I'm thinking of building a small tandem canoe this summer. A couple I'm considering: Bear Mountain Cottage Cruiser or Bob's Special or NW Canoe Cottager.
Basically looking for a smaller canoe that's relatively stable that my kids (twin 12 year olds) could paddle comfortably and that I could paddle backwards solo occasionally. Does anyone out there have one of these and care to weigh in on what they like or don't like or maybe something similar?

I built the Prospector Ranger 15 (Bear Mountain). This canoe is surprisingly agile. Paddles very nice solo as well as tandem. I have no hesitation in recommending that you build it. Here is a link to the post that I had while building her.

Chestnut Prospector Ranger 15

This past summer at the Wooden Boat Gathering on Sawbill, Sue Plankis showed me what my canoe could really do when paddling Canadian style. Obviously, I like my canoe. Good luck making a decision. I understand that the Cottage Cruiser tends to feel tipsy

Thanks for the feedback HighPlainsDrifter. Nice canoe.
I built the Bear Mt. Freedom 17, so I'm basing my sense of stability on that and Bear Mountain's rating system. I might loft the Bob's Special and Ranger for comparison. The Ranger appears to be a little fuller with more rocker.
Decisions, decisions.

I lofted and built a Bob's Special a few years ago. You can find my build thread a way down the forum. I paddle it often solo and with my two kids. Very stable. I paddled it solo to SAK and it did well, but not nearly as fast as my .38 Special.

I really like the Bobs. Paddles nicely and has great looks. I think it would suit your desired use better than the Cottage cruiser. Another option is the Mattawa. Another great boat, and much faster than either the Bobs or the CC.

http://greenval.com/mattawa.html

Moonman.