Looking at this canoe.
Would like to know if anyone has some experience paddling one.
The length is right, gear hauling capability is right and my style of tripping seems right. I like to take day trips unladen with fishing gear from camp. Some pictures show it to not be so flat on the bottom, but rather a somewhat shallow arch design, which I would like.
I'm also considering the Wilderness as well.

I do most of my solo trips in sylvania. For years I used my Pack solo which was great for my needs but SLOW! I was looking for a bit larger capacity and faster boat. I was torn between the prism and the basswood solo. I ended up deciding on the basswood solo at canoecopia last year. I absolutely love it. Very stable and great to fish from. Would highly recommend.

The Basswood Solo is a solid design and there’s a reason it gets recommended so often — it’s forgiving, stable, and easy to maneuver with as a beginner. For a lot of folks, especially those coming from something like the Pack, that’s a big confidence boost.

Where the Prism starts to separate is once you’re past that phase and begin to care more about efficiency over long days and how the hull responds to nuanced input. It rewards good technique in a way the Basswood doesn’t really try to.

That shallow arch you mentioned matters more than people think. With proper trim and a relaxed kneeling setup, the Prism’s secondary stability comes alive, particularly unloaded. It’s less about “standing to fish” and more about covering water gracefully.

I’ve seen a lot of paddlers stick with the Basswood because it feels beginner friendly, but the ones who enjoy refining stroke mechanics and reading water tend to migrate toward something like the Prism over time.

Not better or worse — just different skill levels.

The one thing I like about the Basswood solo is the slightest amount of rocker. I mention this because when out on trips, I like fishing and not endlessly spinning. People tend to mention it doesn't "weathervane" so easily.
I'm that guy, who will lay up at a site for that extra day to fish little coves or just pick one site locally on a big flowage to Basecamp out of.

Yes, a canoe like this will take some extra effort in setting up on a trip with some flow, but by a video I saw, it didn't look too bad. I was kind of amazed at how responsive (for lack of a better word) it was to turning.
It's not like I will be running anything more than a moderate Class II anyway.

That all tracks and makes sense if your main goal is stability for fishing. I think the Solo vs Prism discussion comes down to where most of your miles are. Boats show their personalities pretty differently in places like BWCA versus smaller, more protected systems like Sylvania.

In the BWCA, especially on bigger lakes with real wind and longer crossings, efficiency and how a hull carries speed start to matter a lot more than people expect. That’s usually where designs like the Prism begin to make sense. In easier areas like Sylvania, where you can slow things down, basecamp, and let conditions dictate less of your day, a more neutral, forgiving hull is often all you ever need. Nothing wrong with that, it just doesn’t demand much from the paddler.

Different water teaches different habits. Once you’ve spent time managing trim and momentum across exposed lakes, it’s hard not to notice the differences.

Hey Lorax,

I'm also looking at canoes and have been on the fence about the Basswood Solo. I rented one last year from Sawtooth Outfitters for a solo trip via the John Lake EP. I totallly LOVED the Basswood. My only complaint is that apparently a footbrace is not an option according to Wenonah because of the rib placement/design on the hull. There have been rumors that someone figured out how to create a foot brace that attaches to the gunwales, but I haven't tracked that down yet or confirmed it. If Wenonah had a footbrace for it, I'd be in line for a Basswood Solo now.

I'm still a beginner with solo paddling and found the basswood to be very forgiving and stable. I loved how it would swallow up my GG Superior One portage pack. I could lay it flat behind me with ease.

I had some good wind from the west and was heading north across John Lake (admittedly a small lake), but I was taking rollers from the left side and I was able to balance and paddle my way through them and get through it only minor panick, lol. The "initial" stability of the Basswood is rock solid. FWIW, I was using a Bending Branches Impression "kayak style" paddle that is purpose build for solo canoeing.

Like you, I'm strongly considering the Wenonah Wilderness. My understanding is that when they created the Basswood Solo, they used the Wilderness as the starting point and tweaked it to hold more gear and have a little more initial stability. But... the Wilderness looks to be really close to the Basswood in capacity. Close enough that if I can get my portage packs flat in the Wilderness I might just buy a Wilderness that so I can have the foot brace. Just my 2 cents...

Good luck with your journey!

This is kind of where I am at.
I realize Im getting older and moster-mile days for me are a thing of the past. I have learned to slow down a little and have taken very different trips the past few times with two guys who always invite me. They are much older (75 and 76) and they plan trips with about 8 miles or so a day, with a few layup days to fish and relax. I never say no to an invite from these guys. As long as they want to go, I will be there.
Its also kind of nice not to be so agenda driven.

Im torn on the two canoes as well. I also see, through the two guys I know, that paddling needs and wants do change over time.
That's why Im looking at more of a recreational tourer, with some more stability, but some decent tracking and glide. I also go solo a lot so I take it slower when alone. I'm not a novice paddler by any means, but watching my two friends over 24 years of backcountry travel, I see their "nimbleness" fading over time and where I see it is when they are getting in and out of performance style hulls. And these guys stay in shape to do these trips. Nobody escapes the ravages of time.
Im pretty sure either the Wilderness or the BW solo would work for me. I just would rather buy once and be done.
And I believe that either one would be plenty comfortable enough to do 10-15 mile days out of as well.