It is a pack canoe, a smallish boat with a low sheer line designed with the thought that the paddler would probably propel it with a double-bladed paddle. That is not to say that it wouldn't be possible to single blade it, but the cant of the seating surface in this promotional video suggests that it would not be the best to promote an upright posture which is best for a single-bladed paddle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqQDOVFCFt0
Pack canoes are intended primarily for protected inland waterways and the low sheer line will result in limited free board especially if the canoe is carrying any load. So it won't be the most sea worthy craft in waves.
And the boat is going to have a pretty limited carrying capacity. This is true of many 13' solo canoes but especially one designed to be paddled sitting. The seat and the paddlers legs are going to take up much of the usable length of the boat and any gear is going to have to be jammed into the narrow ends in front of or behind the thwarts. You might pack much lighter than I do, but I would have difficulty tripping for 4-5 days out of this boat.
A couple of words of caution regarding Old Town's roto-molded three layer poly hulls. First, I have weighed some of the larger OT Discoveries made with the same process and found that they came in significantly above their claimed weight. It is not unusual for makers to be overly optimistic regarding the spec weight of their canoes, but the Discovery boats I have weighed have typically been at least 5 lbs over. I also regard it as rather sneaky for Old Town to list a weight for the boat shown with the seat at 49 lbs, then find that the real (claimed) weight is 55 lbs. Second, contrary to what Johnson Outdoor's Marketing Manager said in the thread Alan cited, many of us know that Old Town's roto-molded three layer poly hulls are subject to deformation and hogging. I am not saying that all OT triple dump poly hulls do this, but I have seen literally hundreds that have. Perhaps this shorter boat will be more resistant to deformation.
I think the boat will fill a niche, especially now that the Royalex pack canoe offerings such as OT's Pack, or Wenonah's Fusion have disappeared. Old Town is probably smart to come out with it at this time. I think the boat is best suited for day tripping on easy rivers or other relatively sheltered inland waterways.
I think the objections voiced in the other thread were not so much directed at the boat design, but at Old Town's rather over-the-top marketing. They are pretending that this boat is something shockingly new and different. Well, it is a triple dump, roto-molded PE pack canoe and I suppose that is different. And it is going to be molded in different colors. And you can buy a rather inexpensive, entry level, double-bladed paddle with matching color blades. But that is just about where the "new" ends. Pack canoes with a low sheer designed to be paddled sitting have been around for a long time. Putting a sliding center seat in a canoe is nothing new. And tons of canoes have foot braces.
In another promo video we are told that the Next has "the solo paddling capabilities of a kayak...", as if this was the first solo canoe. Designer Bob McDonough boasts that "The original prototype on this one was wood-strip, so we brought in some of the old heritage of the brand to bring in the next Old Town boat." Give me a break, most makers have laid up a stripper prototype for many decades:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Q00tJaN9E
And some of the other advertising hype borders on the inane. Old Town touts the Next's "open cockpit design". Last time I checked, most canoes had an open cockpit design. I think the guy that hollowed out the first dugout invented that. Also that the Next is "lightweight for easy transport". Well, lightweight is a relative term but many of us would not consider a 55 lb, 13 foot canoe to be "light weight".
My impression is that the advertising is directed towards those who know little or nothing about canoes and are considering buying, or have in fact paddled a kayak, tempting them to try a canoe instead. If so, it is probably a good thing, and the Next may turn out to be a fine boat for those looking for a relatively inexpensive pack canoe, as long as they are prepared to deal with the weight penalty, and other limitations of a triple dump polyethylene boat. But for some of us who have been paddling canoes for a while, the reaction to some of OT's advertising hype is "gag me".