One canoe to rule them all?

[kahel]

what if I only have one canoe?!
Then I have no choice to do everything with one and the same boat. (OldTown Discovery 164k)

So the agony of choice is unnecessary for me.



and as long as I don't get infected by this dreadful "must have virus", everything is fine for me.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Around these parts you can sell a used prospector about an hour after it goes on Craig's List.

Tangent: As I've reminded everyone repeatedly, readers won't know where you are unless you put your location in your Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to appear below your avatar in messages.

 

[MrPoling]

I have an old fiberglass Explorer. It isn't exciting or cool but if I could only have one canoe it would be fine. It is narrow enough to solo, big enough for two, short enough to be manageable in tight places, stiff enough to paddle well, and tough enough to take on rivers. Bonus it is old enough that I don't worry about it.

The composite explorers tend to be an inch or 2 narrower than the Royalex. I think the gunnels on mine are 33 in, but it isn't stock anymore. So it paddles solo fine.

I'm not really a fan of wider canoes, so the Prospectors aren't appealing to me. I'd prefer something with a shallow arch. I'm curious about the Polaris but I haven't paddled one. The Clipper Tripper S also looks interesting as a do-it-all canoe.

 

[Bob B.]

Mr. Poling,

I have a Polaris and have tripped in it ( rigged solo ). If you would like any info about paddling, tripping, whatever in a Polaris feel free to pm me.

Bob.

 

[Bob B.]

I did the following write up comparing Nova Craft Pal and the Polaris. Side note, if a Prospector was not available as a do all one boat special, either of these two would fit the bill … but the Prospector really is a do all if you just could only have one.

“Art,

I have tripped in both boats, however my experience is nearly 100 percent solo.

NorthStar Polaris, compared to the Pal. Mine is made to be a humongous solo. Both seats have been removed and a seat added where the kneeling thwart belongs. The seat is mounted pretty Low. I find the Polaris to be a slight bit faster than the Pal. As a narrower canoe, it is easy to paddle solo on one side. I can sit and paddle with a guide stroke with good speed and control very easily, even with a dog and full tripping load. Interestingly, I find it less tender than the slightly wider Pal. Lastly, in my opinion, the Polaris is less trim sensitive than the Pal.

Nova Craft Pal, compared to the Polaris. I can not comment on the Tuff Stuff layup as mine is Kev Spec. The symmetrical hull ( in my opinion ) is very intuitive and reassuring when paddling in high winds, big waves ( solely a personal opinion ). Also, I have only tripped in mine as a solo. When paddled tandem, the bow station is narrow and I think should be moved aft a bit and lower the seat to be more comfortable to sitters ( kneelers in bow likely have no issues ).

As a solo for me, the Pal is more maneuverable than the Polaris and easier to negotiate narrow twisties, and control the canoe when fishing over windy reefs, or making any maneuver on one side, the canoe just seems to know what the paddler wants it to do and it happens elegantly with minimal effort, even when fully loaded with a 65 pound dog. My Pal, like my Polaris, is set up currently to be a solo tripper on the huge side. I have one seat, a bit aft of where the kneeler would go. I have a lot of time in my Pal, my longest trip in it was a 32 day trip in WCPP.

I love to paddle them both, especially since I am a dedicated solo tripper and put a lot of thought into what canoe fits my needs the best. NorthStar advocates the Polaris to be a canoeists canoe. I never really got what they were getting at … until this summer. After a 10 day trip in the BWCA, high winds, driving rain, heavy load and a miserable cold wet fidgety dog, I get it. I paddled my beloved Pal next to my Polaris after I returned from my trip. Turns out I paddle the Polaris better and like it more as a tripper, even though I lean more towards traditional designs.

Both are easily paddled tandem and solo. Both offer terrific solo capacities for extended trips. Both are very well mannered in the wind ( Pal is better by a bit ). I think both are really solid canoes.

Good luck with your search

Bob.”

 

[Dirigo]

Whomever the paddler is, regardless of the hull attributes- she or he with the best fundamental paddle capabilities will succeed with the greatest of ease.

Vertical paddle strokes on-side and off-side, micro-tuning the stroke throughout effort and reading the water best saves paddler energy and keeps hull speed accordingly.

Search and watch videos of Olympic C-1 paddler John Lugbill, Serge Corbin in flatwater, Olympic K-1 paddler Cathy Hearn in whitewater. And, Bill Mason for many, many fine paddle strokes. These paddlers epitomize proper paddling dynamics.

 

[Cruiser]

For many years of my tripping ventures, I would just rent whatever canoe seemed to fit the needs of a given trip. About 15 years ago I got the idea (bug/sickness/itch) that maybe I should buy my own, that quickly changed to maybe I should try and make my own.

I discussed it with the better half and she smiled and said the usual "go for it" ....... 2 days later she presented me with a copy of CanoeCraft

It took months of soul searching, to try and figure out what the new project/model would be. Like every other builder-to-be I wanted a boat to do everything, be wonderful at everything ..... the one boat to rule them all.

I quickly discovered that like life, building a boat is a series of compromises and by extension buying a boat is a series of compromises. The real trick is in knowing (actually knowing) and understanding what will work best for you, for your type of adventures. Floating down a river or over a lake with few portages, pick a boat compromised/optimized that way .... lots of portages, twisty streams, another .... lots of fishing, yet another.

The first time on the water in that first build was a revelation, wood composite feels so different, the design was different, more focused than most commercial canoes that I had tried, maybe fewer compromises in design. After 2 trips, I was planning #2 with a list of changes I would like to make to suit my style. The building process was a catalyst for me, to help understand the various qualities that worked for me and the design features that enabled those qualities. It would be remiss of me not to offer a warning here, the DIY route is a rabbit hole, not to be taken lightly ... in addition to canoes, I also took up sewing .... hammocks, quilts, tarps ... the hole is soooo deep.

6 boats in and I think I finally have a solid understanding of wants and needs for my particular style of tripping .... I guess the point I am making is that the biggest obstacle in picking the best boat for your tripping adventures seems to be actually understanding what you need. I would also point out that "what you need" will also evolve with time and skill level.

I keep 3 boats for my needs, a Freedom 17 tandem (47#), which is an amazing boat for open water and rivers. Two solos, a Freedom Solo 16' 3" (39#) which likely one of the fastest hulls I have ever paddled and a Keewaydin 14 stretched to 15' and modified slightly (31#). Since almost all of my trips are solo paddled and involve portaging, weight becomes a big factor and the lighter K15 gets most of the trips now. Even that will be changed soon, with the next iteration of the K the length will be pushed to 17' to lengthen the waterline for cruising and also reduce the draft.

While you may be able to select a single boat to get all the jobs/trips done, to get the current job/trip done well, you will likely need to expand the stable some (IMO), in most cases.

 

[eckilson]

Same goes for solo canoe trips. I enjoy the advantages of a dedicated solo, ranging from lighter weight on portages to generally faster paddling in diverse conditions.

I'm with you. For me it would be a 14' river runner like the composite Wildfire or royalex Yellowstone Solo or Mohawk Odyssey. About the only thing those boats can't do is carry two people, and I have plenty of friends who paddle tandem boats.

My current fleet is 8 boats. I have spent about $4K over the years, but I did inherit the two tandems from my father. The only boat I bought new was the Yellowstone Solo - $800 in 2005.

 

[ppine]

If I had it do over again an OT Tripper, a fast solo boat and a kevlar lake boat 18 feet or more.

 

[Alan Gage]

I quickly discovered that like life, building a boat is a series of compromises and by extension buying a boat is a series of compromises. The real trick is in knowing (actually knowing) and understanding what will work best for you, for your type of adventures.

That was an excellent post. I got a pretty good handle of my paddling preferences when I went on a used boat binge over the course of a couple years. I bought almost anything if the price was right and then, if I didn't like it or it didn't fit my style, I would resell it. Rarely did I lose money and sometimes actually made money.

It was a great way to learn how different hull designs handled. What prompted me to start building was that I wanted designs that weren't easily, or cheaply, available on the used market. Then, as I find tuned my preferences further, I realized what I wanted wasn't available commercially at all so I started designing my own.

I'm sure there are plenty of commercial hulls I could have been happy with but I don't think any would have suited me as well as what I came up with myself.

Now that my obsession is over I've settled on 5 solos that range from racing to long distance tripping to light whitewater. I keep one tandem because once every few years I actually paddle in the same boat with someone.

Alan

 

[Black_Fly]

I have a magic that flies across lakes. I like my prospector 15 but I wouldn’t have it alone.

 

[tketcham]

One canoe to rule them all?​

Where do you fall on this?

I don't think there's any one canoe design or layup that is the best overall because we all have different perspectives based on experiences and expectations. And our lives change over time so what might have been the best canoe when younger isn't going to be the best canoe when older. Plus, a lot depends on whether you regularly canoe with someone else or not; deciding on a dedicated tandem vs dedicated solo will steer us in different directions.

I think a canoeist needs two canoes at a minimum, one for tandem and one for solo, or two solos if your partner prefers solo canoeing. I've paddled tandem canoes solo and while it does work, it's just not as much fun as paddling a dedicated solo canoe. But that's just my perspective. Could I live with one canoe? Sure, but for now I'm enjoying the luxury of choices.