Balancing weight and durability

[danielfishercanada]

Hi, I am planning to buy my first canoe. And I'm very torn between a few choices. They are all 16ft swift prospectors

1. Kevlar fusion basalt innegra
2. Carbon fusion granite
3. Kevlar fusion sapphire/ruby/emerald


Let me start off by saying that lightweight is very important to me because of my bad knees and back. At the same time. I want this to be a life long purchase, so I'd like good durability. I'll be paddling in Ontario, like back country algonquin, killerany, doing short portages maybe 10km a day max.

I did go check out the three boats. Lifted them. Carbon is noticeably lighter but not by too much. And I could handle other two with ease. My biggest confusion is how the durability compares between kevlar basalt innegra and carbon fusion. I heard that carbon is stiffer and therefore more susceptible to trauma. I'm beginner to intermediate so I'd be making mistakes..


Im leaning towards basalt for stronger durability. I've included option 3, the default Kevlar fusion, because it seems like the middle ground. Swift says basalt innegra is stronger than the ruby/sapphire ones (option3) but I don't know how true that is.

All that to say, I don't know what to go with. Please help me decide!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I'm going to move the interesting but tangential discussion of the Savage River Blackwater solo canoe to its own thread HERE.

Continue on with the original general topic.

 

[NikonF5user]

View attachment 146408

To avoid doing work I was just reading some of these older posts - that Old Town is fascinating! Is it a Pathfinder with a Swift seat mounted for solo paddling? Do you love it?

 

[Tryin']

To avoid doing work I was just reading some of these older posts - that Old Town is fascinating! Is it a Pathfinder with a Swift seat mounted for solo paddling? Do you love it?

Almost! That is a Tripper with a Swift seat. I do love it for a very specific trip parameter: HUGE loads. Its a great canoe to take hunting. I can put me, a hot camp setup, and two deer in there with ease. It is NOT very fun empty on flatwater with wind, or on portages longer than a few hundred feet.

It might also be quute capable in big whitewater, but not much chance of that around these parts...