Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Solo Canoe for River Tripping
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jdmccurry |
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sedges |
Its getting harder to find used solo royalex boats, but they are out there. Have to be patient. Watch CL in the big canoe market areas and expect to travel to get one. A Bell Yellowstone solo, a Mohawk Odyssey, Mad River Freedom, I am sure there are others that are not popping in my brain right now. There were lots of options for awhile, but not enough demand to sustain production. All good boats for a river tour with moderate whitewater. |
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JATFOMike |
Mike |
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jdmccurry |
sedges: "What kind of moving water? Rocks, rapids likelihood of loaded canoe moving fast coming in contact with rocks? Twisting and turning flat water and occasional riffles and waves. I'll portage around anything too bony. Northstar claims their IXP layup has better "performance" than Royalex, but performance may not include durability and impact resistance. |
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Alan Gage |
For a mix of lake and river traveling up to CII I prefer something around 16'. It can be hard to find something that provides a good mix of maneuverability for rapids and tracking for lake travel and someone that's 5'6" could certainly have a different sweet spot than you at 6'2". I don't have any specific recommendations for you. I couldn't find what I wanted so I designed and built my own. Maybe look at some offerings from Nova Craft. I'm thinking at your size you'll be wanting a higher volume boat. Don't feel locked into Royalex. I do difficult trips and run up to easy CIII with composite and cedar strip. Alan |
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sedges |
Personally I have had no problem sitting in boats in which most folks kneel. I raised the seat in my Dagger Sojourn when most folks were lowering theirs. You may feel the same way, or not. Best to try some out. |
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yellowcanoe |
It is not true the SRT must be knelt in. As you know Hemlock has no dealer network and can install whatever seat you want at whatever height you want. Thats what you get from a small builder. So could Ted Bell I am sure at Northstar. The same weekend at the WPA Solo Canoe event is a clinic on the Slip Slip Moving water clinic Many people go between both. I can post more details about the Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous but it shows high on Google. I liked my Swift Raven for multiday downriver trips. But I had the Royalex version. Millbrook boats are composite and quite durable. Millbrook is designed to withstand NH rivers ..read rock pile. |
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DanCooke |
The IXP layup has taken on Bony rivers and major impacts very well- Better than Roylex from what I have seen. Bears trip down the Thoa river where he ran rapids till grounding out when the rock gardens were taller than water and then dragging through, would give me plenty of confidence of the materials. As far as hull design that best suits your needs, you will need to do some self evaluation of what you are looking for in the hull shape. for reference. Bear is 6'5" and has out for 17 plus days on an extremely remote river- but that was Bear. |
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jdmccurry |
Alan Gage: "Do you have any particular rivers/trips in mind? Much of it depends on how much moving water/rapids you expect to do in relation to lake travel. Just about anything should be able to handle CI and even most CII when it's just pick a line and run it straight. I wouldn't hesitate to try the Prism and see how it does. A more maneuverable hull can make it more enjoyable but if you're used to paddling a Prism something like a 14' Phoenix or Wildfire is going to be quite a learning curve. |
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maxxbhp |
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Alan Gage |
jdmccurry: " That clears things up a little. I thought you were a strictly flat water paddler looking to get into some moving water. With whitewater experience behind you you've already got a good idea on the performance characteristics of moving water hulls and I assume the skills to make them go straight in flat water. Aren't there a couple sole canoe rendezvous in the PA area? Should be a lot of different hulls to test paddle if you can get to one or two. Alan |
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nctry |
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jdmccurry |
sedges: "The Hemlock SRT is great boat. Back in my whitewater days I paddled a fair amount with the SRT designer, Harold Deal. Just watching Harold paddle taught you a lot about boat control and efficiency. In regards to sitting, footrests go a long way in providing and extra measure of stability and control. For any moving water boat I get, footrests are a must have. I also like the moveable seat on my Prism in the way it tunes the trim. |
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yellowcanoe |
nctry: "Ask Wenonah about their Argosy" You will either love it or as I did hate it... The shape of the hull encourages waves from the side to follow the curve into your lap. And the pointy ends give you water from the bow. Its a moving water boat as in C1 but when you run into wave trains good luck. I was truly terrified in the Argosy when we came out of a lock on the Allegheny river. The river was in flood and overtopped the dam.. When the lock gates opened it was the entrance to river hell.. We had two foot waves coming from three directions. I was kneeling.. and praying for survival The adjustable seat is clunky and prone to self adjustment unless you are in the lowest position. I bolted mine so that it could not self adjust anymore Currently my favorite river tripping boat is the DragonFly. 14'6 " it was made originally by Curtis ( Hemlock) and now by Colden Canoe It is deep enough for dryness and the shoulder keeps the waves from riding up. There will be some at the Pennsylvania event. |
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jdmccurry |
yellowcanoe: "nctry: "Ask Wenonah about their Argosy" Thanks for the info. What is the construction of the Dragonfly? I didn't see much detail on the website. It was also interesting to see the Dragonfly photo with the double blade paddle on the Colden website. Is that the recommended paddle? From this very informative discussion, it seems there are quite a few choices. The Hemlock SRT, Northstar Phoenix, and Colden Dragonfly are all similar in length and rocker, with the Colden being a narrower and a little less volume. All three deserve a good look, especially since the group represents a considerable design departure from my Prism. I'm still keeping the Northwind Solo in mind. I will certainly try to attend the PA event in June to try the SRT and Dragonfly. Unfortunately Northstar won't be there. |
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ozarkpaddler |
nctry: "Ask Wenonah about their Argosy" Well.....as for this big guy that's your size I couldn't keep an Argosy upright kneeling. Those bubble sides......big guys sink it low enough that it is looking for an excuse to rest upside down. Definitely not my favorite. In fact, for this guy, it is probably the LEAST likeable boat I've paddled? I like big solos and small tandems myself. I have a camera in hand often and I don't want to swim with my DSLR. I paddle primarily on moving water in the Ozarks. Currently I have a Bell Morningstar converted solo and a Bell Rock Star. I kneel and can only sit about 10 minutes or so at a time due to some nerve damage in my leg. As for the Wenonah Prospector 15 my friend maxxbhp was talking about, I traded it for a Mad River Independence last summer. The Morningstar was better in headwinds than the Prospector. If I just had the skill to cut 2" off the Prospector stems and an inch amidships, it would be in the barn still! Some other big guy river solos I've enjoyed over the years are all boats that are tough to find. Dagger Reflection 15, Mad River Courier, and my all time favorite the Bell Starfire. I'd still have them but thought I was paddling my last days a few years back. But that's another story. |
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JATFOMike |
Blue Mountain Outfitters Mike |
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yellowcanoe |
jdmccurry: "yellowcanoe: "nctry: "Ask Wenonah about their Argosy" Not the recommended paddle That is my boat. The story behind the picture is that I was on a 27 mile long lake paddling into a headwind with two foot waves. I needed the extra oomph. I was taking frequent rest stops. Were I on a river it would be single blade all the way or on a small lake or one with less wind. Chesuncook ( and Black Pond connected) must be translated into "thats one witch of a lake" The DragonFly is 38 lbs and is a blend of Kev Carbon Fiber and a bit of glass. Its got a hefty layup schedule reinforced where it needs to be for rivers. Mine was the first built by Colden and since then Paul has built some others. You can also find some older Curtis DragonFly boats in western PA and western NY.. The same boat without the carbon fiber. |
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jdmccurry |
yellowcanoe: " |