I paddled with Bardy Jones in the Everglades (Turner River) in January 1984. We had a Lotus BJX and a Lotus Dandy, which we swapped off. After the trip I decided I preferred the BJX, but didn't buy it from Bardy because I knew Mike Galt had a discounted blem, which I did buy a few days later in Tampa.
The boat has a very narrow waterline -- tippy, tippy initial stability -- but massive flare, which gives it great secondary stability. But it has zero rocker and is very hard to turn. It's a fast, straight ahead kneeling canoe. You can sit & switch but you'll also twitch at the slightest breeze or wave unless you have extremely good balance.
I tired of the BJX's one-trick-ponyness after about three years, as I got other canoes, and haven't paddled mine in 20 years. But neither do I fancy Wenonah/Jensen racing style hulls. The Lotus Caper, which I bought from Mike Galt in 1986, remains my favorite Galt design and is a canoe I love. It can be paddled straight, and easily performs stern slide turns as long as you don't weigh more than about 175 pounds. It can be spun with ease by a 120 pound paddler due to the stern cheeks.
I wouldn't recommend the BJX as a first time solo canoe because I prefer more maneuverability and little more initial stability. It can be a great get for someone who is a canoe collector as well as paddler.
Harold Deal side sculling a BJX in 1982. He sold his after a few years:
Pat Moore high kneeling a BJX in 1982:
Bardy Jones slow walzing a BJX in 1981:
It would be hard to find three better canoe paddlers these days.
Pictures are all courtesy of the photo albums on the
Hemlock Canoe website.
