Souris River Quientco 17

[coldfeet]

Just picked up a used one this weekend up in the Adirondacks from St Regis Outfitters. 2011, 44lbs kevlar. Went winter hiking up Whiteface Mtn and somehow the wind just blew it on top of my car and even strapped it on. That's my story I will tell my wife when she see it in the garage with the other 6 boats! Will keep you updated or you will read about it on Craigs list

 

[Hanz]

Congrats on the new Canoe! From what I gather they have a loyal following. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[coldfeet]

Hanz, if it's nice out this Sunday I will take it for a paddle and stop by to say hello. Hope all is well.

 

[Odyssey]

I really like the looks and specs of those Quetico 17s. Congrats coldfeet. That's a nice tripper you've got there.

 

[ppine]

Could be the most beautiful modern canoe there is.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Don't agree with that but SR canoes are well enough made utility canoes. They can be difficult to fix and the bottom lasts about 200 days of scraping. We use them on the Wabakimi Project notwithstanding. Because of their price outfitters like them for an investment
I have a Wilderness 18 that needs a little tush love. I don't want to enter the fuzz stage with it and need to epoxy the bottom SR. uses epoxy. Not vinylester
There aren't as many layers of Kevlar on the bottom as I would like. But the bottom does not flex

Enjoy!

 

[memaquay]

I got one that had been in a car accident last year. Replaced all the aluminium on it. It's a nice big stable canoe, a good tripping canoe for big loads.

 

[coldfeet]

Don't agree with that but SR canoes are well enough made utility canoes. They can be difficult to fix and the bottom lasts about 200 days of scraping. We use them on the Wabakimi Project notwithstanding. Because of their price outfitters like them for an investment
I have a Wilderness 18 that needs a little tush love. I don't want to enter the fuzz stage with it and need to epoxy the bottom SR. uses epoxy. Not vinylester
There aren't as many layers of Kevlar on the bottom as I would like. But the bottom does not flex

Enjoy!

YC I read your post on the ADKForum a while back when someone asked about a lightweight tandem. I respect your opinion and picked up the boat from St Regis. It has the usual scratches but hopefully it will last many years because I'm guessing I will only use it a handful of times a year, especially with all of the other boats I now have. It was the weight that attracted me because once my wife starts hitting the sangria she is no help to me at all picking up the boat!
PS, did my nephew ever buy your sleeping bag?

 

[yellowcanoe]

"PS, did my nephew ever buy your sleeping bag?"

transaction was seamless.. I sent it UPS on a Thursday afternoon and it was delivered Fri..! I know its only 140 miles but I have seen things take longer from 35 miles. I havent heard of the two of them going winter camping yet.

 

[coldfeet]

Haven't heard about any trips from him yet. Possibly because he is still under all that snow in Boston. Hope to take the SR out tomorrow with a friend.

 

[coldfeet]

White spots keep showing up on hull after being used? So I googled this and read about "blush." sounds like some mineral deposits and blah blah blah. A few weeks ago I spent hours cleaning off a sticky substance off a royalex boat with dentured alcohol and now I need to varnish this boat with a sealer as per others ideas. Will do more research first. Boat paddled well and the wife and I hope to use it for the 3rd weekend in a row. Also have to place a small patch on the inside.

 

[BWCA66]

I rented one of these this past weekend for a 5 day trip in the BWCA, it was a brand new one from an outfitter. Handled well enough but best when it had a load in it. Didn't like using it solo without anything else in it. Also, was not completely impressed with the workmanship as there were some pretty rough edges around the float tank and a lot of places where you could see epoxy runs. Might be I'm just too critical. I did find it interesting that the "ribs" are only on the bottom and that the seats were just screwed in from the side with a small bracket but it seemed stiff and sound. Overall I think it would made a good tripping craft.

 

[charlie wilson]

Souris River makes decent working boats, adding a fourth layer of Kev to increase longevity. They are not masterpieces of design and so are without differential rocker and tumblehome. They are not current state of the manufacturing art; they are RES hand wet out and wet bagged, with cross ribs, aluminum rails, etc. They are ten pounds over the best boats in class and their marketing claims are insane. All that said, they are rugged, relatively light, hulls that get the job done for those not expecting finesse.

 

[Quinn]

When looking at a boat rented from an outfitter, it's always a good idea to remember that canoe companies often sell cosmetic seconds to outfitters. So, while most of the boats outfitters buy have no blemishes, every now and again you get one with a few flaws.

A lot of people love the Quetico line. It offers a big stable platform that is easy to keep in a straight line and is very seaworthy. They essentially take the best qualities of a Grumman and put it in a 44lb package. I'd say that the best canoe design is the one you personally enjoy paddling the most, and for a good number of people that's a Quetico 17.

Quinn

 

[coldfeet]

Well if my wife didn't complain AFTER the 3rd weekend in a row paddling then it is the best canoe for us! She also didn't complain when she offered to help me lift it off the boat and then carry it to the garage. I'm guessing she felt sorry for me after unloading the royalex boat that i lent out. I asked her last night if she liked the boat, "yea, it's ok." Well that is PRICELESS. We even took our youngest daughter in it (19yo) and was able to enjoy our Basha Kiill trip this weekend. Will post report tonight. I did see a year old Bell Northwoods (think that was it), beautiful boat, wood rails and they do a lot of paddling in Brooklyn at Gateway national park. But the boat weighs app 50lbs and you know the cost. I sent pics to Souris and will try a little clean up, doesn't really bother me just wondered about it. I'm sure i will always second guess myself but that's life.

 

[Dagger]

Souris River makes decent working boats, adding a fourth layer of Kev to increase longevity. They are not masterpieces of design and so are without differential rocker and tumblehome. They are not current state of the manufacturing art; they are RES hand wet out and wet bagged, with cross ribs, aluminum rails, etc. They are ten pounds over the best boats in class and their marketing claims are insane. All that said, they are rugged, relatively light, hulls that get the job done for those not expecting finesse.

Hi Charlie,
Can you elaborate on some SP marketing claims you find objectionable?
Just the other day I e-mailed one of the SR sales outfits (they have a rental feet of SR as well), and the person I conversed with, not only talked SR up (to be expected), the person also had not much, or rather nothing, good to say about Swift or Nova Craft for that matter. Understated canoe weights, and the use of gel coat to cover up imperfections and thereby adding useless weight...etc.

I am looking for the perfect (right...) tripping canoe you know, and Souris River canoes were on my short list for 90+% flat water tripping with two adults and two kids plus gear. Many of the locations we frequent also have rocky shore lines. On top of it, I am not the most careful person, so a certain robustness will be required. I had/have Nova Craft on my list as well, and Swift, but I feel Swifts might be too delicate.
Any input is appreciated.

 

[sweeper]

Dagger we saw 4 racks for a total of 24 SR canoes at Bell Lake in Killarney PP. Everywhere in Killarney there are rocks, rocks with white scrap marks even on the Carries The canoes on the rack show the sign of those rocks. Even a careful as we were with my new canoe we put several scratches in it.
Killarney Outfitter does a great job of refinishing those canoes for resale, they look like new.

They also make an 18.5' for your 2+2 & gear

 

[yellowcanoe]

I have had several Swift Canoes and one Souris River. Mainly because the SR was at a deep discount and our 20 year old Odyssey had had several run ins with rocks head on..

I really dislike any mfr that bashes another mfr. Gel coat does have an abrasion resistance function. The Swifts are slower now that they have 25 years of scratches but the gel coat is intact, but the 10 year old SR needs a new skin coat.

On the Wabakimi Project the baggage handlers are not gentle sometimes and a SR had a lot of damage on being hurled from the train.. The tanks broke entirely ( note that they do not have relief plugs.That is a big error but not a factor in this case. We drilled plugs for our SR before we took it to 12000 feet where it surely would have exploded in the heat)

The SR tends to have a floppy bottom with the Flexible Rib system.. Worse one of our ribs is starting to pop free at one end..

Swift and Colden make the stiffest canoes around and my yellowcanoe ( a '93 Swift Heron) attests to that. Its been dropped and abused. I am hard on boats and my husband folded it up around a strainer. We poppled off the gunwales, the hull sprang back to shape and we rerailed the craft. Its still in fine shape

Outfitters like the SR because they are relatively inexpensive and a good ROI for a crowd that will not baby them. Kind of like kayak rentals leaning toward poly boats cause they are cheap and utilitarian for what they need.

I laugh at the SR sales rep thoughts on gel coat. You cannot cover a canoe in gel coat to hide imperfections. The gel coat goes in the mold FIRST. Then the other layers are put on.

SR uses outdated technology which there is nothing inherently wrong with aside from effects of hand bagging on the respiratory system and the resulting variance in final weights from boat to boat.

Infusion bagging like Swift uses is a much more environmentally friendly and precise method of adding resin to fabric.

 

[Dagger]

Dagger we saw 4 racks for a total of 24 SR canoes at Bell Lake in Killarney PP. Everywhere in Killarney there are rocks, rocks with white scrap marks even on the Carries The canoes on the rack show the sign of those rocks. Even a careful as we were with my new canoe we put several scratches in it.
Killarney Outfitter does a great job of refinishing those canoes for resale, they look like new.

They also make an 18.5' for your 2+2 & gear

The actually have an 18.5 UL Kevlar Quetico for sale right now...

 

[Dagger]

I have had several Swift Canoes and one Souris River. Mainly because the SR was at a deep discount and our 20 year old Odyssey had had several run ins with rocks head on..

I really dislike any mfr that bashes another mfr. Gel coat does have an abrasion resistance function. The Swifts are slower now that they have 25 years of scratches but the gel coat is intact, but the 10 year old SR needs a new skin coat.

On the Wabakimi Project the baggage handlers are not gentle sometimes and a SR had a lot of damage on being hurled from the train.. The tanks broke entirely ( note that they do not have relief plugs.That is a big error but not a factor in this case. We drilled plugs for our SR before we took it to 12000 feet where it surely would have exploded in the heat)

The SR tends to have a floppy bottom with the Flexible Rib system.. Worse one of our ribs is starting to pop free at one end..

Swift and Colden make the stiffest canoes around and my yellowcanoe ( a '93 Swift Heron) attests to that. Its been dropped and abused. I am hard on boats and my husband folded it up around a strainer. We poppled off the gunwales, the hull sprang back to shape and we rerailed the craft. Its still in fine shape

Outfitters like the SR because they are relatively inexpensive and a good ROI for a crowd that will not baby them. Kind of like kayak rentals leaning toward poly boats cause they are cheap and utilitarian for what they need.

I laugh at the SR sales rep thoughts on gel coat. You cannot cover a canoe in gel coat to hide imperfections. The gel coat goes in the mold FIRST. Then the other layers are put on.

SR uses outdated technology which there is nothing inherently wrong with aside from effects of hand bagging on the respiratory system and the resulting variance in final weights from boat to boat.

Infusion bagging like Swift uses is a much more environmentally friendly and precise method of adding resin to fabric.

It was not SR that did the bashing, but rater the outfitter (not Killarney) that has a fleet of SRs and sells them used or new. I apologize if I made that confusing.

I am glad to hear good things about Swift. I did think they have the more advanced manufacturing technique.

What is your take on epoxy vs. other resins?
Is epoxy really that much better at wetting fibers, resulting in a better bond?
What does Swift use?