Looking at the Northwind Solo . But my wife will be going with my half the time . Our 17 ft Royalex canoe is getting too heavy for this couple in our 60's. Was looking at the Northwind 16. The write up says solo or tandem. What are your thoughts ?? I am a novice on this . Would like some comments from people with more experience on this . I am assuming now that when paddling the Nothwind 16 in solo mode i would sit in front seat and paddle that the opposite direction?
Don't want to make a mistake on something this expensive. Got plenty of time between now and spring to get this figured out . Wish I could paddle this boat .

I have a Bell Northstar (similar to Northwind 16) and a Northwind Solo. The Bell had the rear thwart replaced with a kneeling thwart that is used for solo. The Bell will ride higher in the water if you don't have the weight of that second person and catch the wind a lot more than the NW Solo. I found it much more difficult to paddle on bigger water or windy days. I took the Bell on a couple solo trips and ended up renting various solo canoes for future trips until I finally made the decision to purchase one. The Bell worked ok solo, I just feel I have much better control in the true solo and feel less limited on where and when I paddle. When I trip I like to keep moving and put in miles. If you're a little more flexible and less go go go, the Northwind 16 is capable of getting you out both solo and tandem. If you're anywhere near Bemidji I'd be happy to let you try them out to compare, the water isn't frozen yet and had a nice paddle yesterday.

You actually need two canoes in my humble opinion. I was in your shoes and ended up with a Northstar Northwind 17 ($1,950) and a Bell Magic ($1,700). I wouldn’t trade those decisions for anything!

I think it depends on your expectations and how you plan to use the boat.

I have a Northstar Polaris with an optional third seat for solo paddling. For me a seat is more comfy than a kneeling thwart plus it outs you in the ideal position for solo paddling (if you paddle the NW16 backwards from the front seat it will be very light in the bow). The Polaris is an inch narrower at the waterline than the NW16 and that helps efficiency both solo and tandem. The boats all have an ideal (efficient) weight range, if you are below the minimum when solo it means the boat will get blown around by wind. The description of the NW16 basically says it's a tandem that can also be used for occasional solo use...meaning it's primarily a (very nice) tandem.

Tandems aren't nearly as efficient as solos for solo use. I can totally enjoy my Polaris solo on a small calm lake. It's also a roomy/luxurious boat for a downstream solo paddle. Tons of room for a dog. I've even done some upstream solo paddling in it and it does very well for a tandem but overall it's a calm weather solo that I may not take out even once a year solo even though I get out often. Solos can be fun to drive upstream against some current and also to paddle on challenging windy days; in my experience a tandem is not fun as a solo in those conditions. But if I lived on a small lake I might choose a tandem as a cottage boat for the comfort.

If you are dreaming about a solo then I think you need to get a solo.

If you're near SW MI you could try a couple of my boats to give you a better feel.

i appreciate your comments and offer to paddle your canoes , but I am probably 800 miles from you .


I Boundary Waters Catalog the North star Northwind is $3695. The Northstar Nortwind Solo is $3395. Ouch ! Can't purchase both . May have to buy one and go the rental route on the second .

Thank you gentlemen for your input on this !

Ogoki: " i appreciate your comments and offer to paddle your canoes , but I am probably 800 miles from you .



I Boundary Waters Catalog the North star Northwind is $3695. The Northstar Nortwind Solo is $3395. Ouch ! Can't purchase both . May have to buy one and go the rental route on the second .


Thank you gentlemen for your input on this ! "

justpaddlin is definitely an expert on all of this.

But please consider buying a used canoe. If you check the for sale/wanted board here on the website or check your local craigslist or Facebook marketplace postings, you can find amazing deals and the boats are usually in great shape or easily repairable. Also, if you go to the BWCA you should consider buying one of the boats from an outfitter. I got my Northstar Northwind 17 from Rockwood, then re-coated the bottom and auto-buffed the sides, re-stained the thwart, added decals that I got from Northstar and the canoe came back to life as if it were brand new. It’s fun to make a project out of an older canoe and give it a new beginning. Perhaps you could even share the experience with a trip partner or family member. It’s a great way to pass time in analog form.

Good luck and enjoy paddling!

Ogoki: "Looking at the Northwind Solo . But my wife will be going with my half the time.. . "

Paddling the Northwind 16 backwards is not the best solution. The different rocker front vs back will affect your maneuverability. Paddling backwards works best with a symmetrical hull. The Northstar B16 has a symmetrical hull but I have no experience paddling this canoe.

In my experience, the best Northstar canoe to meet your needs is the Polaris. The Polaris is a great couples canoe. My wife and dog love a Sunday trip around the lake in our Polaris. Occasionally, my wife even helps paddle ;).

I have a Northwind Solo, so don't regularly paddle the Polaris as a solo, but the addition of a center seat or kneeling thwart converts the Polaris to a great Solo canoe. The Polaris is only 31 inches wide, so paddling solo from the center position seems easy and natural. My own is the Blacklight with E6 trim so weighs a bit under 40 lbs. It is available in a Stealth model weighing as little as 32 lbs.

Good Luck

If you are doing any serious solo tripping, I don't recommend trying to make do with using a tandem. A couple options to keep costs down:

1. Decide which kind of trips you will do most, solo or tandem. Buy that boat and then rent one when you plan to do the other kind. This works especially well if you are doing 7 days or less a year for the rental.

2. Be patient and shop for used boats. Every canoe I own has been purchased for 50% or less of list price. I have even traveled out of state to get a good boat at a good price.

Given your situation, I’d absolutely go for a Polaris with the optional center seat. It’s a fantastic tandem canoe and an incredibly capable solo when paddled from the center. The Pearl would be another option to consider.

If you are going with 1 canoe I will add to the recommendations for the Polaris over the Northwind 16. It paddles much better as a solo and is plenty stable as a tandem

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded . I knew I came to the right place . I read this board on regular basis and I don't respond to questions as my expertise is in other areas and definitely not canoeing .

Just chiming in because I struggled with this decision as well. I'd say most of the comments here are very on point. As much as I would have loved to buy a brand new Northstar tandem and solo that is a hefty price tag as you mentioned. I ended up buying a Northwind 17 and a Northwind Solo both used from BWCA outfitters in great shape for the price of one. As Straighthairedcurly said, be patient and shop for used boats. Refinishing a hull is not that tricky and I find the task enjoyable. If I was going to buy just one, I would have leaned more towards a Polaris, but after trying them out I agree that I would not have wanted to do a solo trip in a tandem. It's fine for playing around on the local lake, but for tripping and big water it is not a great option for me. While I needed a new tandem for my group trips, I find myself hitting the water much more frequently since getting a solo.

I just wanted to reinforce the comments from others that the Polaris is a special boat. Some boats are special. So if you're interested in a fabulous light tandem that solos surprisingly well for a tandem you just can't go wrong and my take is that you'll never find another light tandem that you like as well. My Polaris is my only tandem but I also have half a dozen solos. My personal take is that the NW Solo isn't that special...it just does a lot of things well and it's safe for beginners plus it's good for bigger folks. A fine boat but there are a lot of other good choices out there. If your weight allows you to fit in a Trillium I think that's an exceptional boat (just effortless to paddle and quite friendly for a narrow boat). But everyone's wants and needs are different. And as mentioned the used boat market seems to be opening up again. So I bet you wouldn't be too unhappy if you bought a three seat Polaris and shopped for a used solo.

;)

OCDave: "Paddling the Northwind 16 backwards is not the best solution. The different rocker front vs back will affect your maneuverability. Paddling backwards works best with a symmetrical hull. The Northstar B16 has a symmetrical hull but I have no experience paddling this canoe."

Totally agree with this. Most Bell and Northstar canoes are asymmetric and are not intended to be paddled backwards. Like OCDave I have no experience with the symmettical hull B16.

I am a fan of a dedicated solo