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Thanks for that great write up, Glenn. Looks like a lot of fun. I get just a taste of that on the local lake when the level is high and into the cottonwoods. That's where the best bass fishing is, and it's out of the wind and wake waves. Getting to the hot spots is as much fun as catching the...

Thanks! I never thought of doing that with a foot bar, but I can imagine how it would be helpful sometimes. And minimal added weight. I'll keep that trick in mind for the Solitude.

Yeah, great story! Their emotions must have been something akin to what drives archeologists. Cool that they found the cache. And still there remains the mystery of the camera.

That GRB classic definitely looks fast. Thanks for sharing your experience with the sweet new boat. I can only hope to get a chance at any of those mentioned in this thread. I have a question as an aside... Will you give some details about those loops?

I would so love to try a Souhegan. I was having a very good day there. I've been blown out of that wave quickly many times, and I've gone from standing to swimming there more than once. Ideal CFS made me look good.

"Satanic vessel"....huh. I'm glad it was Pete saying that. Mucho cred.

Did Esquif ever make a carbon fiber canoe? That looks like Twintex, which I recall as being known as very difficult to repair. There were several notable posts in the early 2000's about delaminations with the Mistral's balsa wood core in Twintex. I don't know what Twintex actually is or was, but...

If you're thinking about a Malecite (which I have and agree that it paddles well solo) also consider a Bell Northstar (of which if I understand correctly, the Northstar Polaris is a current iteration), and the Wenonah Escapade. Oh, and the Ranger Otter.

Those Maine guides were into poling in that configuration too. This might be more thread drift, but now you're reminding me of this video you've probably seen in one or more of the poling threads. Stern carving... Under less extreme conditions I would be standing just behind the yoke to carve...

That has certainly been my experience. It's interesting though that my preferred flatwater solos are as long as some of my tandems. Longer, even, than my first two. The first thing I noticed was easier lifting and carrying, even for the same given weight. Then it was easier reach to the water...

So, looking back at my question about symmetrical vs swedeform - I guess I don't have an answer to that, since there are other differences in the hull shape between my two 15.5' solos. It's likely that the chine shape and width differences are just as much or more in play. The only thing I can...

Yes. That's my ski jargon leaking in. :)

Yeah, they're quite different. I used a curve copying device to show it clearly. Both measurements are taken where I sit. Notice in this photo, the guide is lined up close to the middle of the Solitude hull. In this one, the end of the guide is a just a little past the center on the Moccasin...

Good question. As soon as the sun comes up and sheds light on the lean-to, I'll take a closer look at both of them. Off the top of my head, I'm going to say the chines are probably different, but I can't describe from memory.

Thanks, Erik. I had forgotten about that discussion and the mention of the Yellowstone being swedeform. ...Or maybe it's just that you're on the right shoulder of that bell curve and your forward stroke doesn't suck. ;) I'm a welter weight, and while I don't have a Yellowstone to compare, I...

I think we've narrowed all this down to "it depends". ;)

That seems intuitive. And like I said, I'm going on memory - so that is suspect. I really need to get both boats on the lake on the same calm day. The "calm" thing has been rare around here lately.

So, what about edging symmetrical (below the waterline) vs Swedeform? I still have to get the Moccasin and the Solitude out on the same day for comparison, but just going on memory it seems that the Solitude responds to edging for a turn a bit more than the Moccasin. Both 15.5' long. Both zero...

True. If I ever see a Magic or NW Solo in my price range within a day's drive, I'm all over that.

I thought that too, until I got one. In fact, I remember seeing specs listed somewhere that showed zero bow and 1" stern, and I thought at the time that must be a misprint. But then I observed it on my own two examples. Actually, I think it would be described more accurately as deadrise. All the...