What are your current solo canoes and how do you like them?

[NoelCanoeDad]

 

[Woodpuppy]

I have 2 dedicated solos, a mid-90s kevlar Wenonah Prism and a Northstar Phoenix in IXP layup. Very different boats, both fantastic, both will remind you to keep your head between the gunwales! However, my most often used at this point is a Northstar Polaris that I paddle from a center seat with kids fore and aft. Aside from some occasional paddle dipping by the kiddos, I’m paddling it solo. I love this boat!

 

[sailsman63]

My current solo is a DIY SOF as documented at This thread. (Note: Not the right way to do a SOF. There are some lovely boats out there. This isn't one of them.)

TLDR; nominal 13' X 30", 24" waterline. Fishform, 2.4" bow rocker, 1.8" stern rocker. Sharpish stems.

How do I like it? This build was always a bit of a disappointment:

• Never very stiff. Flexes under pretty much every type of load. This leads to some unpredictability in performance.
• The interior framing and floorboards kicked my mass just a bit high, and I never could shift weight to heel for maneuvering.
• While I never expected this build to be tough for tripping, it feels more fragile than I anticipated. I just don't trust it in conditions that I want to paddle in.

I did paddle in sheltered areas, and the lighter weight and size were handy. However, I haven't used it in a couple of years. Durring my shop day yesterday, I considered starting the disassembly process. Ran out of time, and plans for a replacement are tentative at this time.

 

[Peregrin8or]

Savage River Blackwater, expedition layup (uni-biaxial carbon fiber and an extra inside layer of Kevlar); all carbon gunwales, seat, thwarts, etc.; lots of little personal outfitting bits and pieces like partial spray decks, paddle holders, and so on. It's a few years old but new to me, so I'm crazy about it right now. Got up at 6:30 this morning so I could paddle before work. Can't wait to do it again tomorrow!

Bergen's Ally Pakcanoe solo 15. I like the size and packability, and it's nicely made. It seems very capable, and would be great for a big fly-in trip way up North. It takes maybe half an hour to assemble. It's not that compact when packed up. The seat seems to be made for kneeling, and I like sit-and-switch. So I'll probably sell it some time this year.

 

[gadabyte]

In response to @Glenn MacGrady's question in the photos thread, that is in fact my new-to-me SRT. I've put probably about 15 miles on it at this point, enough for a semi-informed initial impression.

Where I've paddled it so far: open lake, labyrinthine marshy foot of a lake, a short riffle-y section of river, and a long stretch of winding creek. All trips were with the boat essentially empty.

What I've found:

• The boat is stable, predictable, and efficient (not a speedster, but it provides a pleasant ratio of energy input to distance output) .
• On an open windy lake, it catches the wind like crazy, but feels less sketchy in those conditions than my low-riding MR Indy.
• It is the most enjoyable boat I've paddled in winding marsh/creek conditions, and I'm only beginning to get the hang of how it's designed to carve and turn.
• In quicker water, the boat seems no more or less apt than the Indy to remind me that I have an awful lot to learn, but it will remind me.
• My feet fit comfortably under the seat and I don't have to do any weird gymnastics to get into/out of the kneeling seat. Hallelujah!
• Thanks to the widest point of the boat not being at the gunwale, it required a tweak in the mechanics of my paddle stroke (I kept knocking my thumb knuckle on the hull for the first 20 minutes or so I paddled it).
• Where my weight is in the boat matters - I can't just lazily plop down off center and expect it to not have some effect on how the boat handles. I got used to sitting well off to the right side of the seat in my Indy, and when I first paddled the SRT I was wondering why the boat felt like it was pulling ever so slightly to the left. Moved my butt to the center of the seat, and the slight pull vanished. Makes me wonder even more about the Hemlock bucket seat, despite my general dislike of bucket seats.
• None of the paddles I have really fit me in the SRT, and with all my forays into the shallows and creeks I'm really abusing the delicate Grey Owl clearly intended for lake travel that is the closest fit. (Suggestions welcome).
• The 4ish pound difference between the Indy (heavier) and the SRT is suprisingly noticable when lifting the SRT overhead.

In short, I'm a fan. It's a fun boat.