looking at a 14' Radisson by Cadorette at the moment. I'm a retired senior. Thanks for allowing me on the forum.
 
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Thanks for the welcome! Merci pour le bienvenu.

yes its a fiberglass. I found an old addy for it and it weighs 55lbs. The owner says it portages nicely. What I'm looking for.

Cheers,

Gary
 
55lbs is not exactly "light" for a solo canoe. On the other hand a fibreglass boat will be quite a bit cheaper than than a lighter layup such as kevlar or carbon.
 
I know, I've watched plenty of vblogs of solo trippers using those 35lb pack canoes, and kevlar composites... 55lbs is better than 65lbs or 90lbs. (my poor hernia repairs!)
 
Oh absolutely, I have 4 solo's I use for tripping, they are all in the 55 - 60lb range but they are all royalex boats for Class 2/3/4 river trips.

I don't miss the old days when I solo'd in an 85/90lb tandem beast.

Dedicated solo boats don't show up that frequently in the used market but you might find a 16 foot lightweight layup that was sub 50lbs. All depends on the type of usage and of course how much you would like to spend.

How much is the Radisson?
 
Hi, thanks for the discussion. Less than 600$. I don't have a lot of fric for a canoe. I know I could get a nice one for 1200/1300$, I saw a nice Kevlar 16' for 1200$ from Black Feather. but that's way out of reach for me. Regardless, my first forays are going to be two, max 3 nighters with very short portages. Probably Algonquin, Frontenac or Papineau-Labelle. Not sure.
For me it has to be all flat water. The Radisson has a nice rocker and a small keel. It looks like it has good secondary stability.
 
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Well...
i’m A cedar canvas guy and my lightest canoe- Chestnut Bobs Special is somewhere between 55 and 60 lbs. my go to tripping boat is a Chestnut Pal st about 65lbs. Don’t get me started on the 85lb Prospector...

That said, with balanced canoe and padded yoke the weight isn’t as big an issue. Not that I’m recommending humping my Prospector too many Kms!

We had an old fibreglass canoe and it was a heck of s lot heavier than 55lbs!

cheers!
 
I've picked up my roof topping gear, PFD from MEC. Just need to get that bailer/safety rope combo thing, AND the yoke pad. I'm built like a small horse, so I imagine I can handle 55lbs. Thanks, Pook.
 
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