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Ebert72
  
04/17/2020 10:59AM  
My family and I recently moved to Ely, MN and I am looking to add another boat to my quiver. We currently own a Northstar Northwind 17, an Old Town Camper in RX and two solos. There are five in our family, my wife and me, a 17 year old boy, 10 year old girl and an 8 year old boy. We will day trip a couple times a week, fish a lot, one and two night trips constantly, and go on a couple week long trips each year.

I am thinking of adding a Northwind 18 with 3rd seat to compliment our much beloved NW 17. I love Northstar products, but would be open to adding a little variety if it makes sense. What other boat should I consider? Thank you all for your opinions!
 
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OCDave
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04/17/2020 11:33AM  
An alternative worth consideration is the Northstar Polaris.

Your 8 yo and 10 yo are gowing to grow up so fast. In just a few years, you might find you no longer have need for a third seat and have used the NW 18 very little.

A Polaris would allow you to put either the 8 yo or 10 yo in the bow and have plenty of control from the stern regardless of the bow paddler's contribution. The Polaris would also be more more usable for unburdened day trips than the NW 18 but, at the same time be a respectable option for your one night, two night or week long trips. Lastly, the Polaris is not an unreasonable option if the need for a third Solo canoe arises. I have both a NW Solo and a Polaris so, I have paddled the Polaris solo on only a few occasions but, it handled beutifully. I have no middle seat nor kneeling thwart or I probably use it more as a solo.

My Polaris gets used most as a way to get my spouse to join me on the lake. She is somewhat a lily-dipper but, it doesn't seem to matter much in the Polaris.

Good Luck with you research


 
04/17/2020 03:31PM  
There is a nice used NW18 for sale in Ely Craigslist listing
 
TipsyPaddler
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04/17/2020 03:57PM  
OCDave makes some great points. But, as Banksiana’s CL lead reinforces, since you now live in a canoe country nirvana you can probably buy exactly the ‘best fit’ canoe now and easily sell it to get the new ‘best fit’ canoe every few years as needed. High end canoes, if taken care of, tend to hold their value well.

I would also do some rent vs. buy calculations based on anticipated usage levels as you have several outfitter fleets nearby.
 
mschi772
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04/18/2020 06:44PM  
I throw a bit more of a wild option out there. How about a Nova Craft Prospector 18? I was thinking that adding a Nothwind 18 to a fleet containing a Northwind 17 was a bit redundant, but that does seem to indicate you're leaning toward getting something bigger. Nova Craft canoes are amazing, and their prospectors are particularly well-done. Not only would you get a larger canoe with a NC Prospector 18, but being a prospector, it would have a little extra/different "flavor" than your Northwind 17.

I do like OCDave's different approach of getting a canoe like a Polaris that can play multiple positions as needed--rarely a bad way to supplement existing canoes.
 
justpaddlin
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04/22/2020 09:26AM  
Get the NW18, sell the 17, and get a Polaris. Then you'll be done and never have to think about other tandems. Polaris solos surprisingly well too; mine has the center solo seat for comfort.
 
SOVOS
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04/29/2020 11:37AM  
there is a northwind 18 just posted on the for sale message board, fyi.
 
Bradv
member (38)member
  
04/29/2020 09:43PM  
Ebert72: "My family and I recently moved to Ely, MN and I am looking to add another boat to my quiver. We currently own a Northstar Northwind 17, an Old Town Camper in RX and two solos. There are five in our family, my wife and me, a 17 year old boy, 10 year old girl and an 8 year old boy. We will day trip a couple times a week, fish a lot, one and two night trips constantly, and go on a couple week long trips each year.

I am thinking of adding a Northwind 18 with 3rd seat to compliment our much beloved NW 17. I love Northstar products, but would be open to adding a little variety if it makes sense. What other boat should I consider? Thank you all for your opinions!"


There is a guy trying to sell a lightly used NW18 on the forum in MN. Adding a third seat would be trivial. Plus the folks at Northstar are amazing.
 
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