I've been looking for an all-around solo that might do well enough on flat water for modest tripping or simply day trips on flat water. I had been thinking of a Bell or Northwind Solo, but they're scarce. There's a beat up 15' Osprey for sale in my area (Kevlar fusion make-up). It's got a rocker of 1.5" b and 1" stern, similar, I think, to the Northwind Solo. Does anyone have any experience with the Osprey? Any thoughts?

Osprey may be my all time favorite solo. My take is that you should go buy it.

I had a NW Solo. Osprey is more playful, better on rivers. Osprey cruises nicely on flatwater. Not as stable for sitting as NW Solo.

Rocker specs are seriously misleading. Pics show my Osprey vs my red Keewaydin 15 which is listed as 2" front, 1" rear rocker. Rocker is not standardized and apparently John Winters and David Yost measure it differently. I'd say Osprey has at least twice the 1.5/1 rocker.

Thank you very much for your thoughts. Interesting what you say about rocker. My main concerns are its usefulness on flat water (not serious rapids) and its weight. The "kevlar fusion" version seems to weigh in the mid-30s, which is quite a bit more, at least for an old guy like me, than a Starlite Northwind Solo, which I think is in the upper 20s. Am I being too obsessive?

Justpaddlin, how do they compare in wind?

overland: "Thank you very much for your thoughts. Interesting what you say about rocker. My main concerns are its usefulness on flat water (not serious rapids) and its weight. The "kevlar fusion" version seems to weigh in the mid-30s, which is quite a bit more, at least for an old guy like me, than a Starlite Northwind Solo, which I think is in the upper 20s. Am I being too obsessive?"

If you need to obsess about something canoes are a great choice. I just bought a 28 pound Swift Cirrus and it's even more delightful to just grab and go than my 32 pound Osprey.

I do think that a Starlight NW Solo is a great boat. Nice and roomy yet sleek with fine performance and stability. Super versatile and a lot of boat for the money.

bhouse46: "Justpaddlin, how do they compare in wind?"

Osprey can't be called good in wind. It's managable. In a strong quartering tailwind the stern will try to blow around and you have to go slow. It has a relatively flat bottom and you can see the rocker in the pic so it rides on top of the water. It's a tradeoff...you get amazing maneuverability and playfulness on quiet water and effortless acceleration and impressive cruising speed for a river capable boat...plus it's still manageable in wind. I have a Bell Merlin II which is very similar to NW Solo and it's a great boat for high wind and for cruising but maybe a bit boring. Personal preference.

One problem is the boat's condition. It has a few long cracks (not lengthwise but from keel to gunnel) on both bow and stern (maybe just in the coating?), and three or four places where there it looks like it's been hit by something (or hit something) and there are small cracks in the kevlar. The canoe has almost no scratches, which makes me wonder if it fell off a car or had a tree limb fall on it. By itself these problems don't bother me--I've repaired kevlar canoes before that I've gotten cheaply and put into good useable condition. But i worry that I'll buy it and fix it up and then, down the road not be able to sell it. Any thoughts on much I might pay for it? Any advice?

Bought the boat for a fair price and took out on Saturday on flat water. It's a beautiful canoe, light enough that I can sling it on the car and off (about 36 lbs), though not as light as my dream canoe, the Northwind Solo. It maneuvers well because of the rocker, but it also tracks fairly well, though on flat water I'd be inclined to use my double bladed paddle rather than J-stroke my way along. It will be nice on rivers. I have an old Jensen C-1 that's got a straight keel, is very light (29#), and has a draft of only about 11 1/2". It tracks extremely well but is tough to maneuver on rivers, even without rapids. It will be nice to have an alternative.

overland: "Thank you very much for your thoughts. Interesting what you say about rocker. My main concerns are its usefulness on flat water (not serious rapids) and its weight. The "kevlar fusion" version seems to weigh in the mid-30s, which is quite a bit more, at least for an old guy like me, than a Starlite Northwind Solo, which I think is in the upper 20s. Am I being too obsessive?"

Newer Swifts are a bit lighter. Mine is 32 pounds. I recently bought a 28 pound Swift. You're not being obsessive, light weight adds to ease of use and helps make sure you don't skip paddling because it feels like a hassle.

Congrats! Ospreys are awesome. If you can kneel even for short periods I suggest you explore the Osprey's freestyle capabilities. Just another way to enjoy the boat. It's extremely maneuverable and responds to even gentle suggestions.

As far as resale value remember that they are no longer made. The Swift Cirrus I just bought has very similar performance as Osprey but it's more stable and predictable. Osprey is still the hotter, more playful boat.

Osprey is also a good dog boat. ;)