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“Need” a new solo!

Got a reply from the seller -

“Contract pending for Tuesday closing. If it falls through will notify you”
 
Pity you are Florida -based, Dave Curtis at Hemlock Canoe in Rochester has a nice Indy he just refurbished. The Indy is one of the few boats I really regret parting with.
Being Florida based is a bit of a drag with respect to the entire canoeing world. All the great makers are up north, from the Midwest to the east.
 
Being Florida based is a bit of a drag with respect to the entire canoeing world. All the great makers are up north, from the Midwest to the east.
We are truly blessed, especially here in NY. Between the builders (especially in the Adirondack region) and the dealers (Mountainman, Bay Creek, and Oak Orchard) there are few makes/models we can't access within a four-hour radius. Pity our paddling season is so darn short compared to yours!
 
Pity you are Florida -based, Dave Curtis at Hemlock Canoe in Rochester has a nice Indy he just refurbished. The Indy is one of the few boats I really regret parting with.
I saw that boat and my only hesitation is the weight, I'm sure someone will grab it though.
 
We are truly blessed, especially here in NY. Between the builders (especially in the Adirondack region) and the dealers (Mountainman, Bay Creek, and Oak Orchard) there are few makes/models we can't access within a four-hour radius. Pity our paddling season is so darn short compared to yours!
That’s true, I grew up in FL so I’ve never lived through the winters. For the occasional hassle required to get a new boat, I can paddle year round. Thanks for the reminder!
 
Well the Indy sold. I’m a little disappointed. Maybe not quite the right boat, but I still need to try lots of different boats to figure out what I really do like.
 

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I suspect Michigan is a bit far, but I'll be putting my entire canoe kit up for sale in the next week or so: lightly used and very well kept full carbon 2017 Swift Keewaydin 15, two paddles, homemade custom rack to carry it in the back of a pickup, seat cushion, more.
 
I got my Polaris from a dealer Michigan. My mom lives up there so we have at least annual trips to Ann Arbor. It’s a bit far when I don’t have a trip already planned! But I’m certainly interested in pics/details of the sale.
 
I got my Polaris from a dealer Michigan. My mom lives up there so we have at least annual trips to Ann Arbor. It’s a bit far when I don’t have a trip already planned! But I’m certainly interested in pics/details of the sale.
I'm about 45 minutes from Ann Arbor. I keep the canoe stored upside down on the travel rack in the garage and it's got over a year of dust/dirt on the bottom. I don't remember if I even paddled it at all last year, so there may well be two years of dust/dirt. If the weather cooperates, I'm planning to clean it all up, lay it out, and take the "for sale" pictures next week. I haven't yet determined the price but it will certainly be substantially less than the price of a new one: 1647119846124.png

If you want to see a video of the canoe in use, this is my most popular Algonquin paddling video with 10k views.

I spent last year training for and backpacking the Colorado Trail. (I only did the first five segments, but that was enough...at the time.) This year is all about training for, then bikepacking the entire Colorado Trail and I severely doubt I'll find the time for a canoe trip again this year.

Jim
 
After a nice 45min call with Bear @ Northstar, I’ve decided to do it. So I talked to the dealer in Tybee Island and am looking forward to a November delivery of a Phoenix in IXP with wood trim. Oddly enough, this has not caused me to stop reading about canoes or trolling Craigslist. I have however moved my Encounter on expecting to need the space for another boat. The recipient is thrilled.
 
congratulations! You will have a lot of fun with that boat down on those rivers/creeks in your area. I have the aluminum trim on Mine which is of course lightweight/low maintenance, but at Canoecopia in Madison WI last month, I saw a Phoenix in IXP with wood trim……very nice!

Mike
 
It looks like I’m working on a fleet. The 5-boat collection? I have 4 currently- an 18’ Wenonah Sundowner, a Prism, an Encounter, and my new Polaris. I do intend to sell the Encounter. If I need that much weight capacity I will likely take the Polaris and a young un. So I suppose I’m not ready for a fifth boat…

The Prism is great on open water. If I want to make time, it’s sit and switch. I can also quite comfortably control the boat from one side at a more leisurely pace. It works adequately in a downstream paddle. But it’s long and tracks too hard for a lot of the places I want to play. A great tool for the right set of circumstances.

The Encounter hauls 2 kids with me effortlessly. I think it is more stable that the Prism.

The Sundowner lives down the street at my in-laws’ on the lake. It’s a heavy beast, OK if I have another adult with me, but it’s too much with just me and the kids. It is stable and can carry quite a load.

The Polaris is a joy! But long, wide, and sits high in the water for the twisty rivers as a solo boat. It is affected by the wind more that the Wenonahs, but I expect that is partly due to the rocker.

So this has me looking at some smaller solos. I want something for daytrips, or single overnighters. I don’t have much fast water here in North Florida, or at least when it is it’s flat. I love the few videos I’ve seen of the Northstar Phoenix, but that boat has a high shear and is meant to ride over waves. The NW Solo is a choice, but I also think the smaller Trillium might be really nice. I’m not opposed to a Bell Merlin II. I am all in with the idea of composite boats. My Polaris is Blacklight (carbon over Kevlar) and the two solos are UL Kevlar. I am curious and interested in IXP for a boat that I think will wind up being my beater pickup.

The market for canoes here is poor. Kayaks rule, and not without merit. Nearest Northstar dealers are in Knoxville and SE Georgia. Try before you buy, yes if I can.

I’m 6’3” and around 220-lbs. I’m not yet fully comfortable with kneeling, though I intend to give it the ol college try. The Polaris is set up with a high canted center seat for this reason.

All of Bear’s videos about the Northstar solos point me toward the Phoenix/NW Solo size, rather than the smaller Firebird/Trillium. But what do y’all think, for primarily daytripping and short overnights? I value the maneuverability over the cargo capacity. But I need to be comfortable in the boat.
The canoe I've been recommending lately is the Northstar Phoenix.
Kind of a do it all canoe.
Cliff Jacobson really like this canoe.
Maybe on the smallish side for you.
I had an Encounter and wish I still did. I really liked that canoe. Super stable. Reasonably fast. Holds a ton of gear.
 
The canoe I've been recommending lately is the Northstar Phoenix.
Kind of a do it all canoe.
Cliff Jacobson really like this canoe.
Maybe on the smallish side for you.
I had an Encounter and wish I still did. I really liked that canoe. Super stable. Reasonably fast. Holds a ton of gear.

The “sport utility” description of this canoe is part of what drew me to it. I’m not looking to do long trips out of it, I have other boats for that. This is supposed to be my daily driver, weekend warrior. I wanted it smaller than my Prism for example. I wanted to be able to turn it in the twisty stuff, including the wild tidal / estuarine areas. I wanted something responsive to play with the “functional freestyle” I see in Marc Ornstein’s videos. I’m hoping it will be my beater short-bed 4wd pickup! My woods truck in Florida redneck parlance.
 
Whew that was a long drive. I headed to Tybee Island to Sea Kayak Georgia yesterday, the closest Northstar dealer to me. It was just shy of 12 hours round trip.

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Have a look at those tidal channels! What glorious paddling to be had! Although I bet the noseeums are voracious… pick your times.

The trip was uneventful except for the stretch of I-295. I had intended to cut through Callahan and skip that whole corner/interchange, but traffic was moving and I was in the zone. Until it slowed down. Was probably only about 10 minutes, really.

When I arrived another buyer was loading a Stealth NW Solo, no rack, just pipe insulation on the gunwales and some questionable ties. I didn’t involve myself…

I’ve never seen so many Northstar boats in one place! If anyone is interested in an IXP/ wood Phoenix, someone backed out of a sale and there’s another there; call Ronnie at (912) 786-8732.

This boat is around 2 feet shorter than the others I routinely carry, so I though I might need to move my cab roof load bar back some. Turns out I did not.

All loaded up:
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My wife is unimpressed that the boat is in the garage… I figure this will help her understand that I need to get a hoisting apparatus made/bought to hang it from the ceiling. This one with wood gunwales will live a pampered life reposing in the garage rather than my boat shed.

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Yay carry loops! McCrae will approve, he knows I couldn’t have brought myself to drill those holes myself….

My first observations - it’s heavier than my Prism. I knew it wood be… it should weigh about what my Polaris does. Maybe I’ll get out the bathroom scale. Second, the wood needs a steel-wooling or sanding, especially around the paddling station where I’m likely to rub my hand on the gunwale incidentally while paddling. And I think I’ll strip the lettering off of midships. Finally I had to laugh at this:

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That’s coming out. Maybe I’ll stick it on the fridge at work.

It will have to fully monsoon for me to not get this boat wet this weekend. It may not be an epic trip, but I aim to go play.
 
"Second, the wood needs a steel-wooling or sanding, especially around the paddling station where I’m likely to rub my hand on the gunwale incidentally while paddling. And I think I’ll strip the lettering off of midships."

Same experience here with my Trillium. The trim is lovely, but definitely will benefit from a bit of sanding. The decals, to my eye, really don't do the boat justice, the lettering is too bold and the "font" has no class. I took all the decals off of mine, and glad I did. It's quite pleasing to the eye now ( gets lots of compliments; has been a great boon for my social life!).
 
I would advise against using steel wool as occasionally the tiny little bits can become embedded in the grain and rust… probably better to use sandpaper and wipe clean with a tack cloth. After the initial application I touch up using a green scotchBrite pad with watco oil. Just my 2¢…..
Have fun…. i’m sure you will enjoy the new boat!
 
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