Plus size canoeing?

Glenn MacGrady said:

There's nothing wrong with aluminum per se and many of us started our lifetime canoeing careers in aluminum canoes. Others have commented on that particular lightweight 17' Alumacraft, with which I have no familiarity.

In my opinion, any 17' long, 36" wide canoe is too big a beast to efficiently paddle solo mainly for day trips on lakes. Even if it is only 55 lbs. or so, which would be very light for aluminum construction, it will still be clumsy and unwieldy for one person to load on and off a Subaru.

For best trim, a canoe should be paddled solo from slightly behind center. That's where all dedicated solo canoes, pack canoes and kayaks position seats. A tandem canoe is paddled by many folks backwards from the bow seat, but that will result in an out-of-trim canoe with the bow sticking up in the air unless the paddler is a child. That means you have to put 40-60 lbs. of artificial ballast in the bow to even out the trim, if you don't have tripping gear with you. That's annoying, to me. There also may be a quarter thwart in the way of sitting backwards in the bow seat, as Memaquay has pointed out.

I think a solo in the 15'-16' length range with a centralized seat would be best for your stated purposes. I've never paddled any Northstar canoes, but the Northwind Solo that some have recommended might be too narrow for a novice. Not sure, since that depends a lot on physical abilities and dedication. A canoe with a max beam in the 32"-34" range may feel more comfortable and inspire more confidence. I know the Hemlock Eaglet that Bob B. recommends, and agree that that sounds like a good size canoe if built in a lightweight composite.

Which comes to the issue of money. Other things being equal, the lighter the canoe, the more money it will cost. New canoes made of lightweight composites now cost in the $3K-$4K range. Used ones are less expensive, but you can't always find what you want on the used market. But if you have the money, you will not regret buying a lightweight canoe if you keep it in good condition, especially as you age and the prices keep rocketing up.

That all pontificated, a completely different philosophy for a first canoe is to forget about finding the "perfect" canoe on the first try. That won't necessarily work, just as it often doesn't with clothing, electronics, pizzas, girlfriends, boyfriends or spouses. Simply get anything that is cheap and of reasonable size, try it out, experiment with it, formulate your own opinions on what you like and don't like about it, and then go for a more customized canoe for your second purchase. You don't have to marry your first canoe or even stay in the relationship very long. They are easily disposed of . . . sometimes at a profit. Meanwhile, you will at least have something to play and learn with this season.

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Sliding Focus said:

Welcome to the site, @miss katie!

I agree with the suggestions that a relatively wide solo canoe in the 15–16' range, such as the Northstar Northwind Solo mentioned by @Alan Gage or Hemlock Eaglet mentioned by @Bob B., might be ideal for you. Another model you should consider is the Wenonah Wilderness: it feels very stable and has a lot of volume, so it makes good solo tripping canoe for a beginner or for someone who prefers to paddle from a sitting (rather than kneeling) position, and I think it would be very suitable for someone on the heavier side. Wenonah offers several other models with similar specs that might work well for you, too—in particular, the Basswood Solo, Prism, Moccasin (discontinued), and Solitude (discontinued) could be worth looking at—but I haven't paddled those and so can't comment on them from personal experience.

On the used market, some of Mad River Canoe's solo models (e.g. Courier, Guide, Independence, Traveler) may also be worth considering if you happen across one (though they aren't the lightest canoes out there, and their shallow-V bottom is not to everyone's taste). I own an Independence and have paddled a Guide a few times, and both are fun, friendly canoes that I expect would easily carry you and your camping gear.

I also agree with the suggestions that renting would be a good way to try out some canoes to get a feel for what you might like...but finding an outfitter that rents solo canoes isn't always easy! Some paddling shops host demo days where you can try out a variety of canoes, and if you call ahead (say, a week or two before), they might be able to ensure that a model you're interested in will be available to paddle, so that could be another way for you to try potential options out.

I don't have an opinion one way or the other on the 17' Alumacraft, but if you plan to paddle solo, a solo canoe will probably give you a better paddling experience, and if you get it in Kevlar, it will also weigh much less (many are <40 lb).

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Tsuga8 said:

Welcome, miss katie!

My wife is also shapely, and one thing I've learned is that a lot of outdoor gear is often shaped for men. Canoes and kayaks which can easily carry my wife's weight don't necessarily fit her hips comfortably, because they're designed by men for man hips. So, I'd echo the 'try before you buy'! At least try to sit in the thing on land. Many solo canoes may be too narrow to be comfortable.

Being able to try a pack seat, kneeling seat, pedestal saddle, and sitting-height seat might help you decide which of those options suits you best. My wife is flexible and comfortable sitting on the bottom of a kayak; I'm only comfortable with a raised seat (that's individual to each of us, not generalizations about gender). My wife's center of gravity and her way of moving in, out, and around in the boat is quite different than mine. Hopefully some of the great canoe makers in MN have demo days were you can actually try a bunch of options out.

I paddled tandem canoes solo for many years, but now that I switched to a solo, the difference when the wind comes up on a lake is massive. But, a tandem does work, especially if you're willing to bring a water jug or bag to help with trim. If you're going to sit backwards in the bow seat of a tandem, make sure it's comfortable that way as not all seats are, and a seat on an aluminum canoe isn't always easy to swap out.

I had a 17ft aluminum canoe and gave it away because it was awkward to lift (I'm on the short side of average). I could lift the weight per se, but it was heavy in the ends and really awkward for me to put on my car by myself - once it started teeter-tottering I couldn't stop it easily and was always worried about those aluminum rivets scratching my car. As important as it is to sit in it before you buy, if you'll be paddling alone and loading it alone, make sure to load it by yourself onto your normal vehicle too. A canoe that's a pain to get onto a car is a canoe that won't get used much, unless it can live at the lake.

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Bob B. said:

Miss Katie,

Welcome to the site!

I think you will find a lot of great info here, from a lot of really great people. You have many recommendations so far, all very reasonable and worth serious consideration. I especially would encourage you ( like has been mentioned here ) to talk with Bear at NorthStar Canoes. You may interested in their canoe called the Pearl. It is like a large solo or small tandem. A truly great canoe design.

Another suggestion for you would be to contact Dave Curtis at Hemlock Canoe Works. He has a canoe called the Eaglet. It can be a large solo or small tandem. I purchased a used one and am extremely satisfied with its weight, and performance. Mine is set up as a solo. I am about 200 pounds and am 6’2”. I paddle with 70 pound dog. I find it to be very stable, reasonably fast and very maneuverable. It is 15 feet long and only 32 inches at water line. So, wider than most solos but narrower than most tandems. This makes it pretty stable, yet easy to propel by paddling. Even his ultra light version is robustly built on the bottom, where most damage is likely to occur. They are in New York, but do deliver for very reasonable expense. I have found the Eaglet to be my favorite canoe to paddle …. With exception of my Chestnut 15 Prospector.

Good luck with your search!

Bob.

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miss katie said:

No worries, I weigh 265.

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