Recent content by M Clemens

The Echo T-Formex lite boats are starting to show up in the New York dealers; I'm wondering if you have weighed yours to verify the 42 pound claim. I am interested in one, but always skeptical of advertised weights.

I had to add this; not two days after talking about Serenades, doesn't my last FG one pop up for sale. I thought she liked it.

After a couple of years, the Serenade was offered as a TR model (traditional) with a sliding hung seat, and then as an Ultralite in both Hybrid and TR models. The UL-TR came in at 30 pounds. I bought one as soon as they were available, but to my dismay it oil-canned so badly Mad River let me...

Those look like Mad River decks in your pics. Mad River Royalex hulls with wood gunnels that have been neglected for long periods of time always give me pause. Have you checked thoroughly for 'cold cracks' before you proceed? They would appear as small cracks in the hull emanating from the...

Interesting history of the Old Town Next. Originally marketed as the 'Pack Element' in late 2013, Old Town had both a Poly and Royalex version in the marketing release (hedging bets against the demise of Royalex). It was an attempt, perhaps, to capitalize on the popularity of the Pack...

The OT Next (and its composite cousin, the Mad River Serenade) is one of my favorite 13 foot hulls. Both developed by Bob McDonough, they were supposed to be 'hybrids' but shine equally as well with a hung seat (or without, as in your boat!).

I never measured my 2021, just took the specs for granted but my boat somehow found its way back to Dave last year, and was advertised at 27.5 inches.

Interesting, since the specs for the two hulls are so close. Yet the spec sheet lists the Vagabond's capacity at 350 pounds and the Kestrel's at 300. CEW leaves a lot of nuggets floating about on the internet:

Regrettably, the only time I have spent in the Wildfire was at the WPSCA several years ago. It was a windy day on the pond and my impression was that the Wildfire was quite a handful in a stiff breeze, the downside to the extra depth. When the wind subsided, I found the Wildfire as fun and...

Not so much a need, really, but sometimes I have the opportunity to compare similar canoes over a longer period of time, just for the fun of it. I had a Merlin II and a Kestrel for a time as well. The Kestrel, farthest from DY's involvement in design, suited my tastes the least being a...

First, Fourth and Fifth of DY's small class trippers, per CEW's analysis. The more contemporary hulls may be lighter and prettier, but the Vagabond is still my favorite.

I would go with the Echo, the ADK is just a Pack clone, so expect the same performance. You don't say where you are, but if you are not far from Rochester NY, Oak Orchard Canoe has an Echo Demo for sale at $1499, same price as a new Adirondack. Lots of used Royalex solos at that price point...

Might be an early Watson Fiberglass Canoe out of Ontario CA.

Talk about timing, I thumped a stump in this morning's paddle at a pretty good clip and my first thought was: Thank God I'm in my Curtis and not the Keewaydin!