Swift Solo Canoe

[SquareTail]

Looking for opinions on the Keewaydin 15 vs Prospector 14 Kevlar fusion w/multi height seat... anyone paddle both? Use will be for 10-12 days long trips portaging and fly fishing; spin on windy days. Do I need the extra stability and extra room from the Prospector? Max pack weight 40 pounds, includes everything except the canoe. Most of my gear is from light weight hiking... tent, quilt, pad, etc. I weight 190 lbs. and a 40 lbs. pack works with both canoe's; maybe a little over kill for the Prospector. Also, no dog or any extra's, just me, food/camp/fishing gear. Thanks for any input.

 

[sweeper]

I have a Kee 15 and you won't do a lot of Flyfishing out of it. I also have a Prospector 16 that is a very stable canoe. I don't fish or pack seat.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Bear in mind larger canoes are more stable when solo. 16 foot Prospector won't handle same way 14 foot Prospector will.

Prospector will indeed spin on windy days.. Perhaps that is not what you want. Kee 15 is a nice stable flatwater boat. It's much like the old Merlin II . Just updated.

I did many miles on my old Merlin and especially when loaded it was rock stable even when switching from kneeling to sitting and vice versa.

The multi level seat on the Prospector is very nice. It allows you to lower your center of gravity and sit when things get tricky in wind. You may not need it if you routinely sit. Do you sit or kneel?

 

[frozentripper]

Difficult to predict preference from individual to individual since choice can be subjective, but the numbers for the Kee 15 suggest that it more closely matches the loading that you're going to be going with (Optimum Load Range: 120-260 lbs).

The Prospector's loading can be quite a bit higher, 150-400 lbs, so with time you might find that it's more of a problem to paddle in wind, with the extra flotation making it ride higher.

One of those subjective things that makes prediction difficult can be fly fishing... some anglers absolutely need to stand up to cast properly so their canoes will be wide with lots of primary stability. The surest option might be to rent one out and trying it under varying conditions and see if it matches your needs, or at least test-paddle... Swift in the Algonquin area might allow rental cost to be applied against purchase price, they will allow test-paddles for sure.

 

[gumpus]

Hey SquareTail, just a few comments. I've paddled a Kee15 and own an Osprey and Shearwater. One comment is that the brief Swift descriptions really do seem to characterize their boats. The Kee15 is called out for comfort and cruising performance. Part of the comfort is stability...it's quite stable for an efficient lake cruiser. It will cover miles (or kilometers) with little effort. Your load is indeed a perfect fit. It would be fine on wide and slow rivers but if you will be fishing in significant current it will get pushed around. The Shearwater is the only Swift solo called out for stability and it is very stable for a solo. My Shearwater is not my favorite when I paddle without the dog (total load 190 or less) but I love it with the dog (250-ish) and I bet it covers miles better than the Prospector, plus it's better on moving water than the Kee15. If you're anywhere near SW Michigan you're welcome to try my Shearwater. I also suggest that you contact Swift and get their opinion. Looking at their website it looks like you can also order a Kee15 with the seat pods that allow you to raise or lower the seat.

 

[SquareTail]

Thanks for the reply's. I like to sit paddling; the seat pod is the way to go. Low for travel or windy days (kayak paddle) and upper for calm days or fishing. I don't stand when fly casting from a canoe and I can cast right or left handed so no issues casting from sitting position. My concern with the Prospector 14 is what frozentripper stated about extra flotation and riding higher. At my total weight of 230 lbs the Keewaydin 15 makes more sense to me not having paddled either... guess I need to try both. Currently my Kaskazi Dorado sea kayak is what I am paddling. Pic is from a few years ago off Chatham, MA (cape cod). I don't paddle there anymore do to the great white sharks.