Balancing weight and durability

[danielfishercanada]

Hi, I am planning to buy my first canoe. And I'm very torn between a few choices. They are all 16ft swift prospectors

1. Kevlar fusion basalt innegra
2. Carbon fusion granite
3. Kevlar fusion sapphire/ruby/emerald


Let me start off by saying that lightweight is very important to me because of my bad knees and back. At the same time. I want this to be a life long purchase, so I'd like good durability. I'll be paddling in Ontario, like back country algonquin, killerany, doing short portages maybe 10km a day max.

I did go check out the three boats. Lifted them. Carbon is noticeably lighter but not by too much. And I could handle other two with ease. My biggest confusion is how the durability compares between kevlar basalt innegra and carbon fusion. I heard that carbon is stiffer and therefore more susceptible to trauma. I'm beginner to intermediate so I'd be making mistakes..


Im leaning towards basalt for stronger durability. I've included option 3, the default Kevlar fusion, because it seems like the middle ground. Swift says basalt innegra is stronger than the ruby/sapphire ones (option3) but I don't know how true that is.

All that to say, I don't know what to go with. Please help me decide!

 

[yknpdlr]

Can I ask more about your Blackwater?

Their layup pricing/weight spreadsheet shows the Textreme Ultralite as 19 lbs...Textreme Lite at 21.

Did you actually get the Ultralite, or did you get the Textreme Lite & make other selections (like the interior layer) to bring the weight down?

Carbon fiber thwarts & handles, or Aluminum? Stock seat? Foot brace? What else?

My Blackwater is great, but I do dream of getting a lighter one. 19 pounds is pretty sweet for such a rocket.

Ben told me it would weigh in at 19 pounds and that is what I measure in the final product at home. Everything that can be carbon is carbon. Sliding race style seat with attqched sliding footbrace. A real joy to paddle and easy to carry.

Even without any significant rocker I am able to turn quite well, and I feel I would have no problem making a 180 degree buoy turn at speed. One difference I do notice is that unlike all of my other canoes and others I have paddled, that it best likes to carve a turn with an intsde heel lean, opposite all the others.

A sanitized version of my final invoice is attached.

 

[Tryin']

Sometimes I just want to paddle an Old Town Tripper.

Come on out to Indiana... This one is even set up to solo!

 

[PortageW/Cerberus]

Ben told me it would weigh in at 19 pounds and that is what I measure in the final product at home. Everything that can be carbon is carbon. Sliding race style seat with attqched sliding footbrace. A real joy to paddle and easy to carry.

Even without any significant rocker I am able to turn quite well, and I feel I would have no problem making a 180 degree buoy turn at speed. One difference I do notice is that unlike all of my other canoes and others I have paddled, that it best likes to carve a turn with an intsde heel lean, opposite all the others.

A sanitized version of my final invoice is attached.
View attachment 146395

Cool! What is the 5” square gunwale??

Also, what do you do for a yoke?