I have been thinking about getting a solo canoe for over a year now and was wondering what people think of this as an option. Looking for something light, that mostly would be used for day paddles around the Twin Cities but would also like ability to do the BWCA in the future too. I like that it’s 20 lbs, can also be converted to a solo canoe and two people. Would like to be able to take my 4 year old out me and him as gets older but also use it by myself. I read you can add an inch or two in height, maybe for waves on larger lakes? Wood gunnels look nice but obviously more maintenance. Also a little concerned how fragile the boat might be. I own a royalex Spirit ii right now and never concerned about banging it up. Downside is driving all the way to NY or paying quite a bit for shipping. Thoughts on this canoe?

http://www.slipstreamwatercraft.com/Slipstream_Watercraft_2/Sportduo_13.html

No comment, just a link.

TZ

I've been fascinated by their tiny little Adirondack canoes for a few years.
Besides being the perfect boat for the Ely portage marathon I think they'd be really fun in Twin Cities lakes. They'd be very limited in the BWCA though.

That Sportduo is probably a slightly broader-purpose boat than the straight-up Adirondack canoes, but in general I'd still be worried about any of the larger open water in the BWCA with their boats, which are really designed for the kind of pond-hopping trips that dominate the ADK area rather than the large swathes of open water we have. A carefully chosen trip in the Boundary Waters should be fine, but you'd have to be prepared to be wind-bound in pretty minor conditions on most lakes.

Definitely let us know what you think if you get one!

Would not be my choice, but I think it might be able to work as a solo in the BWCA. Not as a tandem, however.

I ended up getting some feedback from a vendor that the conversion to solo wasn't great. I ended up finding a Esquif Adirondack so I'm going to give that a shot! Thanks for the feedback!

Had a friend in Colorado who bought one, was very tippy with two folks on board. I did a lot of research on the "Adirondack" canoes and similar solos. I looked at Adirondack Canoe Co., GRB Newman, Hornbeck Boats, Placid Boat Works, etc. as well as Northstar, Savage River, and Swift. For boats in the 13-16 ft. range pricing ranges from $1800 to $3600. My interest was flat water use, with light weight and fast for use as an exercise boat. Weights ranged from 18-28 lbs. in this area. If you are looking in the $2,000 area and with some extra capacity, Hornbeck offers a variety of sizes in their classic and New Tricks lines, in the low-mid-twenty's weight area. Adirondack Canoe makes a nice 14 ft. Boreas model which you could add a bit of extra strength to if desired. However they are not going to be very tough compared to a Royalex boat. Frankly the only thing in that area is either a heavily reinforced model like one from Savage River at a much higher price, or something like the IXP (Inegra) Northstar models (I have a Trillium on order) at closer to 38 lbs. It is a $2500 model, and should be very tough. Northstar has dealers helping on avoiding a long trip or a high delivery charge. The Equif T Formex is certainly tough but the boats are heavy. For the exercise boat I bought a Placid Shadow which is a lovely boat but on the more expensive end of the spectrum. Most of the above boats are set up as "pack" boats with use of a low seat and backrest allowing use of a kayak paddle.
Get on line and visit the sites, most of the builders will work with you to give you what you want, but there will always be trade offs on weight, toughness and price.