Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Which solo canoe should I get?
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JKruger13 |
I liked how one user in a forum put it that for performance, 80% of it is the same and the rest of 20% is tradeoffs. Canoes are also basically like bikes. You can choose a mountain bike to go off-road or a road bike to go fast. You can't expect a bike to perform well on opposite sides of the spectrum. The trade off with canoes is maneuverability and speed. A prism seems more versatile has a little more maneuverability but is slightly slower and voyager is vice versa. From doing some research, both has great reviews from paddling.com but the dilemma for me is trying to pick the 'perfect' or 'right' canoe for me. The voyager is longer so it would harder to turn but I heard no complaints or issues about this in the reviews. Reviews in a nutshell: Voyager: Its fast, it does exactly what it says it can do, some good results from trying in rougher waters, might not handle wind well. Prism: Great on flat water, somewhat fast, initial stability might not be good, turning is ok, can handle some faster waters but not whitewater. To me, I don't see turning a problem, its just keeping it straight. I don't understand all the concerns for maneuverability. If it takes less effort to keep it straight, there will be a better paddling experience for me. When I paddle, I like to go faster than a leisurely pace like most people do so I might have a thrill with a faster canoe. On the other hand, I also like versatility. If it can do a little but of everything then I will happy if circumstances changes. I know specs aren't everything and the best way to find out is to try it out myself but what do you guys think? |
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yellowcanoe |
Which canoe? Ehh we all develop preferences over time . It really does not matter. But get a solo matched to your size.. too wide and your stroke suffers. Seats are fiddleable with.. The reason you liked the kayak paddle is you had a instant brace on each side. Beware the canoe police LOL. Its all good. |
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Wick |
I fell out of that sucker every 10 feet for the first hour. Mad that i spent that money! I paddled for a couple more hours, and grabbed a kayak paddle. That thing hauls butt! When i got the seat adjusted and quit falling over,,it was great! I now like the prism, and am impatient for warm weather again. As soon as i relaxed and my waist got looser,,i quit falling out. |
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MagicPaddler |
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mapsguy1955 |
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nctry |
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MReid |
Turning with all these straight keel-lined boats is different from a rockered boat and comes primarily from leaning the boat to shorten the waterline and produce rocker. You won't be making bow eddy turns in any of them! For flat water and open rivers, they're all adequately maneuverable with the right paddler. For rock gardens you'll have some difficulty. For tight slow streams, they require more effort, but get the job done. I really enjoy paddling fast and tightly hugging shorelines, using the lean to steer--you can get the stern to slew around nicely. |
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Ole496 |
Magic is not a do it all type of boat per se, it's a lake traveler. If you want a compromise on both sides, the Wilderness or the Northwind Solo are just fine. They are very usable for either type of water. If you want more speed and travel lakes more, then the prism or Magic would be better. If you are paddling streams and creeks more often but still want something usable on the lake, the Phoenix or Argosy might suit you better. If you want flat out blazing speed on the water, then the Advantage, Magic, Prism or Voyager would be towards the top of the list but they wouldn't do as well on smaller streams. I love my Magic and I'll paddle this anywhere if I have to until I get another boat. When it comes to compromises, you have to find a watercraft that you truly love that gives you the most of the main attributes you want and then you learn to overcome their deficiencies in other areas. It sounds like you want a faster canoe. That's where I was and went with a Magic. It paddles so nice and it covers more water than I expected it would. The next closest canoe on my wish list was an Advantage. Man, there is just something about the lines of that canoe. It just looks fast sitting on shore. It looks like the Savage Blackwater only much more affordable. I think you should do what I did and get something fast that tracks straight. Enjoy the speed then learn to make it turn. I have to admit I still struggle to turn that Magic but I like that it keeps on course. It's easier to make a straight tracking canoe turn then it is to make a maneuverable canoe go faster. |
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TomT |
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bwcasolo |
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Lailoken |
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Winemaker |
I found the Wilderness to be a good choice, I am 6'2" 240. You can get better speed from a voyager or prism, but the Wilderness also seems to impart a good balance of speed, maneuverability, and stability. It had good weight capacity, and can be paddled sitting or kneeling. It is available as a rental from several outfitters in the bwca. Just my two cents... |
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MagicPaddler |
With my limited experience with larger people I believe the Magic size boat will be tippy. The Prizm would be a little better. The Encounter lists in the Wenona catalog “Roomy enough for large people “. The Solo Plus would be more stable boat. The Voyager would carry the load but with its narrow width at water line and max width I think it would be tippy unless the load was below the gunnels. You would probably profit more from a few test paddles than most. If you are willing to wet foot it so you don’t scratch their boats most people would be willing to let you test paddle their boats. Some dealers have boats for rent. |
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carmike |
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Blatz |
quote Lailoken: "I've paddled both Northstar Magic and Wennonah Prism. I don't like bucket seats much, so prefered Magic. On a longer solo trip, think Magic tad tight, so planning on buying Northstart Northwind solo. You'll dig the Northwind Solo |
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Blatz |
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mastertangler |
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JKruger13 |
I'm 6' 5" 245 and I'm thinking of day trips or extended trips. I know longer boats don't turn as easily but is its turning ability really that much worst? Are you saying that there's no difference with longer boats other than that it has more room? I don't care about other people's lack of skill, does it go faster if used properly? From my experience, most people aren't very good and only paddle at a leisurely pace so maybe they don't have the competence or desire to go faster. I've heard completely opposite facts about longer boats where someone said that longer length doesn't always mean less maneuverability. I think the best thing to do is to try it out myself. All this information is only theoretical. |
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MagicPaddler |
http://www.krugercanoes.com/Welcome.html http://www.krugercanoes.com/About_Us.html You are a big guy and most of your weight is above your belt which will most likely put it above the gunnels. A boat that is very stable with me in it will be tippy with you in it. Because of that you are going to want a bigger boat than I would like. I let a guy about your size go for a paddle in my Magic. He was a novelist paddler and he was nervous. The magic was tippy for him. The Magic is a little big for most of my trips of 14 days or less. If you had a magic you would probably be more comfortable with the seat lowered from the stock position. Big guys generally do not like setting with the seat and feet at near the same height so a wider boat will allow stability with the seat a little higher at the cost of speed and ease of paddling. Longer boats have a faster theoretical speed but for a given volume they have more wetted surface area. The more wetted area will create more drag. The more drag will require more force to get them moving ½ their theoretical speed which is closer to the speed of a non-racer. Extremes in either direction will slow you down. |
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JKruger13 |
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