I'd like some opinions and thoughts or experience as to whether an Old Town Royalex 16' Penobscot or OT RX 15' Camper -- both the same price, condition and weight -- would be the better canoe for the following uses:
- Novice 110 lb. mother and 9 year old daughter in flatwater Florida. Daughter may want to horse around in the canoe like mother did when she was a kid, but mother now might be concerned about tipping over in gator water. They have no interest in speed and don't know what efficiency is.
- Experienced grandpa, who doesn't care much about speed either but does like efficiency, occasionally visits and paddles the canoe solo. Also wants to take granddaughter on day trips on narrow, twisty Florida springs and creeks, and eventually on canoe camping trips on long Florida rivers like the Suwannee, Peace and Santa Fe.
- Grandpa wants to teach mother and daughter tandem and solo heeled freestyle turns and other moves.
Here are the specs for the two canoes:
Penobscot 16 RX: 16-2L, 34W, 33WL, 21BH, 13.75D, 58lbs, 1100cap
Camper 15 RX: 14-10L, 36W, 35.5WL, 22BH, 13.5D, 57lbs, 820cap
Yeah, a lightweight composite canoe would be better but they're out of budget for this first canoe. I've paddled the Penobscot both solo and tandem and have my own opinion of it, but have never paddled the Camper (15 or 16), so I really would appreciate any thoughts on these two different hull shapes for the intended uses.
- Novice 110 lb. mother and 9 year old daughter in flatwater Florida. Daughter may want to horse around in the canoe like mother did when she was a kid, but mother now might be concerned about tipping over in gator water. They have no interest in speed and don't know what efficiency is.
- Experienced grandpa, who doesn't care much about speed either but does like efficiency, occasionally visits and paddles the canoe solo. Also wants to take granddaughter on day trips on narrow, twisty Florida springs and creeks, and eventually on canoe camping trips on long Florida rivers like the Suwannee, Peace and Santa Fe.
- Grandpa wants to teach mother and daughter tandem and solo heeled freestyle turns and other moves.
Here are the specs for the two canoes:
Penobscot 16 RX: 16-2L, 34W, 33WL, 21BH, 13.75D, 58lbs, 1100cap
Camper 15 RX: 14-10L, 36W, 35.5WL, 22BH, 13.5D, 57lbs, 820cap
Yeah, a lightweight composite canoe would be better but they're out of budget for this first canoe. I've paddled the Penobscot both solo and tandem and have my own opinion of it, but have never paddled the Camper (15 or 16), so I really would appreciate any thoughts on these two different hull shapes for the intended uses.
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