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butthead
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Wenonah Advantage, ZRE bent and straight. Same style you use.
butthead
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SMetroHawkeye
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I've got a Wenonah Wilderness in Graphite. I've got a carbon bent shaft and roll with the switch as well. My extra is straight but it holds up the tarp more than anything else, unless I've got a ridiculously rocky landing.
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MagicPaddler
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Placid boat works RapidFire with a carbon fiber double.
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DeterminedOrange
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quote willfess: "I made a Bear Mountain Huron Cruiser 52 pounds for my solo. Paddle is strait beaver tail that made to.  "
Nice looking canoe, I like the details in the gunwales and decks. Also a fan of those Eureka packs, no worrys about them laying in the bilge water.
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willfess
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The specifications for the Huron Cruiser are 15'-9" beam 32.5" WL 30.25" depth 14" draft 4" with an Optimum Capacity of 180/450lb. I am 230lb + 77lb of gear so i have plenty of capacity. The details in the decks and rails are poplar. my paddle is 63" that i J as needed switching every 30 min or so 
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TrekScouter
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I rented a Magic for my trip last year, and have decided that this is the boat for me. I used a Bending Branches Espresso bent for hit and switch on the flat water, and a Sawyer Voyager (straight) for more challenging situations, and as my spare.
I really like both of these paddles, and sometimes I switched paddles just so that I could spend time enjoying each of them.
Paddling a solo quickly taught me to appreciate the hit and switch method, and I feel that the lessons learned that week have benefitted my tandem paddling.
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bwcasolo
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very nice boats, hope to see more.
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Minnesotian
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A Wenonah Vagabond in Royalex, 14'6" long and weighs 45 lbs. I use a bent shaft paddle and a straight shaft paddle, mostly the bent shaft. And J-stroke for me only.
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bwcasolo
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quote DeterminedOrange: "NWC Passage solo cedar strip. Have several paddles but prefer my Fox Guide bent shaft. Almost always J/C stroke with occasional sit and switch, almost never kneel.
 "
that's a nice photo. i'd have that one framed.
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rtbaum
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The end of March, I found a Wenonah Wilderness on CL. Struck a deal and became the proud owner of what has been dubbed 'Walks on Water'. I have decided that I will try different techniques of propulsion. The first paddle was bent shaft Wenonah Boundary Waters, awesome for straight all-out paddling. I have not been all that enthused with fine tuned corrective strokes. Second, I picked up an el-cheapo 240cm kayak paddle....big mistake!! Got saturated the first few stokes with ice cold water...it goes back to Fleet Farm. Today, I picked up a Bending Branches Expresso straight shaft at Midwest Outdoor Expo. Beautiful paddle!! Tomorrow, I will see how well it all fits together.
Just as I have reinvented my kit, I am trying different strokes. I have always used the sit and switch. I am interested in using the J-stroke more frequently for straight movement and strokes yet to be determined for turns. I will say that I have been interested in the maneuvers used in freestyle. My principal purpose in picking up a solo is for primarily bird photography. It seems that technique that enables quick and efficient positioning would be a nice thing in this situation.
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MacCamper
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quote DeterminedOrange: "NWC Passage solo cedar strip. Have several paddles but prefer my Fox Guide bent shaft. Almost always J/C stroke with occasional sit and switch, almost never kneel.
"
Good looking ride.
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kanoes
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ivory bell magic, 36 lbs. 2 zavs...one bent the other straight. hit and switch with both at times. I use the straight when things get dicey though, much better control.
 my ivory bell magic is on top of kiporbys ivory bell magic. there may very well be ivory bell magic toddlers roaming that bushwack lake now. ;-)
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sunnybear09
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I paddle a Wenonah Wilderness, Royalex, with a Bending Branches 260cm double blade as the primary paddle, take a White River 62" Beavertail as a back-up. Now that my dog is up to 73 lbs., I am wondering what I should move up to, or if I have to. This early season will be a test run.  
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bigsilver
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I just bought a wenonah wilderness in RX and use a 52" ZRE paddle. I have not tripped in mine like all of you all do and have only paddled about 12 miles in it. I have just made the switch to a bent shaft and still trying to figure it out. Right now I mainly use a slight J stroke but with switch and hit I can add a little speed. Jury is still out.
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Longpaddler
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I have a Bell Magic and paddle it w/ a straight-shaft beavertail paddle...I like the longer shaft paddle for more effective strokes toward the ends of the canoe...
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willfess
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I made a Bear Mountain Huron Cruiser 52 pounds for my solo. Paddle is strait beaver tail that made to.
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FOG51
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Jan; those 3 canoes look like they are getting really friendly with each other. Fred
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Tony
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I use a Wenonah solo plus and a Wenonah carbon bent paddle. Hit and switch also. Most of my solos are centered around fishing for lakers and the solo plus is a very stable fishing platform.  
tony
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kanoes
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quote FOG51: "Jan; those 3 canoes look like they are getting really friendly with each other. Fred"
actually, there are 4.
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luft
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I have a 14'9" Hemlock Kestrel that weighs about 34 lbs. I use a 240cm carbon double blade most of the time because I have better control in windy situations with it and have greater speed. I bring a bent single blade as my backpack on trips.
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sunnybear09
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quote willfess: "I made a Bear Mountain Huron Cruiser 52 pounds for my solo. Paddle is strait beaver tail that made to. "
Very nice looking boat, what is the depth? Looks about 14", should have great capacity for it's length.
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bhouse46
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Bell magic with foot brace and sit backer seat paddled by Werner 240 Corryvrecken double blade and Sawyer bent shaft for backup. I use a relatively high stroke slipping into a low/moderate stroke for traveling. What a sweet ride it is.
photo added 
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housty9
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I use a ultra light Kevlar Wilderness 32# and a Bending Branches 230cm Navigator kayak paddle, and a Foxworxs straight shaft for a spare.
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FOG51
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I have a Savage River Carbon TexTreme DeepCreek Solo Weighs 29 pounds without the yoke. When traveling I use a 260cm Bending Branches yak paddle, when I fish I use a Bending Branches Traveler straight shaft wood paddle, I hit and switch most of the time, wood paddle in winding creeks and rocky landings, there's pictures of The Dark Lady in my trip report Flirting with Wabakimi. FRED
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ducks
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Still figuring that out. 1 solo under my belt and I rented a SR Q16 and it was rock solid with a 85lb lab along. I used their plastic double blade and my bent shaft. It went so well that on my next solo I'm going to rent a dedicated solo.
I've seen Fogs canoe and it is a beauty! I would love that canoe. Only 29lbs but still big enough that I could use it on my daddy/daughter tandem trips.
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OldGoat
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Wenonah Advantage -- Kevlar 32 lbs.
Bent shaft for straight travel on calm days. Straight shaft if I need to do any control strokes.
Goat
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jhb8426
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Bell Magic. Bending Branches bent shaft or beaver tail depending on my mood.
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walllee
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Bell wildfire, ZRE paddle most of the time, sandborn sometimes,whisky jack sometimes. 
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gkimball
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I have a Wenonah Wilderness, tuff weave, 42 lbs.
I use a 250 cm (about 8 feet) kayak paddle in open water and switch to a straight shaft paddle when approaching shore or maneuvering in tight spaces.
Really like the kayak paddle - seems like less work yet better speed and more control. Regular paddle is great where the kayak paddle is too long and cumbersome.
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boonie
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Well, I don't own a canoe and I rent a variety of solos and paddle them with double blades and single blades - straight and sometimes bent.
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bwcasolo
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I am curious to see what brand of solo canoe you have and how you paddle it.
I have a prism, and I use a bent shaft, hit and switch, for traveling, straight shaft and j stroke for dinking around.
get the picture?
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MacCamper
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It depends upon the trip. Both of my solos are tandems. One a 73 plus pound 1972 Old Town Trapper. Heavy but pretty and really stable. As I mentioned however, it is real heavy. My second is a Winona Adirondack ultralight kevlar. Not as attractive, but much lighter. My main propulsion is a Werner 240 Tybee hooked. Secondary source, a bent Winona. Planning to build a cedar strip solo this summer as soon as the shop is cleared out a bit.
If my route includes few portages and big water I will lean toward the OT. If I am moving great distances I like the lighter canoe. The double blade is for transport mode and the short paddle for fishing and short hops around camp. The double blade comes in handy with my tarp too.
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jwartman59
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i've done solo bwca trips in a 17 foot alumacraft. it's not the canoe, it's your skills and strength. for what it is worth, many times i'd prefer the seaworthiness of a crappy design over a high tech race designed canoe. years ago i did the paddling thing with ma ketter. her canoe philosophy was the total opposite of mine. it still is.
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DeterminedOrange
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NWC Passage solo cedar strip. Have several paddles but prefer my Fox Guide bent shaft. Almost always J/C stroke with occasional sit and switch, almost never kneel.
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DeterminedOrange
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Good looking ride."
Thanks!
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