Any Prospector drivers out there?

[redoleary]

Ive got a trip to Algonquin coming up and I think I'm going to try to rent a prospector just to try something new. Algonquin Outfitters has 17' Swift prospectors that I'm interested in trying. We will be on both lakes and rivers but the rivers are pretty flat, anyone out there do much tripping in a prospector?

 

[red langford]

All my tripping has been in a Prospector 16.5 made by Langford. I love the canoe, it has seen better days but is still my go to tripping boat. I paddle Canadian style, that is to say heeled over on side from the kneeling position. I am no hydrodynamic expert but it has different characteristics from the seated position tandem to heeled over solo. It's responsive, agile and fun solo. It is a dry canoe and seems to shed waves quite well. I am not sure if the Swift version is similar to the Langford version but that's my experiences with them. The Alchemist version is the one that looks best to me but I have never had the opportunity to paddle it....yet.

http://www.alchemistcanoe.com/#!__models/legend-16.7

 

[Waterdog]

I do most of my tripping solo with a 16' Prospector. I have a Bell in Royalex and Stewart River in wood/canvas. I use the wood/canvas for tripping. I bring my dog who comes in around 90lbs. Solo with a tripping load it is a bit of tub on flat water, compared to some of my faster, sleeker boats. But as noted by Red above it is a very agile and dry boat. I have run the wood canvas in wilderness class III sections with my dog and no gear with no problem. Floats like a cork and turns on a dime. Its my favorite boat when I have a load along. I've never paddled it tandem.

Barry

 

[Canotrouge]

Up here most people trip with prospector or similar shape canoes, that said most tripping up here is done on rivers and most of them with a good deal of current.

 

[redoleary]

Thanks for the info guys, I really appreciate it.
We'll be tandem on this trip so I'm looking to rent a 17' model. One outfitter has a 16' but I'm concerned (for no particular reason) that it won't be big enough/ or maybe fast enough? I do most my tripping in a Spirit II but for some reason I'm drawn to the prospector, but they seem to be hard to come by at the rental places, nonexistent in the BWCA.

I often think of getting a solo canoe but I'd get either a 16' Prospector or Pal, I like the perceived utility of a solo that you can tandem vs a solo that can only ever be a solo....on the other hand I can certainly see the attraction of a dedicated solo. Which is probably why some folks here has so many canoes.

 

[tump_lion]

i use a prospector 16 for solo and tandem these days...works great for both, a total compromise boat, but that's also spelled versatility. one in fiberglass, one in wood/cavas -- for years i used a chum as a solo and weekend tandem boat...nice boat, but not as seaworthy tandem, really capable solo. How much gear are you bringing? a 17' prospector is a large boat thats sensitive to wind -- we did a 10-day trip last fall, tandem, plus a 100lb sled-dog in the 16', no sweat...the nova-craft cronje might serve you better...

 

[Odyssey]

I admire your idea of test driving different designs. Coincidently I did it myself in Algonquin. The boats have changed a bit over the years, but the needs have remained the same. I look forward to your experiences and trip report. Our progression went from aluminum, which sounded like this full of kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPpmpNGHAgI, to the kevlar prospector for quieter load carrying capacity. Eventually I looked for a lighter weight canoe just for the easier portages.
Whatever you choose, please share your experiences. We can all learn from them.
Pleasant skies and quiet waters Red. Have a good trip.

 

[Robin]

Here's a w/c Chestnut Prospector working out in some big water,

And an 18' Prospector works too,

Fishing out of the 18',

17' Solo,

 

[Steve in Idaho]

My NC Prospector is the boat I take when I don't know what I might be dealing with on a new-to-me stretch of river. It's dry, turns easy, and very forgiving of stupid boat tricks. And it's currently my only rx tandem. For all the same reasons, it's also the canoe I put novices in for easy river trips. But it is slower and more subject to wind interference than any of my other canoes (Malicite, Coho, Sojourn).

For me, if I know I'm only going to be on flat water - moving or not - I'll leave that boat home every time. As a "one and only" canoe, it has a lot going for it, but it's not something I choose for solo paddling on flat water over other options. And it's not what I prefer for tandem paddling either, unless I'm planning on packing a pretty heavy load - or wanting to make darn sure we don't swim (think winter, duck hunting with a load of decoys - or hopes of hauling out a deer carcass). Poling though....that's another story. I think it's one of the best hulls you can choose to get used to standing with a pole.

I think I can safely say that if I had a Spirit II in my collection, it would see more general use.

 

[redoleary]

Lots of great info here guys. I think a prospector would be nice on the Manistee River here in MI that I tend to paddle several times a year. Not necessary but if I'm looking for an excuse to get another canoe that would be it. I do like the Spirit II for the lakes but it would be nice if it could be a bit more agile on the rivers.

Those are some great looking canoes Robin!

Steve in Idaho, what's you opinion on Nova Craft quality. I've only seen a few close up and that was at Canoecopia, they seem to be hard to come by in the wild.

Tump_lion, we're not terribly heavy trippers but I'd guess with the two of us and full gear we'd be in the 400-450 pound range so a 16' might do the job for this trip.

Odyssey: If I had an aluminum canoe I would totally tune part of the boat to be played like steel drums.

Red, those Alchemists look very cool, thank for the link.

 

[NorseScotsman]

I own a Swift 17' Prospector in kevlar with integrated carbon-kevlar gunnels. It weighs only 44 lbs and that includes a third seat that I had Swift install for my kids. It is a very stable boat that can handle a large load. I primarily trip on lakes, but have had it on meandering creeks. It turns easily, but isn't too hard to keep straight with the occasional J-stroke.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Steve in Idaho, what's you opinion on Nova Craft quality. I've only seen a few close up and that was at Canoecopia, they seem to be hard to come by in the wild.

Red, outside of what I saw in the shop where I bought mine (and I've only been in there twice), I have only a single example to refer to. And all the others I saw in the shop were beat-up rental boats (the shop was also a Bell dealer at the time). All I can say is that I have no complaints about the quality of material or construction on mine. The seats and the contoured yoke are some of my favorites. The gunwales are robust. Everything is in perfect alignment. The hull is the heavier version of royalex, so it is pretty stiff - but of course, that is pretty much irrelevant in the discussion of new canoes now.

 

[ppine]

A traditional design that harkens back to the early days of canoeing. There is a reason that Mason was such a big fan of the design. It might be the pick-up of the canoeing world, that does everything reasonably well. I really like rocker in canoes.

 

[rpg51]

I have owned a 17 foot royalex prospector copy, a 16 foot kevlar prospector copy, and I now own a 16 foot wood canvas chestnut fort (prospector) built by Headwaters Canoes on an original chestnut mold. There is no comparison in my opinion. You have not truly lived until you have paddled a wood canvas canoe on a river trip. There is something special about tripping with a wood canvas canoe. The royalex and composite copies are nice. But you really deserve to treat yourself to the real deal.

 

[Ravenwolf]

Hello, I have a Nova Craft prospector 16ft. It is the lite version, 64lbs. I got into the canoe bug, thinking I was going to do the moving water, of various speeds. I soon realized that the absence of the wife going alot, left me not wanting to do moving water. SO enter lakes ouch suddenly I am solo in a big canoe on open water, all is OK I need a solo, fast forward bought a Swift Shearwater. If l was getting another canoe I would get a Bell northstar 16.6 which is now the Northstar Northwind 16.6 put a center seat in and go.

 

[rpg51]

There is a place for all these boats. The true Chestnut Prospector hulls are somewhat rounded bottom boats with high sides, beam on the wide side and more than average rocker. These boats have a very large amount of storage space and they work best when they are heavily loaded for a week or three week trip. They also shine in rough water. This is not the boat I would choose if I were paddling protected flat water on day or weekend type trips. Especially not solo. I would still chose wood canvas over the other materials out there, but not a Chestnut Prospector. There are other wood canvas boats much better suited to that sort of use. A Chestnut Cruiser for example. Or a Pal. There are many other lovely boats as well.

 

[redoleary]

I own a Swift 17' Prospector in kevlar with integrated carbon-kevlar gunnels. It weighs only 44 lbs and that includes a third seat that I had Swift install for my kids. It is a very stable boat that can handle a large load. I primarily trip on lakes, but have had it on meandering creeks. It turns easily, but isn't too hard to keep straight with the occasional J-stroke.

I'm thinking more and more that I'll rent the 17' Swift Prostector, thanks so much for the info.

I have owned a 17 foot royalex prospector copy, a 16 foot kevlar prospector copy, and I now own a 16 foot wood canvas chestnut fort (prospector) built by Headwaters Canoes on an original chestnut mold. There is no comparison in my opinion. You have not truly lived until you have paddled a wood canvas canoe on a river trip. There is something special about tripping with a wood canvas canoe. The royalex and composite copies are nice. But you really deserve to treat yourself to the real deal.

If only the budget allowed, I'd have one of each. Those Headwaters Canoes look amazing.

Hello, I have a Nova Craft prospector 16ft. It is the lite version, 64lbs. I got into the canoe bug, thinking I was going to do the moving water, of various speeds. I soon realized that the absence of the wife going alot, left me not wanting to do moving water. SO enter lakes ouch suddenly I am solo in a big canoe on open water, all is OK I need a solo, fast forward bought a Swift Shearwater. If l was getting another canoe I would get a Bell northstar 16.6 which is now the Northstar Northwind 16.6 put a center seat in and go.

I saw some Northstars at the Quiet Water Symposium this spring here in MI, those are some nice looking canoes, very tempting.

 

[Mama]

We have a Nova Craft Prospector 17. We love that we can load it up with a good amount of tripping gear, and it's a pretty wide boat and less tippy which is good on two counts, when my daughter starts getting rambunctious, or when she starts getting scared because with bigger waves it's less tippy than a more narrow boat. I do not like that it weighs around 70 lbs and I can't hoist it up on my shoulders, also if we have alot of portages in one day it wears my husband out towards the end

 

[redoleary]

We have a Nova Craft Prospector 17. We love that we can load it up with a good amount of tripping gear, and it's a pretty wide boat and less tippy which is good on two counts, when my daughter starts getting rambunctious, or when she starts getting scared because with bigger waves it's less tippy than a more narrow boat. I do not like that it weighs around 70 lbs and I can't hoist it up on my shoulders, also if we have alot of portages in one day it wears my husband out towards the end

My wife is a strong proponent of "less tippy" especially if we can convince the puppy to get in then I'm sure we'd like the extra stability. I'm pretty sure my days of portaging 70# canoes are behind me.... at least I hope they are. Nova Crafts blue steel looks interesting, strong yet light, but I could probably get away with the standard kevlar and save a few more pounds.

 

[yaricoy]

I just purchased a Nova Craft Prospector 17 in RX this past fall. I had been watching them for many years (since they were going for about $900) and the fear of never getting a RX version pushed me to make the purchase as the first canoe I've every purchased new. Although I can't report back on it since It's been on the rack in the garage ever since. It's nice to see the discussion so I can compare when I finally get it out on the water. I can report that the carry thwart is very comfortable on the shoulders.