Hi all, I have been tandem canoeing the BWCA & Quetico for a while, but as I age it is harder and harder to find anyone to go with me up there.

Ergo, I am looking and saving up for a solo canoe. I canoe solo in a 17ft aluminum Grumman at home with ballast, but that's obviously not an option up north. I have read all of the posts regarding solo options for different types of people, but I'm a bit abnormal being 6'6" / 190 lbs. I didn't find anything spot on with my parameters. Besides being very tall and slim, I like to move fast, and basecamp at least a little bit. My trips are usually from 1 to 2 weeks, and I love to fish.

Right now I am leaning towards the Wenonah Voyager, but also considering the Northstar Magic or maybe the Wenonah Encounter. Any feedback on what would work best for me? I love everything about the Voyager but would another suit me better for fishing without much of a payload from basecamp? Thanks!

I'd also look at the Savage River Blackwater .

There is a difficult tradeoff between get up and go and fishing stability. The Encounter is a big boat- best for lots of gear or lots of person (or person and dog). Voyageur is big too, but fast and lively- requires balance for fishing. Magic is slower than Voyageur, but a sweet ride, surprisingly adept in difficult (waves/wind etc) conditions.

I know at least a few guys on here have a Voyager, do any of you also fish with it? Comment on that aspect? Otherwise, I too have seen the writing on the wall that perhaps I should go more towards the middle of my wants with a Magic...

I have used the voyager and prism. I like the prism more because it is more stable, wider. With your size that might be a consideration.

If money was no object, I'd be on that Savage River Blackwater like a duck on a June bug. That is one sweet ride! I've heard it is not only fast, but surprisingly stable. i have never been in a solo canoe but plan on renting an encounter in about eight weeks. I'll have a much better opinion then. I am choosing that one to rent over the prism or magic because I weigh between 250-260 pounds, which should settle that boat in the water a little more, especially with my packs. Plus it should be a tad faster with its little extra length, and the stability is reported to be great for fishing. If I was your weight, however, and you didn't want to spend the money on the Savage River, that magic has to be about the most beloved solo canoe ever talked about on this site. You rarely hear a negative word about it.

I have only ever paddled the magic. I'm 6'4" and 220 and it was a sweet ride. Fast, responsive, straight-tracking, etc.

My next solo I won't bother testing out something else or perhaps renting another, Magic is where it's at.

Thanks for the replies and input everyone...I still would love to hear from a Voyager owner on fishing performance if possible?

Paddled Voyagers, never fished from them but I did not think it was any worse than other solo canoes. But I have paddled solos for some time. I'd suggest renting or borrowing a few over time for experience before buying.
My solo is an Advantage, narrow 16 ft. My biggest concern was the width at the seat, 21 inches for the Voyager, same as the Advantage. I adapted quickly and flyfish without trouble. Longer canoes can get to be a handfull in tail wind/waves. All true solo canoes have a learning curve to negotiate till you get comfortable, after a certain point you may chuckle over stability comments.
You will be surprised at the lack of traveling speed differences among solo canoes, not as much as folks would make you think.

butthead

I was pretty much you a month or two ago. Had decided on a Voyager and missed buying a blem by only 3 hours. I ended up with a good deal on a one-year old Prism that looks like new.

At Canocopia I was admiring the Voyager on display (it was the first one I'd seen other than in photos). I nice gentleman walked up and asked if he could help me and I informed him it was a little too late as I had a Prism in my basement at home and was now wondering if I should have kept looking for a Voyager.

He asked me what I intended to do with the canoe (take a solo trip to Quetico and use it for my photography hobby). He then introduced himself as Dave Kruger, the designer of the Encounter, Voyager, and Prism. He reassured me I purchased the right canoe for my needs. He said the Voyager was really designed as an exercise/ race boat and though he knows folks do trip in them that wasn't what it was designed for. He said there is a reason why there are so many Prism's rented in canoe country and it's because it was designed for tripping. He also said for my photography the Prism would be a much better platform because without moving forward I would really feel the lower initial stability.

Now perhaps he was just trying to make me feel good about the canoe I'd already purchased or thought that my skills were better suited to a Prism?

I got the Prism out Sunday afternoon for the first paddle. Seems like it will work well for me. The initial stability was less than I was expecting though I never felt uncomfortable. I wanted to lean into it to get a better feel for secondary but the floating ice chunks and the fact that I was alone made me decide to wait for another day to test that.

Don't know if any of this is helpful, but thought it was relevant enough to share.

You will be surprised at the lack of traveling speed differences among solo canoes, not as much as folks would make you think.

Couldn't agree more. I remember how much I agonized over my first solo canoe purchase. I like to paddle hard and fast and the decision was down to the Magic and Prism. I scoured the internet for any information I could find comparing those two boats. I wanted the faster of the two and was so worried about choosing incorrectly. I settled on the Magic and it still took me a few years to realize just how little speed difference there is in comparable hulls.

The fact is unless you're a fairly accomplished canoe racer you're going to be the limiting speed factor, not the boat. I spent a few years racing canoes and kayaks and never got better than a mid/back of the pack paddler. Even though I was paddling the same hull as the guys in the front of the pack they would just pull away from me without even looking like they were trying. Paddling fast takes a lot of skill that only comes with a lot of time on the water spent paddling fast.

Best I could ever do with my Magic when empty was to sprint it up to nearly 6.5mph and cruise for extended periods (miles) between 5-5.5mph. In my racing C1 (18.5' long and built for speed) I could sprint considerably faster at over 7mph but, surprisingly enough, settling back into the race pace I might only average .2-.3mph faster than the Magic. If you're talking loaded tripping pace and comparing boats like the Prism, Magic, Voyager, and Blackwater I doubt you'd be seeing much more than a .1mph difference between them over the course of a day. In terms of racing that would be huge but in canoe tripping it's insignificant.

I test paddled a Blackwater a couple years ago. I really wanted one bad. I hadn't done any serious workout paddles for a couple years but I still get out weekly, if not more, and paddle harder than most. I couldn't sprint it any faster than I could my Magic at the time (6.3mph). I have no doubt the Blackwater is the faster of the two for someone with the skills, strength, and stamina to push it but for me it was as wash.

Alan

Thanks, those were actually really great replies - I think you've changed my mind...

I like to think of them as having personalities, and you need to find out who you want to buddy up with. They can all be fun but you need to pick one to hang out with!
I really like paddling my Advantage, point it to the next portage and go. But paddled a new Phoenix last summer, almost the antithesis, and enjoyed it very much. Got me considering a bigger garage.

butthead

At your height & weight the Voyager would be magic. Pun intended.
Your long arms and torso would make an easy job of controlling the long boat. God gave you a long slender body, use it! All the guys with stubby arms, legs , and body will envy you in your boat.

I am a Voyager owner who has paddled the Blackwater. Yes, the Blackwater is nice. The seat slide is a better design, the gunwales are lower, and the canoe itself is slightly less weight. But they paddle very similar. Between the two it depends if you have the extra money and you want a nice shiny boat, get the Blackwater. If some scuffing and scratches don't bother you (which is how your nice shiny boat will end up like) then save yourself $1500 - $2000 and get a used Voyager.

You asked about fishing, what do you want to know? I am a little stumped by this question, any solo is going to be a learning experience from a tandem.

I was just wondering if there is a marked difference in fishing capabilities (mainly stability when landing fish) between the Voyager, and say Magic. Or, if it is just getting used to tippiness in whatever boat you decide to go with...

"is just getting used to tippiness in whatever boat you decide to go with."

Released a few 36+ inch pike alonside my canoe and,
Kiporby in his Magic.

butthead

Everything is a learning curve. I used an Advantage for over 10 years tripping with some fishing. It's by far my favorite solo canoe. It's fast, can carry over a weeks worth of gear, and its just fun to paddle. I weigh the same as you and with the siding seat and adjustable foot brace you should fit just fine. It will feel a bit tippy at first, but so did your bicycle when you first got on it. Before you know it it will feel a part of you. I could lean it almost to the gunwhales with a good reverse sweep.

Get out and paddle them, make turns, go straight, after renting my first prism, I quickly realized I did not like it and would never own one. Just did not turn as well as I liked. I did a short test paddle prior to my trip, and put one on layaway, but not enough seat time. While in the bw I realized it wasn't for me. Test paddle as long as possible.

NOT Voyager or Encounter. Voyager is too tender and Encounter too large. For wenonah, go with the Prism. The Northstar Magic is a good choice as well.

I wouldn't argue with him getting a Prism, a Prism is everyman's boat

but he is 6'6"
I'm 6', if I were 6'2", I'd enjoy the Voyager more
6'4" would be even better

6'6" would be Nirvava