15 ft. Old town pathfinder RX.

[rider1]

First time posting on here, so here goes.
I' looking for some good info about a old town pathfinder as a solo tripper. I'm paddling an old town 14.6 Guide at the moment, that I have been using as a small solo tripper. Nothing big just a two or three day fishing / camping platform.
I love this little guide for what it is, nothing fancy but a bit heavy.
I've been looking around for something a little bigger and lighter in weight.
I think that I have found what I;m been looking for, but know nothing about it, other than reviews that I have read.
This is what I'm looking at.
A, 15 ft. Old town pathfinder RX. in great shape for $600.00
However, I'm up for any suggestions that want burn a hole in my shallow pockets.

 

[Rippy]

Can't see how you could go wrong for $600 in great shape. Looks like a 15' foot version of the Camper canoe.

 

[forest runes]

look on reviews on paddling.net, quite a few critiques about using it as a solo tripper. if its RX you should not hesitate as the new poly canoes are lead sleds.

 

[rider1]

I'm going over and take a look at it now. Here's what I'm looking at.

 

[Rippy]

Well, any news?

 

[Iskweo]

Holy wow man. I would pull the trigger on that faster than you can say Nessmuck. And Royalex yet. That should be a super good solo.

Christy

 

[charlie wilson]

Pathfinder will be a better solo tripper than Guide. Initially it is an order of scale lighter. It will be a little faster due to the extra six inches in length and will track better because it is narrower to yield a higher length/width ratio. The narrower width will also improve solo paddling, easing reach over the side.

That said, while a quantum improvement, it is still a tandem canoe that you'll be paddling solo. I'd do the switch but keep looking for a Penobscot 15 which is a true, if unsophisticated, RX solo tripper along the lines of OT's earlier CJ Solo and a later 15 footer whose name escapes, the later two composite hulls.

 

[rider1]

Thanks Mr. Wilson for the info.
I missed the pathfinder that I was looking at. I was reading that it likes to slide in the wind, that's why I hesitated for so long.
Now, That I know more about them, I'll keep my eyes open. Mean time, I have caught a nasty bug called the flue, that I have to shake off before looking any further.

James Tedder

 

[Guest]

I' looking for some good info about a old town pathfinder as a solo tripper.

The Pathfinder is a decent little pocket tandem that paddles solo just fine. We owned one for a decade and paddled it in a variety of guises (bow backwards with a young kid bowman, bow forwards with a grown larger kid bowman and solo) and variety of places.

Symmetrical, 14’ 10” x 36” max beam, 13.5” deep and under 60 lbs. The lack of a thwart behind the bow seat makes it amenable to soloing bow backwards.

It is not fast (4.9 length/width ratio), with minimal rocker. It is flat bottomed, so it oil cans a bit in waves or chop, but it has gobs of primary stability. And, after a certain well defined point leaned over on the chines, dang little secondary stability.

We bought ours at an end of season, end of show demo and sold it 10 years later for nearly what we had paid. One respondent to the canoe-for-sale absolutely, positively had to have a Pathfinder; his father and brothers each owned one as their solo fishing canoe and that was the only canoe for him.

 

[Guest]

I'd do the switch but keep looking for a Penobscot 15 which is a true, if unsophisticated, RX solo tripper along the lines of OT's earlier CJ Solo and a later 15 footer whose name escapes, the later two composite hulls.

Charlie, Northern Lights Solo was probably the other name escapee.

I had one and didn't much care for the primary stability.