I introduced myself in the Introductions section, and mentioned I'm looking for a new canoe to replace my Old Town Guide 147. I've been keeping my eye on local, and nearby States' Craigslist and came up with a few leads, the best of which so far is a used Wenonah Solo Plus in Tuffweave in the next State over.
I'm traveling out of State next week for a couple weeks so I won't be able to pick up anything until mid-May, but when I get back, the lakes might be unfrozen. Although I have paddled some rivers, mostly Class I or maybe 2 in my Guide, I've decided I want a flatwater boat. I'll add a river boat in a couple years if I decide I need one, but I'd rather not compromise with an all-purpose boat.
I'm looking for a tandem that I will sometimes solo. My typical load is 330 pounds total. Typical water is small alpine lakes around 100-600 acres.
I have a pretty good idea of what will work well. I think it will work better to have a boat at least 16 feet long, perhaps a bit narrower than the Guide's 38" beam, and without any rocker.
I could speculate about some ideal boat, but practically speaking, I either need to get lucky and find it for sale used somewhere within a day's drive, or order it and pay freight. There are essentially no outfitters near me that stock canoes.
I'm wondering what's a practical alternative to the Solo Plus. The ask on that is about $1600. The Wenonah Adirondack might be a better boat (I don't know, maybe you can recommend an even better one?) , but what's the best way to acquire this? Am I going to pay a few hundred bucks for freight no matter what? Sorry I don't know how to buy such a big thing where the cost of transporting it such a high percentage of its value. Typically things that big are worth far more than their shipping costs, like cars, grand pianos, powerboats, or a Wurlitzer band-organ.
I'm traveling out of State next week for a couple weeks so I won't be able to pick up anything until mid-May, but when I get back, the lakes might be unfrozen. Although I have paddled some rivers, mostly Class I or maybe 2 in my Guide, I've decided I want a flatwater boat. I'll add a river boat in a couple years if I decide I need one, but I'd rather not compromise with an all-purpose boat.
I'm looking for a tandem that I will sometimes solo. My typical load is 330 pounds total. Typical water is small alpine lakes around 100-600 acres.
I have a pretty good idea of what will work well. I think it will work better to have a boat at least 16 feet long, perhaps a bit narrower than the Guide's 38" beam, and without any rocker.
I could speculate about some ideal boat, but practically speaking, I either need to get lucky and find it for sale used somewhere within a day's drive, or order it and pay freight. There are essentially no outfitters near me that stock canoes.
I'm wondering what's a practical alternative to the Solo Plus. The ask on that is about $1600. The Wenonah Adirondack might be a better boat (I don't know, maybe you can recommend an even better one?) , but what's the best way to acquire this? Am I going to pay a few hundred bucks for freight no matter what? Sorry I don't know how to buy such a big thing where the cost of transporting it such a high percentage of its value. Typically things that big are worth far more than their shipping costs, like cars, grand pianos, powerboats, or a Wurlitzer band-organ.