Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: solo canoes
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MidwestFirecraft |
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MidwestFirecraft |
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AmarilloJim |
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justpaddlin |
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HighnDry |
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nctry |
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DanCooke |
That being said as Yellow canoe pointed out I often take a Flashfire tripping in the BWCAW. at 225 and a photography hobby I sink the canoe pretty good. With your much lighter load you could trip in a Firebird and any of the other canoes mentioned. The shorter the canoe the easier it will be to maneuver in class two water. A shorter canoe will accelerate quicker and take less energy to move at slower speeds. Longer canoes are easier as you approach max hull speed. This Wednesday I am out of the state for the Wednesday evening Paddle in the North metro. But am planning on the following next Wednesday at 5:30 pm on GoldenLake for an open paddle night. You would be welcome to paddle my Flashfire, there may be a Firebird present you could convince the owner a test paddle in. |
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blackdawg9 |
If you weren't the one paying for the canoe, what would you get? I'm thinking decent-sized water and slow rivers. One of my bucket list events is I want to run the Muskoka X in the next 2-3 years. |
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TomT |
cowdoc: "Nice big solo canoe......you're money.......Swift Shearwater" Exactly. I got mine at Canoecopia last March and it would be ideal for you. I love it and so does my 50 lb. pooch. Swift Shearwater |
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ozarkpaddler |
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sedges |
The Souris Q16 is the most flat bottomed of the ones I would suggest. It is going to be rock solid stable. Northwind 16 and Swift Keewaydin 16 I like more because they have pinched in gunnels making paddling more comfortable. This is most important when you have to paddle hard, like dealing with wind or current. I think they are more finely shaped boats, maybe a little faster. They also have a little more shape to their bottoms. Still a lot of secondary stability, but they will feel livelier. Again, think comfort level. Then there is the boat I would want. Hemlock Canoe Eaglet. This is probably the best big solo/small tandem around today. 15'7" 30" at the gunnels, 32 greatest width. Many people never feel comfortable in Hemlock hulls if they are not kneeling. I, at 200#, have no problem sitting in them even in bad conditions. I spend a lot of time on the water, however, and seem to be able to get used to a hulls natural motion pretty quickly. Maybe you do to. Then this is your dream boat. http://www.hemlockcanoe.com/eaglet.html Hope you have that someone to pay for it! |
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cowdoc |
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Ole496 |
285 isn't that heavy, but with the extra gear and a dog you're probably going to need a canoe 15 1/2 or 16 minimum to get the buoyancy, capacity and glide to be favorable for a better paddling experience. Wenonah Encounter - great for all your gear but maybe too long??, then maybe the Voyager if you can handle a more tender boat, after that a Prism would still fit you if you like a shorter option. For your size the Prism might be the perfect fit with you and a dog. The Wilderness is a great big guy solo but for just a tripping boat there are slightly faster options like the other Wenonahs. If you want to do more exploring of small rivers, streams, creeks and backwaters with a heavy focus on fishing then try the Wilderness. NorthStar Northwind Solo - perfect big guy solo with a dog, love how the DY designed boats paddle Swift Shearwater - another excellent choice, never been in one but it would meet your expectations Souris Q16 set up as a solo - excellent boat, very stable, not as fast though as the others mentioned Nova Craft Fox - shortest boat here if you want a shorter boat, might be the slower craft on this list, but huge load capacity, very fun boat to paddle If you want to race then the Wenonah Voyager or the Wenonah Advantage or Savage River Blackwater would be great options (the last two are not as dog friendly though) |
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jhb8426 |
ozarkpaddler: "Well, with that load, think small tandem... For BWCAW paddling I'd go that route, a Bell Northwind (Northwind Polaris) " If you're refering to the original Bell Northwind (17.5 ft), that boat is really too big to solo comfortably IMHO.The Northstar Polaris on the other hand is basically a Bell Northstar, which is far more suitable as a larger solo. (I'm guessing you got Northwind and Northstar mixed up somehow.) |
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blackdawg9 |
i know i can cut the weight down on my pack. but with my current job. i'm not goin g to shed the weight. just to much required muscle mass. i would really like something capable of doing 7-10 days. i think kevin callan is using a 16ft nova craft prospector. looking at ted bell, he's a decent sized guy. he handles a solo, fine. at 370 pounds, you only have 4 inches of water deplacement, on the northwind solo. 385 -400 would only be 4 1/2''. 12 1/2 '' deep in the mid section. still gives you 8inches freee board. you would just have to pick water accordingly. cut weight in your tent/bag/ more dehydrated/ and stoves. |
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billconner |
The dog might fit better in the Tranq than the Prospector. |