Hi everyone,
I have been low key looking for a used canoe for several years. Specifically, I was looking for a Northstar Northwind Solo.
Canoeing is not very popular in Florida. This is the land of kayaks and paddleboards. I tried to like kayaks, but I never could get comfortable with my legs inside the kayak. It was just too hot for me. A sit-on kayak was a non-starter for me. You might as well get a canoe instead of sitting on an enclosed boat with limited storage space. And don't get me started on Stand Up Paddleboards. I just don't see the point of them, aside from a form of exercise. (Sorry for the little rant.
). In any case, finding a specific, nice, canoe in Florida is like looking for hen's teeth.
Anyway, I had just about given up looking for a used NW Solo and was starting to think about just buying new. I really didn't want to spend that kind of money, but in any case, summer is about to get underway in earnest here in Florida, so I figured I would just wait until fall once the weather cooled back down a bit and the bugs went back into hiding.
Having made peace with that decision, over Memorial Day weekend I see an ad for one here in Florida for a pretty good price. I message the seller, and he was willing to meet me halfway. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I jumped on it immediately. When I met the seller, he told me that he bought it new about six years ago, already had a pretty extensive canoe collection, and had not ever put this one in the water! He figured if he wasn't using it, he might as well sell it.
So now I own a canoe being wholly unprepared for one. I have a couple small projects planned and need to purchase some gear. I will start threads in the appropriate places for those.
As far as my canoeing background goes, I did quite a bit with the scouts as a kid, and have rented many canoes in the past. But I was looking to go places without nearby outfitters, and to eventually do some canoe camping. Most of my canoeing will be local to here, but I hope to eventually explore more locations in the general Southeast. My companion on most (all) of these trips will be my Border Collie, Lucy. My wife is not into this sort of thing, especially the non-hotel oriented camping.
I think I've maybe rattled on enough for now. I have enjoyed the threads I have read here so far and look forward to interacting with the brain trust.
I have been low key looking for a used canoe for several years. Specifically, I was looking for a Northstar Northwind Solo.
Canoeing is not very popular in Florida. This is the land of kayaks and paddleboards. I tried to like kayaks, but I never could get comfortable with my legs inside the kayak. It was just too hot for me. A sit-on kayak was a non-starter for me. You might as well get a canoe instead of sitting on an enclosed boat with limited storage space. And don't get me started on Stand Up Paddleboards. I just don't see the point of them, aside from a form of exercise. (Sorry for the little rant.
). In any case, finding a specific, nice, canoe in Florida is like looking for hen's teeth.Anyway, I had just about given up looking for a used NW Solo and was starting to think about just buying new. I really didn't want to spend that kind of money, but in any case, summer is about to get underway in earnest here in Florida, so I figured I would just wait until fall once the weather cooled back down a bit and the bugs went back into hiding.
Having made peace with that decision, over Memorial Day weekend I see an ad for one here in Florida for a pretty good price. I message the seller, and he was willing to meet me halfway. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I jumped on it immediately. When I met the seller, he told me that he bought it new about six years ago, already had a pretty extensive canoe collection, and had not ever put this one in the water! He figured if he wasn't using it, he might as well sell it.
So now I own a canoe being wholly unprepared for one. I have a couple small projects planned and need to purchase some gear. I will start threads in the appropriate places for those.
As far as my canoeing background goes, I did quite a bit with the scouts as a kid, and have rented many canoes in the past. But I was looking to go places without nearby outfitters, and to eventually do some canoe camping. Most of my canoeing will be local to here, but I hope to eventually explore more locations in the general Southeast. My companion on most (all) of these trips will be my Border Collie, Lucy. My wife is not into this sort of thing, especially the non-hotel oriented camping.
I think I've maybe rattled on enough for now. I have enjoyed the threads I have read here so far and look forward to interacting with the brain trust.
