Need advice on a used Kevlar canoe

[Penns Woods]

I found this 17' Old Town Canadienne canoe in Kevlar on Craigslist and would like to hear an opinion any of you may have on it. I intend to use it mostly solo canoe camping on lakes in Adirondacks. I don't have much experience with Kevlar, is there anything I should look out for in a used Kevlar canoe? The pictures seem to show that it may have been stored outdoors most of its life. Also, can anyone tell me how stable or tippy a Canadienne is? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[M Clemens]

I had the 16 foot kevlar Canadienne, 1985, and thought it stable enough, but my wife disagreed. It was very sensitive to wind and about 6 pounds heavier than published weight. I only tried to solo it once, and it was quite a handful, but I am rather small in stature. If you are referring to the Canadienne in Seneca Falls NY, yeah, it was stored outside and not well cared for judging from the plethora of low quality patches on the hull. I know we are in a new era of boat pricing, but I would have gifted that one to an ambitious paddler with the time and energy to do a nice restoration.

 

[Penns Woods]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, that is the canoe I was considering. I know almost nothing about Kevlar but from the pictures even I could see some red flags with the condition of the hull. I was hoping that with some TLC I might get a few years out of it. At 73 not sure how many trips are left in me. Thanks again.