Hi all,
I'm looking for a used solo boat for BWCA tripping. For reference, I have a Mohawk Odyssey that I use for river paddling (and a monster Dagger Venture that I've used for long tandem wilderness tripping). I have my eye on a Swift Osprey, which seems to be at home on flat and moving water.

I imagine the Osprey is much quicker on flatwater than my Mohawk Odyssey, but not as quick as solos designed with only flatwater in mind (Magic, etc.)? Is that a reasonable assumption?

I don't want to get a canoe that's too similar to the Odyssey, which is a bit sluggish on flatwater; I'd like a canoe that's more efficient on flatwater....

I prefer to kneel primarily, and don't really gravitate toward bucket seats.
Any and all advice welcome. (I had also considered a used Bell Wildfire).

Hi tomo,

I just went through the research and test-paddling for a designated solo, having paddled a SR Quetico 16 tandem (turned around for solo purposes) - Duralite layup, for the past 13 years or so, rented kevlar hulls for 7 years prior to that, and a beastie little Old Town something-or-other Royalex lay-up that almost killed me for about 10 years before that.

With the helpful advice from this forum, I decided to buy a Northstar Trillium, which is a smaller version of the Northwind Solo.

I paddled several canoes in my search: Wenonah Wilderness, Placid's new Oseetah, and the Firebird as mentioned above. I would have liked to look at a Hemlock Kestrel and the Swift Keewaydin, but could find none in the area, and I was really happy once I tried the Trillium.

My choice had nothing at all to do with the other canoes' quality of construction or price point. It came down to differences in center depth (I was looking for lower because I'm short), rocker (I was concerned about Firebird's symmetrical rocker and how that would handle in a stern quartering wind), seating options, and length (wanted something in the 14 - 15 range).

From there, I went with other details, like layup, seat position and trim options.
Layup: "Weight is the enemy", Ted Bell. The Trillium is sold as weighing 25 or 26 pounds (StarLite layup); mine weighs 24 lbs, a little more with the removable portage yolk. Wood trim will add a couple pounds but looks undeniably beautiful, and quiet. Aluminum is louder especially on your Canadian stroke, using the gunwale :)

Seat position. Mine came with the arched seat drops in the lowered "sitting" position, so I bought the drops for the "kneel / sit" position. I tried installing the drops but I need to take them back because the holes don't line up with the seat holes, but anyway, I liked the seating arrangements of the Northstar.

I loved the Firebird. If I had the funds to buy both, I would have done so. In fact, I'd have bought Blatz's gem - wow.

All in all, you'll get some super helpful advice from many on this board who are so generous with their knowledge and expertise. I just wanted to share with you a little about the process I undertook, which I feel resulted in an incredible boat, for me - wrong boat for others, but right boat for me. So, I guess my advice would be to figure out what you want in terms of rocker, center depth, layup, length, sheer, displacement, etc, and figure out what will work for your tripping needs and your height and weight, and I guess you could add paddling style (single vs double) and will you have a dog in the bow, etc. And then try to take it for a test paddle.

I read somewhere on the internet that someone said the name did not capture their imagination. The boat speaks for itself, regardless of name. I happen to love the trillium flower but can see how it may not appeal to a different paddler. But I'll leave it at this: the letters on the canoe that say "Trillium" seem easy enough to peel off it offends the senses.

Hey, best wishes to you on the exciting adventure! I am grateful for all the help I received on this board, and I'm sure they'll be as excited as I am to help you out! Paddle on!
~JP

Don't let seat style prevent several solo canoe consideration, seat are simple to change. Also a bit of conversation with folks at Northstar, Wenonah, and such may present factory options not listed. Shop for a hull first seat second. May need to change the seat style or drop to suit yourself, it's not hard to do.

butthead

HI tomo. I think your assessment of the Osprey is accurate. I have an Osprey and love it...in fact I had one years ago that I ended up selling but I replaced it.

I have not paddled an Odyssey, but I can tell you that the Osprey is not sluggish on flat water. In fact, it is quite satisfying. It is not as fast as my Merlin II, but it cruises very nicely and you'd be happy to paddle it all day on flat water. The speed is pretty good and it takes very little muscle to maintain a good pace. It cruises better than a Wildfire (and Wildfires cruise decently when they have some weight in them). It's a bit trim sensitive and has a reputation for being hard to control in a strong quartering tailwind, but if you know how to paddle, you'll be fine.

I think it turns as well as a Wildfire. It will let you put the rail to the water more easily than a Wildfire and you can just spin and play all you want. I think it is rated for 160-260 pounds for efficient paddling and you don't want to put much more than 260 into it. It is much more suited to rivers than my Merlin II. My first one had factory installed skid plates and those do hurt the performance a little bit and also make a little noise (it's silent without them).

Osprey was perfect for dodging trees on the recent paddle shown in the pic and also nice for instant u-turns if the correct line wasn't obvious. It's one of my all time favorite solos.

If you find a used composite Bell Yellowstone Solo, the perfomance envelope is similar to an Osprey, but Osprey still cruises better (and quieter) since it's a foot longer.

Thanks all. Good point about not being hung up on a seat type, as they are changeable. Thanks for the Osprey feedback. I think it would be significantly faster on flatwater than my Odyssey, so it could be a good candidate for a BWCA solo tripper.

If you're in the Chicago or Milwaukee area and want to take a NS Firebird for a spin? Message me