Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: SR Tranquility
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billconner |
High initial stability - a must for me - and I find it quite quick with a double blade. Tracks very well. Was fine in white caps across Lac LaCroix. Easy to maintain - a light sanding every 3 or 4 years and a coat of spar varnish. I bought a shorter solo canoe with more rocker for the swifter streams around me in Adirondacks. I'm quite "penurious" and $2100 seems high, though I paid $3000 for my Swift Prospector 14 Pack used though like new. I lucked out on Tranquility from an outfitter - like new except needed a new aluminum gunwale - $600. If it looks "like new" I'd think 60% of list is in the ballpark. I see $2845 on web site for basic kevlar, so maybe $1800? Good luck! |
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bwcadan |
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bwcadan |
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NEIowapaddler |
If it is a good boat, is that a good price or should I keep looking? I'm in no rush to buy something |
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NEIowapaddler |
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billconner |
The Tranq and my Swift Prospector both fit my CCS portage packs. I test paddled a few solos which did not, and would have required new packs. Just something to consider. |
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vandolomieu |
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justpaddlin |
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billconner |
I know the Tranq gets a rap it's not very efficient (speedy) but I found it pretty swift. I soloed with someone my age in a Magic and I had to hold back some. And more efficient generally means lower initial stability. |
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NEIowapaddler |
billconner: "I'm coming around that post pandemic $2100 may be a fair price. If you just made three trips and had to sell it, I think you'd be ahead of renting, maybe just ahead. Yeah I'm just getting into serious canoe tripping, although I've been a casual paddler since I was a kid. I thought about just renting canoes for my BW trips for a few years, which is what I did last year. But I'd rather own than rent, and if the plan is to buy eventually I might as well do it sooner than wait and spend money renting in the meantime. I'd much rather sacrifice a bit of efficiency for extra stability, myself. I fall into the camp of "slow and steady wins the race". |
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NEIowapaddler |
billconner: "Don't forget to plan for a yoke if it doesn't come with one. The basic wooden one with the plastic gunwale clips and Bourquin pads and it works very well. And a double blade paddle. Yeah I'm a woodworker, so I figure I can make a yoke if I can't find a commercial one that's suitable. And I already have a paddle, since I own a kayak. |
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NEIowapaddler |
I bought the canoe on Saturday. It was, indeed, in almost new condition. Still bright yellow, and only a couple minor cosmetic chips in the epoxy on the bow. No scratches to speak of, even cosmetic ones. It was either hardly used at all, or owned by someone who was very careful with it. The serial number is from 1998, so it's not that new, either. Now the hard part - waiting until open water comes back to try it out! I bought it from Carl's Paddlin in Lone Rock, WI, and I would recommend stopping in there if you happen to be in the area. Carl seemed like a great guy, and is one of the best storytellers I've ever met. He'll talk your ear off, but you won't mind. |
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billconner |
Carl's had quite a selection, including another Tranq. |
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SouthernKevlar |
When y'all's water goes back to liquid, I hope that you enjoy the way she paddles. Or it might be a good time to think about a southern vacation. When you first launch it, you may wish to load 50 or 60 lbs. of weight in the canoe. But at 230 vs. my 180, you might just be fine as is. You will find that with it's narrower beam (compared to a Tandem) that it will feel a bit tender, but you will get used to it and come to appreciate the ease of getting the paddle from one side to the other. I hope you enjoy that canoe as much as I do mine. |
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NEIowapaddler |
SouthernKevlar: "Congratulations on the new Tranquility and your first solo canoe! Good idea, I'll probably add some weight when I paddle it the first time. A narrower canoe will definitely be nice when it comes to paddling. I primarily use a double-blade paddle and I kept clipping the gunwales of the Northstar Polaris that I used in the BW last year. It was just a little too wide for comfortable paddling from the center seat, at least for me. I could widen my grip on the paddle enough to avoid it, but then it didn't feel like a natural grip position. That clunking got old quick, and I'm sure the other people on the lake thought I was a complete idiot at paddling. |
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SouthernKevlar |
The layup is also tough! I was shouldering my fifty five pound pack at a muddy portage a few years back when I slipped in the mud, caught my foot on a root and fell backward landing about three feet behind the bow. The canoe was resting on a root just under where I landed, and there was a loud crunch when I crashed and rolled off the canoe. I foresaw a duct tape patching and an end to my trip (three portages into the BWCA), but upon inspection found no crack, just some scuffing. I am impressed with toughness and flexibility of SR's Kevlar and Fiberglass layup. I am a woodworker also. My SR came with an adjustable portage yoke, but I have made one for my Grass River Classic XL which has a very narrow gunnel width. It is not hard to do if you like wood and have a bit of time. I wish you luck in finding your canoe! |
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ForestDuff |
The only other solo I have paddled was THE original cedar strip Merlin, and that was my first BW trip in a solo. So I really can't compare the Tranq to other solos, but I was looking for a solo that could hold a little more gear and take a little more abuse than others. The SR seemed to fit the bill, I actually emailed back and forth with a young man who took one trans-continental up in Canada and figured if it survived that, it surely could handle what I put it through. It makes one or two trips a year up to the BW, but most of the time it's on the water is when I'm fishing the Twin Cities area lakes. The round thwarts make it easy to find attachments to customize it. It isn't as fast as other solos, but a gentlemen commented that he was surprised that I was able to somewhat keep up with him, we both were on solo trips last Oct when we reached a portage at around the same time. It's never felt that tippy to me, but I don't have experience in canoes that are considered tippy. 5' 10" 180# Good luck with your search! |
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NEIowapaddler |
ForestDuff: "I also lucked out buying a used Tranq about a dozen or so years ago, it was only a year old and had only been on one BW trip. The previous owner had bent the gunnel in the front from I'm guessing trying to jam too big of a pack in there. So I got it for less than half of full price. I was able to slowly bend it back in place using my arms and legs. It was still pretty yellow and had yet to fade to the tiger weave brownish color. What information I've been able to find all said the Tranquility is a tough boat. That's definitely a selling point for me. I don't abuse my gear but I also don't want a canoe I'm afraid to use in many places. The biggest question mark I had about the Tranq was how tippy it would be. On the SR website it says that it's a tippy boat, and is best used by experienced paddlers. I've never seen a manufacturer say something like that before, which made me afraid that it would be super unstable. But none of the users here or other places have mentioned that. So maybe SR is just being extra cautious with their advice. Obviously what constitutes "tippy" is very subjective, too. |
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NEIowapaddler |
billconner: "Pleasant surprise. Usually discussions of the Tranq here make ir the Rodney Dangerfield of solos. (In case that's a dated reference - no respect.) Yeah...I missed that reference lol. |
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SouthernKevlar |
I would not worry about the "tippyness" of the Tranquility. When you do first paddle it, carrying a bit of weight may help. As a note, I am about 6'1" and 175 pounds. |
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billconner |
The tranq is tippyer than their Q17. No surprise there. |