New Swift Prospector 15 Solo - Specs?

[NikonF5user]

My idea of a linebacker solo:
15'6"-16'6"-ish length.
2" front rocker, symmetrical or 1.5" rear.
28/29" gunwale width
30-32" max width
29" width 3" waterline
10"+ seat gap to floor
19"/14"/16" shear, bring it all up an inch if the shoulder needs lifted to get the seat high enough.
280-290# 3" waterline

Rockstar Solo Canoe – Lightweight, Spacious, and Ready for Mild Whitewater

The Rockstar Canoe is a lightweight solo canoe built for mild whitewater and calm waters alike. Spacious design perfect for gear and adventurous paddling.

redfeather.com

 

[Tryin']

Rockstar Solo Canoe – Lightweight, Spacious, and Ready for Mild Whitewater

The Rockstar Canoe is a lightweight solo canoe built for mild whitewater and calm waters alike. Spacious design perfect for gear and adventurous paddling.

redfeather.com

Maybe I'm crazy (and definitely ignorant) but what needs to happen to get the weight specs up? Are my wish-list specs too optimistic? Where are these optimum weight rating coming from? Yes, the answer is displacement. But how can we optimize that displacement to produce a good hull? (Uh-oh, I think I see where the draw to build your own starts to take root. . . )

Take the Rockstar from Redfeather: 320# top optimum? That's not a big boy tripper, that's a day boat.



Compared to the Swift P15 Solo:


I think that's why I'm frustrated with the Swift P15 Solo: The specs looked SO good. And then it fit like a NW solo or a Phoenix. Maybe it really is just the seat position, maybe getting it up to the shear will bring all the benefits and not result in a turtle-prone experience. Maybe a do-all solo tripper for a tall 350-400# optimum load is just too fine a hair to split with all of the other options out there. Maybe I just whine a lot. . .

I'm going to email Swift and ask if they will hang a seat from the gunwale. I know some manufactures with heavy tumblehome/shoulders won't because of the high bend stress involved.

 

[Alan Gage]

I would guess that "optimum load range" is one of those specs that needs to be taken with a grain of salt and I can certainly see how it would muddy the waters.

Here are the specs on the Raven. Maybe @memaquay could chime in as to how it performed at different loads and paddling conditions to help with frame of reference.

 

[tketcham]

I'm going to email Swift and ask if they will hang a seat from the gunwale.

We ordered our P13 with wood drops for kneeling that hung from the Carbon/Kevlar gunnels. No pods. We specified the clearance from the bottom of the canoe to the bottom of the seat and they cut the drops accordingly. Did a nice job of forming the drops to the gunnels. With the additional mid-height on the P15 you should be able to get the clearance you're wanting. One thing to add is that our individual weights are under 150 lbs so there may be other considerations.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I like the way Clipper gives weight limits.

Caribou S

A classically designed solo canoe well suited for a wide range of paddling conditions. The Caribou S is Clipper's highest volume solo canoe.

www.clippercanoes.com

Take note of the 10" freeboard weight listed for the Solitude, which by my reckoning is pretty accurate and I suspect would translate to the Caribou S....

Solitude

The Solitude provides versatility for a wide range of solo paddlers. As with all Jensen designed canoes, it is fast and tracks well. It is harder to turn than the Packer but responds well when leaned.

www.clippercanoes.com

 

[memaquay]

I started out in the Osprey, which many people here are familiar with in one incarnation or the other. I ended up carrying chainsaws, gas, large food barrels, plus my own considerable bulk. Once overloaded, The Osprey became a dog in fast water, quite hard to turn. I think it would be pretty hard to overload the Raven. At my heaviest I was 230 lbs, plus chainsaws, canvas tents, tools, etc, probably a total load of around 350 pounds. It retained its agility in big open water and fast water. Plus it's 14 inches deep at the centre. I feel that is the perfect height for a work/solo canoe.

The Caribou has a similar size, but not as much rocker, and it is symmetrical. Those clipper canoes are nicely priced compared to the swifts, but you will not be getting a canoe that weighs in at the same poundage as a sack of groceries.

 

[NikonF5user]

Take the Rockstar from Redfeather: 320# top optimum? That's not a big boy tripper, that's a day boat.

I've been trying to find old Bell data about the Rockstar and loads - this is what's published:

Displacement:
2: WL: 170 lbs
3: WL: 250 lbs
4: WL: 340 lbs

 

[Moonman]

The Ashes Solo Trip looks like it might offer the specs you are looking for…but yeah you’d have to build it..

Statistics​

Length
Length Over All	15’0″	4.57 m
Length on the Waterline	14’4″	4.37 m
Beam
Beam Over All	33″	84 cm
Beam on the Waterline	30″	76 cm
Beam at the Gunnels	29″	73.5 cm
Rocker
Rocker – Aft	1″	2.5 cm
Rocker – Fore	2″	5 cm
Height
Height – Stern	15″	38 cm
Height – Midships	12″	30 cm
Height – Bow	18″	46 cm
Displacement
Displacement at 2.5″	160 lbs	73 kg
Displacement at 3.0″	210 lbs	95 kg

[th]
THE SOLO TRIP

[/th][th]
IMPERIAL

[/th][th]
METRIC

[/th]

 

[Steve in Idaho]

My idea of a linebacker solo:
15'6"-16'6"-ish length.
2" front rocker, symmetrical or 1.5" rear.
28/29" gunwale width
30-32" max width
29" width 3" waterline
10"+ seat gap to floor
19"/14"/16" shear, bring it all up an inch if the shoulder needs lifted to get the seat high enough.
280-290# 3" waterline

Did anyone mention the Dragonfly 15 yet? 6" short by your standard, but looks like it's in the ballpark.

• Length: 15'
• Gunwale Width: 27"
• Maximum Width: 30"
• Waterline Width: 28"
• Centre Depth: 14"
• Bow Height: 21"
• Stern Height: 18.5
• Bow Rocker: 2.5
• Stern Rocker: 2

• Optimum Load Range:180 - 360 lbs

 

[Tryin']

Did anyone mention the Dragonfly 15 yet? 6" short by your standard, but looks like it's in the ballpark.

• Length: 15'
• Gunwale Width: 27"
• Maximum Width: 30"
• Waterline Width: 28"
• Centre Depth: 14"
• Bow Height: 21"
• Stern Height: 18.5
• Bow Rocker: 2.5
• Stern Rocker: 2
• Optimum Load Range:180 - 360 lbs

Great suggestion! Buttttt,

That was LAST year's disappointment...
I was set to buy a copy of Jeremy Vore's at canoecopia and Bill told me that it would be great empty, but it wouldnt be right for a tripping load. Thats when he first hinted at the upcoming P15 Solo. He also asked if I had paddled a Starfire, which i still have not.

Apparently I need a:
Dragonfly 16
Polaris solo
SRT XL
P15 Solo Deep
River Encounter

The reality is, I could probably MAKE a lot of these boats work. Some mods here, a special order there... and it would be close enough. I mean, my first solo was an OT Tripper conversion and last year I took an Encounter down the Namekagon... Most all of them will float well enough. I guess I have been taken by the allure of "perfect" over "it'll do".

 

[Gamma1214]

I don't know if you're planning to attend WPSCR in Butler this year, but I could easily drag the Raven over so you could toss it & your gear in their pond.

 

[Tryin']

I don't know if you're planning to attend WPSCR in Butler this year, but I could easily drag the Raven over so you could toss it & your gear in their pond.

Hey, thats a great idea. I will have to see if I can get the schedules lined up.

 

[NikonF5user]

Great suggestion! Buttttt,

That was LAST year's disappointment...
I was set to buy a copy of Jeremy Vore's at canoecopia and Bill told me that it would be great empty, but it wouldnt be right for a tripping load. Thats when he first hinted at the upcoming P15 Solo. He also asked if I had paddled a Starfire, which i still have not.

Apparently I need a:
Dragonfly 16
Polaris solo
SRT XL
P15 Solo Deep
River Encounter

The reality is, I could probably MAKE a lot of these boats work. Some mods here, a special order there... and it would be close enough. I mean, my first solo was an OT Tripper conversion and last year I took an Encounter down the Namekagon... Most all of them will float well enough. I guess I have been taken by the allure of "perfect" over "it'll do".

I sadly found the StarFIRE a bit less than enticing when paddling one on the Yukon in '24 - which was particularly disconcerting as I absolutely love the WildFIRE - but for someone carrying a bigger load than I often do, the StarFIRE would be a great fit. There really is no other boat quite like the StarFIRE, and I am sure you can still get a new one from Swift.

I believe it may have already been mentioned, but Northstar will make the Polaris as a solo, and while I do not know for sure, I wouldn't be surprised if you could convince Redfeather to make you a solo Ursa Minor (which is the same as the old Bell Northstar, the ancestor of today's Northstar Polaris and my favorite-ever tandem). The Ursa Minor / Bell Northstar has an optimal load of 250-550, so it would easily handle anything a solo paddler could throw at it...

 

[Tryin']

I sadly found the StarFIRE a bit less than enticing when paddling one on the Yukon in '24 - which was particularly disconcerting as I absolutely love the WildFIRE - but for someone carrying a bigger load than I often do, the StarFIRE would be a great fit. There really is no other boat quite like the StarFIRE, and I am sure you can still get a new one from Swift.

I believe it may have already been mentioned, but Northstar will make the Polaris as a solo, and while I do not know for sure, I wouldn't be surprised if you could convince Redfeather to make you a solo Ursa Minor (which is the same as the old Bell Northstar, the ancestor of today's Northstar Polaris and my favorite-ever tandem). The Ursa Minor / Bell Northstar has an optimal load of 250-550, so it would easily handle anything a solo paddler could throw at it...

Yes, so far, the Polaris is the closest to ideal I have used. I would like it a bit narrower in the paddle station, as I do not find heeled-over paddling to be my strong suit. I will look at the Ursa Minor, great suggestion.