With a PMA under my belt, I am now ready to try a solo next summer...not in a PMA, though :)
I need some help narrowing down the canoes I should consider. I have paddled around backwards in plenty of tandem canoes but would like an actual solo canoe.
I am 180 lbs. right now and hope to drop to 170 by next summer. I am a 5'7" female who prefers to use a canoe paddle vs. a kayak paddle. Though I have done plenty of paddling in a kayak I prefer a canoe paddle in a canoe.

I am not concerned about speed. I like to be able to paddle on windy days so stability is much more important than speed. My trips will likely be around a week long and I travel pretty light...minimal personal gear, no fishing gear, dehydrated food...I don't even care about having a chair along. I used to be able to "one-up" a 100 lb. wood/canvas canoe, but these days a canoe around 45 lbs. or less is a safer bet, though I was fine hoisting and carrying our 55? lb. fiberglass Mad River tandem this summer.

I traveled with a Souris River tandem this year and I found the amount give/flex in the sides of the canoe to be disconcerting when I was resting it on my thighs before flipping it onto my shoulders, so I think I prefer a little stiffer sidewall.

I am in the Twin Cities so if anyone wants to get together and let me try their solo on a local lake, I would be a happy camper.

Thanks for all advice. I have started scouring this forum for great ideas, but the canoe decision seems overwhelming.

Guess you know what I'm going to recommend. Haha. You can come east and take a test paddle or I'll meet you around the TC lakes.

I, too, have an SR Q16 that I paddle solo from the bow-in-reverse. It's dangerous for me to try to control it in anything less than calm. It was really discouraging me from solo canoeing because I thought I sucked. Well, I still suck but the Trillium is amazing. Plus I want to hear about the pma!

With many of same priorities you note, I love my SR Tranquility. No problem in big white caps on LLC.

I tried out quite a few at Paddlefest this spring - a great opportunity to try a bunch - and also liked the Swift Prospector, but a pack canoe for yak paddle.

PS Please forgive the multiple posts. Caught in the current between airport wifi and cell service. Or it's a result of flying on 9/11.....

Trying out different solo's is a must do far as my experience. The Twin Cities has canoe swap nites or used to quite often. Dan Cooke has regularly posted about them. You could set up such yourself in a local park and see what happens. Another possibility is to visit canoe paddling shops to try out various models.
"not concerned about speed" "paddle on windy days so stability is much more important than speed" "a canoe around 45 lbs. or less is a safer bet" "amount give/flex in the sides of the canoe to be disconcerting" are common thoughts of solo beginners but seldom a concern with more experience. I particularly target opinions on stability as a non concern because it can drastically change as a paddler gains confidence.
New construction vs used represents roughly a 30-50% price reduction at the cost of specific option available with new construction. An example is my Wenonah Advantage unlisted new but may still be made. I ordered it as new built with non-standard small Kevlar competition seat, all wood gunnels and trim. Unwraping this canoe showed a care in building and matching parts that just does not appear in general manufacturing for a mass market.

Anyway solo canoes I'd consider with your description in mind. 15 1/2 feet and shorter, around 30 pounds, 24-28 inches between center gunnels, about 32 inch wide at waterline, with a center shear depth around 12 inches.

NorthStar Canoes. Ted Bell has a variety of potential goodies. My picks would be a Firebird or Phoenix.
Wenonah. Vagabond or Wilderness.
Souris River. Tranquility as Bill stated.

I'll stop there because other makes are not as prevalent in the midwest market unless seeking used specifically. I will mention Savage River and Placid Boatworks as very desirable.

Any true solo will feel unstable at first, nature of the beast. I prefer light as possible for responsiveness. Even a fast solo paddled with experience will seldom exceed 6 mph and most general cruising regardless of the style canoe is done under 3 mph. Again stability has more to do with experience than shape, and time paddling provides the experience.
Soon as you start looking you will notice your 45 pound desire is on the heavy end of availability and easily reduced. New build will be in the $2500 as well as showroom new. Used solos from $1500 up or down most common, good condition canoes of composite Kevlar seldom go for less than $1000. Kevlar construction is meant to have some flex/give in it.

butthead

I'm about your size and like my Rockstar. It's big for a solo boat, which lets me carry all the gear I want, and I also prefer to solo with a canoe paddle.

I have several solos you could try out when I am around. A Phoenix or a Yellowstone or a Flashfire. I will be unavailable till the 24th contact me off board after then and we can set up a time to try out some different hulls. Butthead was correct in that stability firms up the more time you spend in the hull. Often a hull with great flat water stability becomes a handful when waves kick up. I know of several female paddles this year that purchased Northstar Firebirds.

I have a wenonah prism you'd be welcome to paddle on lake nokomis. Let me know if you have any interest and we can arrange a time.

straighthairedcurly: "...

I am in the Twin Cities so if anyone wants to get together and let me try their solo on a local lake, I would be a happy camper.

..."

I paddle my Northstar Northwind Solo in South Minneapolis most days of the week. Most often in the AM shortly after dropping kids off at school.

If 9 AM at Nokomis works for you, you're welcome to a go in my Solo.

I was concerned about the thin and flexible sides of my first ultralight canoe. Over time and much hard traveling both my 30 pound MR Independence and 44 pound Northwind 18 I have much more confidence in the toughness of the layup.

If you must have a more rigid side wall consider a Northstar hull in the IXP layup.

To expand just a little on something Butthead said, if you do go explore the route of buying used, the first few years of use do knock the price of most boats down but the price thereafter doesn't keep going down so fast. I think some folks buy a decent used canoe, use it a couple years, then resell it for something pretty close to what they paid. Also, while each manufacturer is different, a lot of canoes can be refinished to really restore them. I have a 4 year old SRQ16, and with about 2 hours and $25 of good eurythane I just made 95% of the scratches on the bottom of my boat disappear.

Also, remember when you are trying out some different boats that any boat empty is going to be a good deal less stable than any boat full.

Jaywalker: "Also, remember when you are trying out some different boats that any boat empty is going to be a good deal less stable than any boat full. "

Especially a solo!

Hello,
Always fun to try a variety of canoes. I haven’t seen this one offered yet...
I am of similar size and also in the TC area.

You are welcome to test paddle my Wenonah Wilderness in the tough weave layup. 43 lbs.

Just email if you like to arrange taking it for a few days.

paddlinjoe

Referencing Dan's post, I second the Yellowstone. I found it too squirrely at first but tilted the seat plus kneeling when paddling and it was smooth-going even in nasty chops of Perent Lake. Carries a load, maneuver turns and not a burden on the shoulders. (I paddled with a yak paddle) Not A+ on tracking but I'd give it a B-.

Serotta: "I have a wenonah prism you'd be welcome to paddle on lake nokomis. Let me know if you have any interest and we can arrange a time."

+1 on the Prism. I just finished my second trip with one and it’s a very stable and easy boat to paddle. It handles well in rough water even when empty.

moray: "

Serotta: "I have a wenonah prism you'd be welcome to paddle on lake nokomis. Let me know if you have any interest and we can arrange a time."

+1 on the Prism. I just finished my second trip with one and it’s a very stable and easy boat to paddle. It handles well in rough water even when empty. "

+2 on the Prism. I also did two trips this year in rented Prisms. Once I got used to initial instability I enjoyed paddling the Prism. I also got to try them with and without adjustable foot brace bars. Loved the foot brace bar!

But lots more brands and models to try before I make a purchase decision, if ever. For the foreseeable future I am probably a renter.

Thank you everyone for some great suggestions, input, and sharing of your experiences. I definitely want to hop in some boats...just trying to figure out what my schedule will allow this fall vs. next spring or early summer.

Fall is my busiest time of the year at work so I might need to keep reading/learning and take the trial paddles in 2020. We have barely gotten out in our own canoe in September after paddling multiple times a week all last summer and summer.

I am intrigued by the adjustable foot braces mentioned (as an old whitewater kayaker). How many people kneel vs. sit vs. have foot braces? Just curious.

I much appreciate the kneeling position but have to defer to seat and foot-brace, both adjustable. Much easier on my short fat legs.

butthead

I have never considered kneeling. Just saying.

PS To clarify, based on my knees and hips, I don't consider kneeling even an option.

I kneel 99% of the time even in a tandem

I am the yin to Dan's yang, as I sit 99% of the time.

I paddle almost exclusively from a seated position with an adjustable foot brace. Further, I prefer a tractor seat. Combined with a foot brace, the tractor seat locks me in place so that I get more power. If I have to use a bench seat, I add a Crazy Creek seat to lock me in place and provide some relief from the pressure caused by the horizontal supports.

I kneel when I have to lower the center of gravity a little, but I have to balance that against the weight-forward shift that happens simultaneously because I cannot get my feet under the seat. I also kneel when paddling a tandem from the fore-and-aft center position.

So I impulse bought a used Mad River Slipper off this site back in January. Too good a deal to pass up. Today was the 1st time I was able to get it on the water...since I finally got around to submitting all the licensing paperwork via mail due to the shutdown, and the stickers came today.

Loved it! So glad, because I had no idea if it would be a decent canoe for me. I took it out tonight (unloaded because I totally forgot to grab a dry bag for a ballast bag). It was very windy with a storm moving in, but it handled very nicely. I think I expected it to be a lot more unstable, but apparently all my years in a wide assortment of boats has paid off.

It is set up for kneeling which went okay, but I expect will be better once I get it set with some decent padding and maybe ankle blocks. I tried out 3 different paddles I had on hand: my typical Grey Owl canoe paddle, a shorter canoe paddle, and some old whitewater kayak paddles we had from previous adventures. While all worked fine for me, I have to say that I had a strong preference for the double blades when in the strong wind and unloaded. Plus it was just fun to be using a kayak paddle again after years away from it. But the kayak paddles we have a definitely too short.

Sure hope I can take a trip this summer with all this craziness going on. I'm not scheduled until June 28. Thanks for all the advice last fall.

Now I get to start planning how to outfit it with all the little details and conveniences.

paddlinjoe: "Hello,
Always fun to try a variety of canoes. I haven’t seen this one offered yet...
I am of similar size and also in the TC area.


You are welcome to test paddle my Wenonah Wilderness in the tough weave layup. 43 lbs.


Just email if you like to arrange taking it for a few days.


paddlinjoe
"

+1 on the Wilderness in the TuffWeave layup. It is stiffer than kevlar layups and, last I checked, cheaper. The Wilderness comes with an high/low adjustable seat that helps with balance and stability. Very easy to load and unload with good capacity. I commonly use a kayak paddle but it handles fine with a regular paddle too.

Ooops sorry I missed the last post about your purchase and that the thread is from last year. Enjoy your canoe!