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09/24/2022 01:46PM |
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09/24/2022 08:46PM |
My boys are in scouts and many of my weekends are taken up with non canoeing outdoor activities, I had a major surgery come up, then got an rare unrelated infection in my elbow (was actually from a mosquito) that put me out of commission for 3 weeks, got better, lead our scouts to summer camp, then got COVID, then the couple of opportunities I had to paddle it was blowing 20 mph…
My problems are not a big deal compared to many, just wasn’t conducive to canoeing this year like I had planned.
I probably can’t give ya an answer until next year.
T
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10/10/2022 07:29AM |
My most recent paddles besides this canoe were a Quetico 18.5 or NW 20…both loaded down with the entire family. I just say that because there was noticeably more glide and less effort…then again the canoe was unloaded and there was no wind so not really a fair comparison…anyways I think I’ll keep it :)
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10/13/2022 09:15AM |
I did call Northstar and had a great conversation with Bear about the Stealth boats. I was reassured to know it was built as a Boundary Waters layup and isn't quite as fragile as I feared. He emphasized you shouldn't be ramming a stealth boat into the landing, kept away from things like rebar, and that it's a wet foot lamination. But also that paddling over an unseen rock isn't going to do catastrophic damage and strand you.
A few quirks to the Stealth boats. They don't offer them with any sort of skid plates or with a sliding bow seat, but you can add a carbon foot brace.
As Nick mentioned and Bear reiterated, any repairs needed would be done with a fiberglass composite repair kit and would still be less weight than a Starlite boat. Though the vast majority of repairs they see, with any layup, have nothing to do with paddling.
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09/28/2022 12:44PM |
T
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10/12/2022 11:59AM |
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09/23/2022 03:57PM |
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09/28/2022 12:15PM |
I took a 325 rod portage with a pretty good climb twice with it, and it was extremely easy to carry. I was able to take it with a pack, and it never really got bad. THis same portage and pack absolutely destroyed me last year. I didn't notice much of a difference on the water from my much loved Bell Northwoods. It was absolutely stable and plenty fast. We didn't have huge waves, so I can't speak to the dryness of it, but plenty of NW 18 owners are out there who can speak to the design.
I can't speak to the durability since its just the first trip, but when I talked to Northstar about it they made a great point: any repairs to the hull or gunwales are just composite repairs. The gunwales would be easy to fix for most types of damage, and patches are just patches. I figure I can have a dozen patches before I start to notice a difference in the weight.
In the end, I'm buying the ability to keep doing this longer and to keep taking it further into the wilderness. If I was younger and stronger, I probably wouldn't consider it. Unfortunately I'm getting older and weaker, so this buys me some years.
Totally worth it as far as I'm concerned. It does help that I'll have a Northwoods (blackgold with aluminum trim...coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!) to sell that will offset some of the cost.
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09/28/2022 07:11PM |
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09/28/2022 01:01PM |