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New Swift Prospector 15 Solo - Specs?
- Thread starter Moonman
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2017
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I had a very productive phone conversation with Bill Swift today. He let me know that there will be a multitude of seat options available for the P15S and that the base seat pod height target will likely be around 10", with other options being pack seats and gunnel-hung seats for lower and higher options.
Bill said that they will absolutely do gunnel-hung on the integral carbon/kevlar gunnels, but it needs to be specified at time of order because they do a slightly different layup process to add strength. This would obviously allow the height to be set wherever you please, starting at around 12" from the floor if I am reading the spec correctly.
Speaking of strength, if you are a heavier paddler like me, Swift will do a "robust" build for $200 that includes a beefier rib system and seat. I alluded to wanting to trade some of their renowned light weight for layup strength, and he indicated that doing so was certainly possible as a custom order.
If I can get a P15S in an Expedition "Plus" epoxy layup, with big boy seating hung at 11" on solid rib structure. . . . It might be the one. Definitely expensive, but might be darn near perfect for my intended usage. Ruby exterior with cherry trim, comingle interior and Red Leaf outfitting: mmmm. . . . Gonna have to pick up a side job or three. . .
Bill said that they will absolutely do gunnel-hung on the integral carbon/kevlar gunnels, but it needs to be specified at time of order because they do a slightly different layup process to add strength. This would obviously allow the height to be set wherever you please, starting at around 12" from the floor if I am reading the spec correctly.
Speaking of strength, if you are a heavier paddler like me, Swift will do a "robust" build for $200 that includes a beefier rib system and seat. I alluded to wanting to trade some of their renowned light weight for layup strength, and he indicated that doing so was certainly possible as a custom order.
If I can get a P15S in an Expedition "Plus" epoxy layup, with big boy seating hung at 11" on solid rib structure. . . . It might be the one. Definitely expensive, but might be darn near perfect for my intended usage. Ruby exterior with cherry trim, comingle interior and Red Leaf outfitting: mmmm. . . . Gonna have to pick up a side job or three. . .
Update:
I went to Swift's demo day at Rutabaga yesterday and paddled the P15 Solo.
Double blade, beaver tail, and bent shaft, the craft was pleasant to paddle. I actually much preferred the single blades over the double, which is not always the case with the boats I have paddled.
The good:
This boat paddles great. Just me or loaded with an extra couple water bags, it was a VERY pleasurable paddling experience. I was very surprised at how well it tracked, given how easily I could slip around the dock corners. Hit-and-switch style, it was not difficult to get 5-6 strokes on a side without undue yaw. The P15S definitely doesn't pivot like my SuperNova, but, well, not much does.
They had demo boats with multi-pods, regular pods, and pack seats. I paddled the multi-pod the most, with the seat on "high". This put the bottom of the front seat rail 8.25" above the center and the top of the rear rail right at 10". This was a good height for kneeling and sitting. I could stand for it to be another 1/2" or so higher, but it was infinitely better than the Canoecopia version. The low setting takes it down to about 4" under the front and 5.5" on top of the rear. This makes the boat CRAZY stable. felt like my Tripper, almost. If you plan to use the low setting, just buy the "tall" version of their pack seats. Its way more comfortable. If I order this canoe, I will ask for the multi-pod setup without the lower pods. I appreciated how much stiffer the multi-pod system made the tumblehome. It was quite noticeable over the standard pod setup. Picture to show structure:
The standard pod setup put the front seat rail about 6.5" above the floor. Skinnier people than me might find this preferable. I did not.
The layups were gorgeous, as expected. Fit and finish were perfect. Swift was delivering a lot of customer boats, so you could see lots of different finsh and trim combinations. Which brings me to...
The not-as-good-as-hoped:
While looking at the P15S, the Dragonfly15, and the P14 side by side, it was apparent that the P15S was the shallowest of the three. Which was odd to me, since the specs on the website have the P15S as 14" center shear. Looking further, there was also a difference in shear between the gunwale systems, with carbon/kevlar being deeper than aluminum and cherry. I measured the shear at the yoke point via tape and straight edge.
Dragonfly15 carbon/kevlar: 13.5"
P14 carbon/kevlar: 12.25"
P15S carbon/kevlar: 12.25"
P15S aluminum or cherry: 11.25"
This was not a pleasant surprise for a boat that is listed as 14" and typed as a river boat.
I talked to Bill about this and he said that the gunwale discrepancy is typical across all boats. As far as the 14" spec, he said they would change the website. I told him it was glad I had not ordered a $6k, 14" deep cherry-trim boat at Canoecopia, as nearly 3" of difference would have resulted in a delivery refusal. As it is, I will have to do some research. Esquif recently added 1.5" to their Echo just so it would be a better river boat. (Echo 2.0)
All-in-all, it was a great day. The P15S is a great boat. I dont know if I will buy one with an 11.25" center depth. It has LOTS of buoyancy, which leaves a good bit freeboard. Me and 80 pounds of water were probably only drafting 2.5-3".
I guess I will wait and see what Northstar cooks up. Rumor has it that they are giving the burly solo a second shot in 2026 after scrapping their 2025 effort.
I went to Swift's demo day at Rutabaga yesterday and paddled the P15 Solo.
Double blade, beaver tail, and bent shaft, the craft was pleasant to paddle. I actually much preferred the single blades over the double, which is not always the case with the boats I have paddled.
The good:
This boat paddles great. Just me or loaded with an extra couple water bags, it was a VERY pleasurable paddling experience. I was very surprised at how well it tracked, given how easily I could slip around the dock corners. Hit-and-switch style, it was not difficult to get 5-6 strokes on a side without undue yaw. The P15S definitely doesn't pivot like my SuperNova, but, well, not much does.
They had demo boats with multi-pods, regular pods, and pack seats. I paddled the multi-pod the most, with the seat on "high". This put the bottom of the front seat rail 8.25" above the center and the top of the rear rail right at 10". This was a good height for kneeling and sitting. I could stand for it to be another 1/2" or so higher, but it was infinitely better than the Canoecopia version. The low setting takes it down to about 4" under the front and 5.5" on top of the rear. This makes the boat CRAZY stable. felt like my Tripper, almost. If you plan to use the low setting, just buy the "tall" version of their pack seats. Its way more comfortable. If I order this canoe, I will ask for the multi-pod setup without the lower pods. I appreciated how much stiffer the multi-pod system made the tumblehome. It was quite noticeable over the standard pod setup. Picture to show structure:
The standard pod setup put the front seat rail about 6.5" above the floor. Skinnier people than me might find this preferable. I did not.
The layups were gorgeous, as expected. Fit and finish were perfect. Swift was delivering a lot of customer boats, so you could see lots of different finsh and trim combinations. Which brings me to...
The not-as-good-as-hoped:
While looking at the P15S, the Dragonfly15, and the P14 side by side, it was apparent that the P15S was the shallowest of the three. Which was odd to me, since the specs on the website have the P15S as 14" center shear. Looking further, there was also a difference in shear between the gunwale systems, with carbon/kevlar being deeper than aluminum and cherry. I measured the shear at the yoke point via tape and straight edge.
Dragonfly15 carbon/kevlar: 13.5"
P14 carbon/kevlar: 12.25"
P15S carbon/kevlar: 12.25"
P15S aluminum or cherry: 11.25"
This was not a pleasant surprise for a boat that is listed as 14" and typed as a river boat.
I talked to Bill about this and he said that the gunwale discrepancy is typical across all boats. As far as the 14" spec, he said they would change the website. I told him it was glad I had not ordered a $6k, 14" deep cherry-trim boat at Canoecopia, as nearly 3" of difference would have resulted in a delivery refusal. As it is, I will have to do some research. Esquif recently added 1.5" to their Echo just so it would be a better river boat. (Echo 2.0)
All-in-all, it was a great day. The P15S is a great boat. I dont know if I will buy one with an 11.25" center depth. It has LOTS of buoyancy, which leaves a good bit freeboard. Me and 80 pounds of water were probably only drafting 2.5-3".
I guess I will wait and see what Northstar cooks up. Rumor has it that they are giving the burly solo a second shot in 2026 after scrapping their 2025 effort.
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- Joined
- Jun 22, 2017
- Messages
- 1,315
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Sorry I missed you yesterday. The one I paddled had a fixed seat in high position and footbrsce and I really liked the boat a lot although it's not what I'm looking for at this time. I only had 185-190 in the boat. Bill told me he almost brought a Starfire; I'm sorry he didn't for your sake although I think a Swift Starfire would make me drool.
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Haha, I should have put a post up on here. We had to have seen each other unless you got there after 3p or in and out while I was at lunch. I was the biggest guy with green pants, a black hoodie, and a mustache. I'm actually not confident you dont have my legs in the top right of your photo, but I dont remember holding anything except my paddles... the legs look skinny, too
I had asked Bill about bringing a Starfire back at Canoecopia, but he apparently didn't remember. I dont fault him for that.
Well, sorry I missed ya!
I agree, the Starfire is worth a shot for @Tryin'
And they are awfully purdy no matter the make.
Although perhaps still not deep enough for him. I think the Swift version seems shallower than the Bell version’s 13.5” but haven’t measured them side by side.
Seems pretty dry to me in smaller class II though.
Caribou S is rated at 14” so might be an alternative.
