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Guest
Guest
My wife and I are planning to purchase a new canoe and I would like to impose upon the collective expertise and experience of this group to help us prepare a short list of boats to try out.
We have been doing wilderness canoe tripping together since the 60’s so have lots of experience canoeing but have only owned two boats during that time, a 75 lb Northland cedar/fiberglass when we were young and strong and for the past 10 years or so, a 16’ Nova Craft Royalite Tripper (60 lb). So our experience with different canoe designs is limited especially with the more modern lightweight materials. Now that we are in our mid-60s and canoe materials and construction techniques have advanced significantly, we would like to get a lighter canoe.
Our primary use for the new canoe is wilderness tripping from a few days to over a week almost exclusively flatwater. That includes some slow-moving rivers and both small and large lakes but no significant whitewater. Of course, that doesn’t mean the water is always flat and some of our most challenging moments have been on large lakes in significant wind and waves. So we are looking for a canoe that tracks well on big lakes and can make progress toward our destination even in a crosswind. And seaworthiness when things get rough is a high priority. However, we really enjoy narrow meandering waterways so some maneuverability is also needed. The kids are gone so it’s just the two of us with a fully loaded weight for a one week trip of less than 450 lb.
There’s also the issue of construction materials and methods. Epoxy resin vs Vinylester or expoxy-vinylester blend. Some comments indicate that the outer fabric layer should not be Kevlar but S-glass or carbon. Others have said that foam cores make repairs difficult but most designs have foam cores. Our main priority for construction ruggedness is not avoiding occasional maintenance but that the boat will be able to get us home and not suffer a catastrophic failure in the backcountry. I don’t have a good sense how significant those issues are and how to incorporate them into my decision process.
I have a fairly good understanding of the tradeoffs in hull shape, rocker, length, beam etc. but the only information I have right now is from the manufacturer’s marketing material. So here are the boats I have on my list right now and I welcome any comments, advice or additions. I live in Canada so I have limited my initial search to Canadian products but if there is a US product that is substantially better for my use than any Canadian product, I will have a look at it. Here is my current list (in no particular order):
Bluewater Saugeen 16/6 Golden Brawn 41lb
Bluewater Freedom Scout 16/6 Golden Brawn 40lb
Bluewater Prospector 16 Golden Brawn 40lb (0.5” rocker, unusual for Prospector design)
Souris River Quetico 17 Carbon Tec 42lb (Flat bottom may not be ideal)
Langford Prospector 17’4” Ultralight or Carbon 41/40lb (slight rocker)
Langford Northwind 17’10” Ultralight or Carbon 41/40lb
Swift Algonquin 16 Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 35lb
Swift Kipawa 16’6” Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 37lb
Swift Winisk 17’6” Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 39lb
H2O Canadian 16’6” Carbon Kevlar 43lb
Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.
We have been doing wilderness canoe tripping together since the 60’s so have lots of experience canoeing but have only owned two boats during that time, a 75 lb Northland cedar/fiberglass when we were young and strong and for the past 10 years or so, a 16’ Nova Craft Royalite Tripper (60 lb). So our experience with different canoe designs is limited especially with the more modern lightweight materials. Now that we are in our mid-60s and canoe materials and construction techniques have advanced significantly, we would like to get a lighter canoe.
Our primary use for the new canoe is wilderness tripping from a few days to over a week almost exclusively flatwater. That includes some slow-moving rivers and both small and large lakes but no significant whitewater. Of course, that doesn’t mean the water is always flat and some of our most challenging moments have been on large lakes in significant wind and waves. So we are looking for a canoe that tracks well on big lakes and can make progress toward our destination even in a crosswind. And seaworthiness when things get rough is a high priority. However, we really enjoy narrow meandering waterways so some maneuverability is also needed. The kids are gone so it’s just the two of us with a fully loaded weight for a one week trip of less than 450 lb.
There’s also the issue of construction materials and methods. Epoxy resin vs Vinylester or expoxy-vinylester blend. Some comments indicate that the outer fabric layer should not be Kevlar but S-glass or carbon. Others have said that foam cores make repairs difficult but most designs have foam cores. Our main priority for construction ruggedness is not avoiding occasional maintenance but that the boat will be able to get us home and not suffer a catastrophic failure in the backcountry. I don’t have a good sense how significant those issues are and how to incorporate them into my decision process.
I have a fairly good understanding of the tradeoffs in hull shape, rocker, length, beam etc. but the only information I have right now is from the manufacturer’s marketing material. So here are the boats I have on my list right now and I welcome any comments, advice or additions. I live in Canada so I have limited my initial search to Canadian products but if there is a US product that is substantially better for my use than any Canadian product, I will have a look at it. Here is my current list (in no particular order):
Bluewater Saugeen 16/6 Golden Brawn 41lb
Bluewater Freedom Scout 16/6 Golden Brawn 40lb
Bluewater Prospector 16 Golden Brawn 40lb (0.5” rocker, unusual for Prospector design)
Souris River Quetico 17 Carbon Tec 42lb (Flat bottom may not be ideal)
Langford Prospector 17’4” Ultralight or Carbon 41/40lb (slight rocker)
Langford Northwind 17’10” Ultralight or Carbon 41/40lb
Swift Algonquin 16 Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 35lb
Swift Kipawa 16’6” Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 37lb
Swift Winisk 17’6” Kevlar Fusion with Carbon trim 39lb
H2O Canadian 16’6” Carbon Kevlar 43lb
Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.