Deciding which canoe

[yknpdlr]

Other than my Hornbecks, each of my solo canoes was ordered with a 1.5" riser above the highest available stock high seat. All are paddled with a single blade paddle, single side. I had to argue with Joe Moore when he did not want to do it with my PB Shadow because he has had three previous customers return theirs with that modification because they couldn't keep their canoe upright. But it works fine for me and is sufficiently stable if I don't hold a heavy camera higher than my head while stationary.

 

[Canoewiia]

One question I have has to do with stability while quietly fishing in a non-moving canoe. My Bluewater kevlar canoe, which I used for many years to fish in, was 16'6", flat-bottom, and wide. I do not remember the width at the gunwale but very stable. Never an issue.

A Swift Prospector 13' is only 27" at the gunwale and waterline. but a maximum width of 30".

Is 27" wide enough to comfortably fish (baitcasting) on flat water? How would the stability be when the the canoe is not moving yet I'm casting, reaching for lures, and reeling in lunker bass?

 

[Alan Gage]

One question I have has to do with stability while quietly fishing in a non-moving canoe. My Bluewater kevlar canoe, which I used for many years to fish in, was 16'6", flat-bottom, and wide. I do not remember the width at the gunwale but very stable. Never an issue.

A Swift Prospector 13' is only 27" at the gunwale and waterline. but a maximum width of 30".

Is 27" wide enough to comfortably fish (baitcasting) on flat water? How would the stability be when the the canoe is not moving yet I'm casting, reaching for lures, and reeling in lunker bass?

That will be very dependent on the person paddling and the seat height. It will also depend on the actual shape of the hull (two canoes with the same specs on paper might feel quite different in terms of stability on the water). I did plenty of fishing from a Bell/Northstar Magic, which is on the tippier side of solo tripping canoes, with no issues. But I spent a lot of time in that boat and was very comfortable in it.

I don't remember if you mentioned it earlier in the thread but were you otherwise happy with the Bluewater other than weight? If you had no complaints about its performance but know it was stable and comfortable for you then I would lean towards something similar in size and shape.

It doesn't sound like you're looking for a performance canoe nor to necessarily build your paddling skills. Just something to fish out of on flat water on smaller water. That is not what 95% of people on this forum are using their canoes for so some recommendations are likely to be biased away from your use case. I know nothing about the Swift Prospector 13, it might be great for you, but keep it in mind.

If you don't need the shorter length a longer canoe should, all else being equal, feel more stable.

Alan

 

[tketcham]

I prefer a canoe no longer than 14' and the weight less than 30lbs.

This was what you were originally looking for, and after several suggestions of the
Swift Prospector 14 (or 15), now you're considering...

A Swift Prospector 13' is only 27" at the gunwale and waterline. but a maximum width of 30".

Is 27" wide enough to comfortably fish (baitcasting) on flat water? How would the stability be when the the canoe is not moving yet I'm casting, reaching for lures, and reeling in lunker bass?

I'd say no, a Swift Prospector 13 isn't going to be a good fishing canoe for you, especially if you plan on standing when fishing. We have a Prospector 13 and it's a great canoe for sitting or kneeling, but I wouldn't want to spend much time standing up in it fishing. The Prospector 14, with another foot in length and two inches in width, would be a much better candidate. In either the carbon or Kevlar layup the weight is under 30 lbs.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I have two 14' solos. The Mohawk Solo 14 and the Wildfire. I prefer to be kneeling for stability while fishing in the Wildfire, which is closer in width to that 13' Swift. Sitting to fish is easy in the Mohawk, but good luck finding one. I wouldn't stand to fish in either, although I have stood in the Mohawk to pole it upstream.

That's all to say I wouldn't expect to be able to stand to fish in that Prospector 13, and I probably wouldn't be real confident about fishing in it from the sitting position. The Prospector 14 would be okay sitting if you're hips are loose (it was for me) - especially if you have a foot bar.

If you must stand while fishing and you aren't overly concerned about speed, I would suggest that you look at the 14' Wenonah Fisherman. I did a lot of standing in one when I was still pretty new to canoe poling, and it was at least as easy to stand in as the 16' Old Town Camper.

Edit: Unfortunately, the lightest you can get is 36 lbs. Do you really need to stand?

 

[NikonF5user]

I would suggest that you look at the 14' Wenonah Fisherman.

I have one that needs a fair amount of work that I would probably give away (or maybe trade for a nice NEIPA or Châteauneuf-du-Pape) if you're near Maryland and are up for a fixer-upper...