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Reke0402
senior member (87)senior membersenior member
  
05/01/2018 06:23PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Need a little help for my up coming trip there will be 5 of us that need to rent canoes, since its an odd number are we better off getting a 3 and 2 man canoe or 2 2 man and a single? Have never used a 3 man before didnt know the advantages/disadvantages of a larger canoe like that
 
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andym
distinguished member(5340)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
05/01/2018 06:54PM  
Using a three person boat saves you one boat on portages. We've used both a MNIII on a trip and an SR Q18.5 on another. In both cases, we had the person in the middle paddling and not just sitting there as some suggest and we did great. Once the MNIII group figured out how to make the boat go straight, they were really fast. When we used the SRQ18.5, it was just a trip of three and we had a great time and no trouble carrying everything for a 10 day trip. I prefer the SRQ18.5 because I just like that hull better and also because it is shorter for carrying on twisty portages.
 
05/01/2018 08:14PM  
I own a MN 3 and love it. They are difficult to turn in tight swamp areas but on open lakes there are few canoes that will be faster and more efficient, if you know how to paddle. I would go with just two canoes for a group of 5 but we single portage. Also a single can be difficult in many ways too.
 
carmike
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05/02/2018 08:37AM  
I'd say go with two boats -- a 2 and a 3 man. But if someone is experienced in a solo or wants to give it a try, though, now would be a good time to give it a try.

You might also want to discuss fishing preferences (if you fish). There are more lures whizzing through the air to make me comfortable when three people are fishing in one canoe, so if doing a lot of casting is your thing and someone isn't willing to sit out, you might find three boats more amendable.
 
DonTony
member (9)member
  
05/02/2018 08:54AM  
If single portaging is a concern than you have to go with the 2 canoes.....i prefer the SR 18.5'...you can still turn it pretty well and the hull is a better design over the MNIII.....people love the MNIII but in my opinion it's the SR18.5' all the way. Fishing from the canoe can be a challenge with 3 guys in it. Trolling sucks...1 person is left out and casting baits can get tricky as well. But those are the trade offs for single portaging.

 
Reke0402
senior member (87)senior membersenior member
  
05/02/2018 09:12PM  
Thanks Guys
 
cyclones30
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05/02/2018 09:41PM  
I prefer the 3 person if an odd group number. Single portaging is easier among other things. This question gets debated here once a month it seems. Many other responses on old posts if you search.
 
campnfish
distinguished member (487)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/02/2018 10:47PM  
Id find a 6th person.
 
tumblehome
distinguished member(2911)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
05/03/2018 08:27AM  
MN III all the way.

It's a fantastic canoe. Using a solo with a tandem is not wise. Been there, done that. Even a strong feller in the solo is going to be going at full speed trying to keep up with two lillydipper paddlers in the tandem.

The tandem folks will always be 'waiting' for the solo guy to catch up. And the solo guy will never get to relax along the way.

My two pesos
 
yellowcanoe
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05/03/2018 12:41PM  
and if the solo guy has never manned a solo canoe, its going to be a frustrating experience for all.
Another vote for 3+2
And I am a soloist. Many solo trips.. Sometimes I can keep up with a weak tandem team.. strong tandem team...forgeddaboudit.
 
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