Hi guys. I’m still on the hunt for my first solo for small Midwest rivers and mess around on local lakes. Originally looking at Northstar Phoenix and Firebird but haven’t paddled either yet. Came across the Esquif Echo. Touted as a Freestyle boat so I know it’s not a BWCA cruiser but budget is a consideration. The Northstars are no doubt better boats, but any insight on the Echo is appreciated. 11.5 mid boat depth seems shallow but same as Trillium. 29.5” at gunwales is what concerns me the most I guess. There are videos of a guy paddling down rivers in Belgium and France. He doesn’t seem to have problems with the width although he is no doubt taller than my 5’5” height. Thanks.
Aaron

I test paddled one at Paddlefest in May. I lean towards low/no rovker and high initial stability. In fact, I felt pretty comfortable in the Echo. I was interested because of possible more creeks and rivers vs. flatwater on accounf of my recent move east. Clearly more tolerant of rocks in shallow creeks. I tested with a yak paddle. Should I ever own one I'd probably drop the seat an inch or two.

The only downside is weight. More than my kevlar tandem.

If you look on paddling.com in the reviews section you'll find several reviews of the Echo.

You didn't mention your weight or whether you plan to sit or kneel but if you'd consider a used boat there's a Royalex Wenonah Argosy on Madison craigslist and also a Bell Wildfire that is overpriced at $1350 in my mind but might be worth $1000 or maybe $1100 tops in my opinion. There's a used Firebird on this site and I've paddled a Firebird and owned a Phoenix and in my mind the Firebird is much much sportier and more fun (and much smaller). I saw a used Royalex Bell Yellowstone recently but can't remember where...those are very sporty for Royalex boats. Good luck with your shopping...lots of good boats out there.

Thanks guys. I have read everything out there on the Echo., and I’ve seen that Wildfire on Craig’s list. Being new to the solo game, I’m not very familiar with different layups and was concerned about making a bad choice for gravel bottom rivers. IXP and Royalex/T-Formex just seem “safe”. If the Fiberlar layup of that Wildfire would handle abrasion well, I would not be against a used boat at all. I’m 180 pounds so I think The wildfire would work for me. Thanks again for your time and thoughts. The bottom line is I really need to just travel to paddle some of these boats.

I own a Wenonah Argosy. It is a fun boat to paddle, turns well and is very good on rivers. It’s Royalex at 50#.
It doesn’t have any initial stability but secondary is good, paddled it with my 90# poodle and stayed dry.
Unless you are going to do whitewater any lay up will do fine. I paddle a expedition Kevlar MRC Explorer down a class 2 boulder garden river. The gel coat scratches, but that’s about it. My concern at 65 years old is weight.

I agree with RedLakePaddler...practically any lay-up can handle all kinds of abuse on gravel. You want Royalex or tformex or IXP if you expect to hit exposed rebar or hit sharp rocks hard and often in fast water...or if you just want to bounce off rocks for fun. The Fiberlar lay-up apparently did have a gelcoat and the gelcoat on my Merlin II has taken a lot of abuse over 20 years and just got some scratches. I did finally pop out a bb size piece of gelcoat after hitting a barely submerged concrete barrier very hard and even that didn't get to the fabric and was easy to fix. The Echo gets good reviews and I haven't paddled a Royalex Argosy but the composite one was a nice solo when I tried one. Lots of good choices. I also agree that lighter is better in terms of ease of use.

Red Lake- I have avoided the Argosy due to reports of a very quick transition from stable to unstable when heeling. (Not a smooth transition from primary to secondary stability. Have you not found that to be the case?

4Miles
I would agree. The canoe has no or very little initial stability. You can’t find a happy spot when on flat water. Once you lean it, it firms up. When l first got it I wasn’t sure what I got into. But the more I paddle it the more I like it. The only time it dumped me was when I got caught sideways in a 35 - 40 mph wind gust. I did the fastest 100 yard sprint to shore in 36 degree water! My grandson handles it nicely, but won’t let the dog get in it when he is paddling.