Hello all,

I have a Penobscot 16 that I use most of the time for solo trips (sitting in the front seat, facing the rear of the canoe), both near home and up nort'. Works just fine, and I prefer it to paddling all the solo canoes I've tried, which I've found to be just a wee bit too unsteady for me to feel comfortable. It also works just fine for tandem paddling when another two paddlers get added to the group.

I'm also getting older and would like to replace it with a kevlar boat.

Any suggestions on favorite models? I need one that doesn't have the thwart behind the bow seat, which would make solo paddling facing backwards impossible.

A selection of Kevlar/aramid tandem boats weighing approximately 40 lbs +/-, with some rocker, no thwart behind the bow seat, and roughly 16 feet long:

Northstar: B16 or Pearl or Northwind 16 (asymmetrical rocker).

Wenonah: Prospector 16 or Aurora or Kingfisher (very wide) or Adirondack (almost no rocker).

Nova Craft: Pal or Prospector 16.

Souris River: Quetico 16 or Prospector 16.

I have an older bluewater prospector 16 (no longer made), that weighs in at 50 lbs. I use it for solo canoeing all the time. To me, the key is having a symmetrical canoe. Today, a SR 16, or a Northstar 16 for solo should work well. I prefer 16 footers that are tandem rather than solo because to me, they are more versatile. I have done some tandem BW and Q trips with my 16 footer but you need to be careful on what you bring. I like prospector hulls.

Northstar Pearl if your tandem pair are lightweights, B16 for a heavier pair.

When I first acquired my Northwind 18 I was a little nervous about the durability of the layup, but I needed the light weight to continue paddling and portaging. As it turns out it takes quite rough usage. At least the same treatment I gave my woodstrip boats.

From Souris the Q 16 would be a good choice.

I have a Prospector 16 and I love it, but it is a deep hull with lots of rocker. It doesn't take much of breeze to make solo paddling difficult. Loaded down for a two week or longer solo trip it would be fine. The Pal would be a better choice if your tandem team is light to medium weight. I think somebody makes a kevlar Pal. I enjoyed having a Chestnut Pal for both solo and tandem. I would get another W/C one if I could portage it, but old age will not allow that.

Thank you all for the advice. I figured Wenonah was out due to thwarts and bucket seats, and I had looked at a few Northstar boats but all had a thwart behind the front seat.

I think I missed the models you mentioned....I'll definitely check them out.

Nova Craft Pal is a great canoe for this. It is designed to paddle solo or tandem. It is a scaled down prospector. They took out half the rocker and slimmed down the depth.

I'm with the others on the pal being the closest thing. I also have a Penobscot 16 and always considered it to be modeled after the pal. Great canoe. I'll never give mine up.

The SRQ16 is very stable for solo use.

Take a Look at the Northwind 16. It is designed for solo or tandem paddling.

The Wenonah Boundary Waters would be a great fit. Extremely stable and the bow seat acts as the front thwart so it can be easily paddled backwards as a solo. As a bonus when two people are paddling the bow seat is back almost a foot farther than most giving the bow paddle a lot of leg room. It's the most stable canoe I ever paddled and that was most important factor when I bought mine. It paddles easy and tracks well.