Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Three tandem canoes or two 3-seaters?
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schweady |
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straighthairedcurly |
RodPortage: "If you have three people of similar strength, in my experience the canoe behavior is confusing and it takes some learning to get the canoe to fly straight. So I'd go with three tandems if I had the choice, though it'll cost you 50% more to do so." Really? We just put the bow and center paddlers on one side and the stern on the other side. Works great! We can crank out the miles! We are all extremely equal paddlers and we switch positions after every portage with no change in canoe handling. I love the 3-person canoes and they have worked very well for us. Gives your group one less canoe to portage. However, I have heard some groups with 3 large men and a lot of gear to feel like they ride too low in the water. They are also much longer so if you are going to be on tight, overgrown portages or very narrow, winding streams, they can be more challenging. |
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Hockhocking |
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PaddleBoi |
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foxfireniner |
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Speckled |
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timatkn |
If you are looking to reduce rental price, travel faster, and you want more camaraderie then I’d take 2, 3 person canoes. By that I mean it’s important you are all together more. If you want more freedom to separate and do your own thing then 3 tandems for sure is better. There isn’t a wrong or right more what is better for you. I’ve fished 3 per canoe with no issues many times I wouldn’t factor that into the equation at all. |
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Hammertime |
In my humble opinion of course. |
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nick |
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halvorsonchristopher |
3man canoes are a blast! |
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JohnGalt |
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nick |
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Lawnchair107 |
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RodPortage |
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PointMe2Polaris |
All of these posts are right. It really comes down to the details of what you plan to do on the trip. However, you may want to consider adding in a three man canoe regardless how many of you are going if you are planning to do some base camping. We've typically incorporate a 3 man canoe into our trips for the sake of satisfying every situation, which means only two are navigating it on moving days (no big deal, we use our best canoers in the three man). Here's a few examples of why we do this: Let's say we have 6 in our group: 1. If a portion of our group wants to fish and the other others just want to chill at the campsite, then you have the seating capability to accommodate that regardless of the numbers, whether it's 2, 3, 4, or 5 people that want to fish. 2. Example #1 also applies for a short day trip to go exploring. 3. If someone is feeling a little under the weather and needs to stay at camp, the other 5 can still get out in the canoes if they wish and you don't have to draw straws to see who has to stay back on dry land with sicko:-) Of course, the scenario I just layed out goes out the window if you are doing a big loop. In that case, just stick with 3 tandems as mobility on your trip is of most importance. Hope that helps! Darin |
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bwcadan |
While you are all set, additional thoughts for others. Be sure to take paddles for any third seater camper. Keeps them in same comfort as to weather issues on trip. It has been said the longer a canoe (within reason) is, the faster it will travel. Throw in a third paddler for even more speed. As noted above, it can add challenges to canoe behavior. However an adept bowman will have little if any issues here. I seldom had problems in this setting. I always let the front 2 paddlers paddle the side of their choosing except when in windy conditions when it was beneficial for safety and for steering strait. Then I would tell one or both which side I needed them to paddle. It is easy for me to adjust to their paddling choice of side. Even if 3 canoes are used, I would take one at least to be a longer canoe for storage of gear. Lower profile for each canoe as traveling across lakes. Also easier to load and unload at portages. For me, I would take at least 2 longer canoes out of the 3 needed for 6 when using 3 canoes. Over all, longer canoes are easier and the tripping faster. Having said that, it is not to be discounted the extra weight on the portages. If this is an issue, take only lighter canoes. |
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cyclones30 |
I'm also not sure why you think you need them to be the same? Get a 3 and a 2 if you only have 5 people. 3 tandems means a single person paddling a tandem??? Get a solo for that person if you go that route. |
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Kendis |
The argument about portaging two triples or three tandems comes down to number of portage loads (pro triple) vs maximum load weight (pro tandem). There are other arguments for each, including theoretical max speed, ease of steering, lesser comfort of a removable center seat versus bucket seats, and maybe some others that aren't occurring to me at this moment. I personally would choose three tandems. I hurt my back 20 years ago and my foot 10 years ago and experience long-term pain from both, so minimizing maximum portage load weight is a priority for me to reduce the chance of aggravating those injuries. This is especially true for the canoe, which is the most awkward load to pick up or put down and has the most potential to strain your back while doing so. Ultimately this is a subjective decision. Any strongly worded statement on this thread is just a strongly held opinion. Good luck. |
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scat |
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