Ok I have a Seliga Tripper Kevlar canoe. I like it but it handles poorly in the wind. It acts like a sail. We are base campers and do day trips. If any wind comes up then paddling the Seliga becomes, well not fun. So I put my money down on a used Bell Northwoods from Piragis. I have done a lot of reading and mostly people mention how great it is for tripping in the bwca. What about just day trips to local lakes? Is this a good canoe for that? We like to go canoeing after work on the local lakes and have a big heavy plastic boat, but its heavy. I would like 1 canoe that can do both. Am I wasting my money on the Northwoods?

no, i believe you made a good choice. 18-6 is a little long for my tastes but im sure it will make a great all around canoe for you.

Great boat. I use mine for everything from river runs to local lakes and Bdub. Heck I've even soloed it for fun on hour runs by myself.
You wont be disappointed.

Steve

The only thing you may need to do for those recreational paddles around the neighborhood is bring some weight. The canoe may feel a little tippy and unstable empty. It is an 18 foot plus canoe intended for wilderness expedition travel. It can carry alot of gear for those long trips. You may need to bring some ballast to get the canoe down into the water for stability on those recreational trips.

For wilderness travel you will love it once you get used to it. It probably is a little less stable initially compared to the Seliga but it definitely should be faster and less affected by the wind. It may be a little tricky on winding rivers and winding portages given its length.

Take it out on your local water with the majority of your gear as ballast before heading north to get used to it, how she paddles and how she feels initially as well as underway. Do not take it out for the first time at the start of a 2 week trip into the BW. Getting used to your new canoe on familiar waters near home is the best advice I can give you.

I picked up a northwoods last year and added a 3rd seat. Loaded with 3 guys over 6 feet and gear it was a champ. We went though waves that left the bow out of the water and surprised some campers with binocs that thought we would swamp. It has one glaring weakness, tailwinds coming in at anywhere from 10 to 45 degrees. The boat tends to be pushed around because of the greater rocker in the rear. That said, it is still a very capable boat that I am happy with.

in my opionion(sp) i think that canoe woud be an over kill. i haven't read the specs on it but at 18 1/2 feet it'll still be heavy.
boats that large are load carriers with high sides, it'll take alot of weight to sink the hull to the designed waterline. thats were the boat performs at her best. any less weight and the canoe rides higher in the water so theres more surface area for the wind to hit and blow you around.

from how it sounds, you do more recreational paddling then hardcore
distance tripping. i'd look for a canoe in the 16-17 foot range with a straight keel line and low ends. if more offen then not the same two paddle the canoe together, add their weight and look for a boat with the same displacement.

We have one in Black Gold. It is a BMW in the canoe world in my opinion. Great to drive :). We love it no matter when you take it out. We were going to buy a Seliga and had the same experience you did. It sails in crosswinds. If you want to go smaller by a Bell Northwind. I don't think you will be disappointed with your decision.

Our MNIII is a handful with that same wind, and it doesn't have much rocker.