Help me upgrade from my current solo: Wenonah Vagabond

Well fellas, after much agonizing over the model and the hundreds of reasons I shouldn't spend the money, I bought a boat.

I got a Northstar Trillium in Blacklite.

It was a hard choice between the Trillium and the Magic when I had them both in front of me, but I went with the Trillium based on the load rating with me and some gear being smack in the middle.

I've paddled it once very briefly on the way home yesterday and its a very lively and zippy little thing. It's much much more efficient than my Vagabond, tracks surprisingly well and the weight is just insane.

Going for a longer paddle now, just wanted to say thank you for the help!

Congratulations on the new canoe! For an "All-Rounder" type canoe, I think you picked a good one with the Trillium. That BlackLite is so light you gotta love it.

Back last Fall I ordered a Phoenix in BlackLite as my "All-Rounder". I love the maneuverability of the Phoenix, but I am used to a bit more speed than the it has. I wondered if the Trillium might have been a better choice, but I had paddled the Phoenix at a couple of WPSCR events and really enjoyed it's handling. If I want fast, I have other canoes for that.

Get out on some water and enjoy that Trillium!

Rivercane said:

Well fellas, after much agonizing over the model and the hundreds of reasons I shouldn't spend the money, I bought a boat.

I got a Northstar Trillium in Blacklite.

It was a hard choice between the Trillium and the Magic when I had them both in front of me, but I went with the Trillium based on the load rating with me and some gear being smack in the middle.

I've paddled it once very briefly on the way home yesterday and its a very lively and zippy little thing. It's much much more efficient than my Vagabond, tracks surprisingly well and the weight is just insane.

Going for a longer paddle now, just wanted to say thank you for the help!

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I hope it meets your pizzazz requirements. Since you made the big leap and bought a carbon/kevlar composite canoe I think I'll torment you with paddle recommendations. You want a Werner Journey straight shaft and a GRB Newman Designs six degree bent shaft; they will complement the boat perfectly. Wood paddles have gotten expensive and they have a lot of variability...quality carbon fiber paddles cost just a little more and they are all perfect so you'll save money in the long run.

gumpus said:

I hope it meets your pizzazz requirements. Since you made the big leap and bought a carbon/kevlar composite canoe I think I'll torment you with paddle recommendations. You want a Werner Journey straight shaft and a GRB Newman Designs six degree bent shaft; they will complement the boat perfectly. Wood paddles have gotten expensive and they have a lot of variability...quality carbon fiber paddles cost just a little more and they are all perfect so you'll save money in the long run.
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How dare you......

I was just thinking that maybe I NEED a new paddle. I usually use a FOX Worx bent shaft but it almost seems to be too much motor with this new boat. I find myself having to purposefully ease up on the gas at times lol.

Honestly though I do need a new straight shaft. I have a Bending Branches Expedition something now and it's heavy. As in "wow" it's heavy after swapping from my bent shaft that's like 17oz or whatever. And it's too long.

Once my feelings aren't hurt anymore over what this boat cost, I'll be looking into those! Thank you for the recommendations!

.....and so far, the pizzazz has been delivered.

Nice!

Congrats, Rivercane!

Rivercane said:

I usually use a FOX Worx bent shaft

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I have two wood, foam-bladed Al Camp paddles from 30-40 years ago, which are very light and excellent bent shafts. Camp was one of the original bent shaft racing paddle makers, who sold out to FoxWorx when he retired. I also have three carbon bents and one carbon straight. Lightweight carbon paddles (or an old Camp) are virtually a necessity for high performance switch paddling, in my opinion. Carbon is not necessary, also in my opinion, for single-sided correction stroke paddling at cruising speeds or for freestyle play.

As ever: Different strokes for different blokes.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Congrats, Rivercane!



I have two wood, foam-bladed Al Camp paddles from 30-40 years ago, which are very light and excellent bent shafts. Camp was one of the original bent shaft racing paddle makers, who sold out to FoxWorx when he retired. I also have three carbon bents and one carbon straight. Lightweight carbon paddles (or an old Camp) are virtually a necessity for high performance switch paddling, in my opinion. Carbon is not necessary, also in my opinion, for single-sided correction stroke paddling at cruising speeds or for freestyle play.

As ever: Different strokes for different blokes.

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Thanks man!

And you're telling me I NEED a new carbon paddle?

....noted. And agreed. Soon as the bruises to my bank account heal up, it will be on the radar!

The 2 specific paddles I recommended are based on performance and value. The GRB 6 degree feels like the perfect blade angle for a kneeling paddler (I have an old Grey Owl 5 degree that also has a great feel). When kneeling a 12 degree bent does not feel right. My last one cost $175 shipped (it was a blem). I recently ordered another and even at full price of $250 shipped it's a solid $100 less than a ZRE and the quality is equal (excellent). It's around 12-12.5 ounces and takes less muscle to use for cruising around kneeling than any paddle I've owned. And it's silent...great for sneaking up on critters. 3 friends bought them immediately after trying mine. I got my Werner Journey for $285 shipped from Outdoorplay during a 20% off sale. Lots of good wood paddles are near that price; I like the Grey Owl Fleetwood and one would cost you $250. Mine had a buzz/flutter in the water and I've ended up unhappy with other wood paddles that I couldn't test paddle. I'm 6' and a 54" Journey is a perfect fit. The relatively short blade and short overall length make it swing MUCH easier than a longer paddle. The blade works in shallow water and deep water; it's versatile. It's fully symmetric unlike some straight paddles. At 14 ounces it's not particularly light for a straight carbon paddle but it hits a nice balance between robust construction and reasonably light weight.

One feature of both paddles I recommended is that they can be ordered uncut so if you are brave you can shorten them a little bit at a time until they feel perfect. It's easy and can eliminate another risk factor of buying an expensive wood paddle (oops wrong length).

There are some rather crude carbon fiber paddles out there. I would not recommend the Bending Branches Black Pearl.

Regarding freestyle paddles I agree with Glenn that carbon is not required and I have a number of wonderful wood freestyle paddles that I love and use on rare occasions. On the other hand the late Patrick Moore switched from wood to carbon for his custom Cues and if you paddle them back to back you won't have any questions about why.

The unfortunate thing about canoe design is what makes a boat fast, also makes it less maneuverable and not so good for whitewater.
Right now, my two solos are a North Wind and an Echo.
The Echo is a decent boat, but not what you want.
When designing the North Wind, Northstar chose to sacrifice some speed in favor of seaworthiness.
It's certainly not a slow boat, but if you are looking for something faster than the Vagabond, you might not be thrilled with the North Wind.
I've been thinking about buying a faster canoe, so I can keep up with the seakayaks.
Of the boats available in my area, my top three choices were the Wenonah Advantage, the Wenonah Prism, and the Northstar Magic.
I've settled on the Magic. It should be plenty fast and should be easier to handle, on and off the water, and more seaworthy, than the two Wenonah.
My two cents.