“If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley area, I would be happy to give you couple. Your posts around the web have been the inspiration for my Phoenix Vagabond solo conversion”
Ash, arrgghhhh, my wife and son were camped at Hickory Run last weekend, probably close enough. Maybe next time.
What I really want to hear about is your Phoenix Vagabond soloization. Horrible tandem, decent solo and a fine poor-man’s decked canoe with a raised center seat. With the very low stern it is trim finicky, especially in following waves, but it downwind sails nimbly.
Tell me more. What seat did you install? Rudder, foot pedals, outfitting? Photos!
Mostly, where have you paddled it and how do you like it?
I had been on the look out for a Kruger, but had never paddled one, and the vagabond seemed close enough for me to not know what I was missing. I found a kevlar one that I missed out on in southern New York, then I the one I have in Northern NJ at the peak of the first wave of Covid for $400. With the premiums people were asking it was the best price per pound I could find for a solo canoe.
I'm primarily a flat water paddler. Never done the sailing so the following waves aren't a bother, yet... I do worry since I am 250 lbs, but haven't had an issue. I came across your posts after I got this boat and now I am regularly trolling the web trying to track down an Optima or something with a bit more volume and freeboard.
It needed the hull painted as it had been stored upside down outside and handling it made me itchy. I haven't done much otherwise.
I removed the molded front seat, turned it on its side, and bolted it back in to use as a fore thwart/foot brace. Turns out it is pretty ergonomic and the front lip of the seat makes a nice handle for getting the boat on my shoulder. There is just enough room to squeeze two 30l barrels under the deck in front.
For the seat, I dismantled a stadium seat from walmart, attaching the back to the bottom to use as a riser then attached a new back made out of a PVC ergonomic office chair adapter trying to mimic those seats you see on the fishing kayaks. It is very comfortable and gives me enough height, although It could be a touch higher. I have a low profile indoor outdoor rug I used to slide boats when car topping them. I toss that into the empty hull of the boat and my seat sits on top. The rug keeps it from marring the boat and from sliding and I can adjust fore or aft for trim or if I need to stretch my legs.
I am still looking for suitable float bags and will need to add some internal rigging for storage, but otherwise I have been enjoying the boat immensely. I can paddle circles around the rotomolded fishing kayaks with a single blade, and awe the locals at the boat launch when I shoulder and rooftop its mere 45 lbs.
I am on the fence about installing a rudder. I can get it to track well enough with a bent shaft racing style paddle when i concentrate on my stroke and switch every five or so. It definitely doesn't glide straight and probably would do better with some ballast. If I do install a rudder I want a K1 racing tiller style control because I prefer having a foot board to pegs. This boat, however, is sleek and light as an empty hull so I might leave it bare. I primarily do day trips for now so i'll likely just keep looking for another boat, hopefully a Loon or Monarch, which will already have the rudder and rigging. I would take a second Vagabond. They would be fun to catamaran. Supposedly, Phoenix offered a carbon fiber layup.
Speaking of another boat, this probably deserves its own post, but I believe I just acquired a 15-foot Hyperform tandem decked river canoe. The seats are glassed in at gunnel height and it has a lot of rocker with stubby old-school bow and stern. They only had pictures of the cockpit on FB marketplace so I snatched it up thinking it would be an Optima for $50. There are no maker marks, but it appears to be a fiberglass/nylon layup with the same style wood keelson as on your Optima so my best guess is same maker. It is in terrible shape but might be fun for river floats where the Vagabond would be too fragile.
