Hi! One of my (too numerous, my wife would say) hobbies is paddling, primarily lakes. We have a few state parks near us, and in fact keep our two solo paddle craft at one of them most of the summer. We also spend a few weeks every year in Michigan’s eastern UP, paddling bays off of Lake Huron. I like to drag camera equipment with me and make some wildlife photos while we explore. We have a cruising sailboat that lives in Erie, and an inflatable kayak like thing that we keep there for paddling off of it.
I’m a big guy and got into paddling one year while we were vacationing near Lake George, NY. I had decided that I wanted to get a properly sized boat for my huge self, after a couple of outings in substandard craft where I had a blast but the boats certainly did not. The folks at Lake George Kayak spent nearly an entire day with me, trying on different kayaks and helping me to find a boat that would be appropriate. The last boat they had me try was a Native Ultimate 14.5 (this was 2011 and was the OG version that only came as a solo). That was The One! I later learned that this is kind of like a pack boat, but at the time all I knew is that I felt supported and stable and could take myself and cameras and lunch and not feel like I was going to swim.
I took it back to the cabin we were renting and my wife took it out on the little pond there. She loved it. The next day I was back and buying the only other one they had for her, their demo model.
We have put a lot of miles on those over the years. They track well and are reasonably fast. With fairly low freeboard and mostly flat sides, though, they aren’t great when waves start to kick up or we get waked by a powerboat.
My wife is happy to keep paddling hers. I wanted to expand my skills and learn more, and felt like I needed something more capable to do that. The Natives are super stable and like to sit flat, and that’s about it. I went looking for something more advanced.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many canoe shops around here, and the kayak shops mostly brushed me off. I’m down over 140 pounds from where I was a few years ago, all from changing up the kinds of things I eat and getting in 4-6 miles of walking daily, in addition to biking, paddling, hiking, and whatever other outdoor activity I add. I’m still a big guy, though, and still 50 pounds from where I want to be (which will still have my doctor telling me I’m fat, but whatever), and frustratingly kind of stuck in my progress. Not many shops around here wanted to talk to me.
In the course of my research, I found the Northwind Solo. Me plus gear would be getting close to the upper end of its comfortable load range. I reached out to Northstar, as well as a Northstar dealer in western NY. I was surprised to get a quick response from Dan at Northstar, with some suggestions that clearly indicated that he had read my email and parsed all of my concerns. He also suggested that I call the shop and talk to Bear (with whom I had just become familiar from researching the Northstars.
I was a little surprised to call and Bear answered, and proceeded to answer every question and concern I had, really helped me to consider kayak vs canoe and helped me make my choice there, and then helped to talk through a spec on a build.
I was floored. Really. The dealer I had contacted also reached out in the meantime, and was also super supportive. I never ever thought I’d be ordering a custom build of a canoe, but here I am, having ordered a Northstar Polaris set up as a dedicated solo.
It is going to be such a long wait for spring this year!
I then found this place and learned more stuff, and got even more excited about the possibilities. I was already rebuilding my backpack camping gear to prepare for some extended bike trips, and realize most of that will translate well to canoe camping.
I’ve also learned about the Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous, about which I had previously known nothing, and now it is on my calendar for next year!
I’m excited to learn more and expand my skillset. Thanks for all of the great info here!
I’m a big guy and got into paddling one year while we were vacationing near Lake George, NY. I had decided that I wanted to get a properly sized boat for my huge self, after a couple of outings in substandard craft where I had a blast but the boats certainly did not. The folks at Lake George Kayak spent nearly an entire day with me, trying on different kayaks and helping me to find a boat that would be appropriate. The last boat they had me try was a Native Ultimate 14.5 (this was 2011 and was the OG version that only came as a solo). That was The One! I later learned that this is kind of like a pack boat, but at the time all I knew is that I felt supported and stable and could take myself and cameras and lunch and not feel like I was going to swim.
I took it back to the cabin we were renting and my wife took it out on the little pond there. She loved it. The next day I was back and buying the only other one they had for her, their demo model.
We have put a lot of miles on those over the years. They track well and are reasonably fast. With fairly low freeboard and mostly flat sides, though, they aren’t great when waves start to kick up or we get waked by a powerboat.
My wife is happy to keep paddling hers. I wanted to expand my skills and learn more, and felt like I needed something more capable to do that. The Natives are super stable and like to sit flat, and that’s about it. I went looking for something more advanced.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many canoe shops around here, and the kayak shops mostly brushed me off. I’m down over 140 pounds from where I was a few years ago, all from changing up the kinds of things I eat and getting in 4-6 miles of walking daily, in addition to biking, paddling, hiking, and whatever other outdoor activity I add. I’m still a big guy, though, and still 50 pounds from where I want to be (which will still have my doctor telling me I’m fat, but whatever), and frustratingly kind of stuck in my progress. Not many shops around here wanted to talk to me.
In the course of my research, I found the Northwind Solo. Me plus gear would be getting close to the upper end of its comfortable load range. I reached out to Northstar, as well as a Northstar dealer in western NY. I was surprised to get a quick response from Dan at Northstar, with some suggestions that clearly indicated that he had read my email and parsed all of my concerns. He also suggested that I call the shop and talk to Bear (with whom I had just become familiar from researching the Northstars.
I was a little surprised to call and Bear answered, and proceeded to answer every question and concern I had, really helped me to consider kayak vs canoe and helped me make my choice there, and then helped to talk through a spec on a build.
I was floored. Really. The dealer I had contacted also reached out in the meantime, and was also super supportive. I never ever thought I’d be ordering a custom build of a canoe, but here I am, having ordered a Northstar Polaris set up as a dedicated solo.
It is going to be such a long wait for spring this year!
I then found this place and learned more stuff, and got even more excited about the possibilities. I was already rebuilding my backpack camping gear to prepare for some extended bike trips, and realize most of that will translate well to canoe camping.
I’ve also learned about the Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous, about which I had previously known nothing, and now it is on my calendar for next year!
I’m excited to learn more and expand my skillset. Thanks for all of the great info here!
