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Thanks to you both for these comparisons. It’s a gorgeous, rare, and desirable boat. Someone will be lucky to take it over.

Wow. Gorgeous. Always wondered about this boat. How does handling compare to a composite wildfire?

If the hull is hogged the performance will be seriously compromised, and I would pass. Not sure if a hogged royalex / royalite boat can be recovered. Hull hogging is number 2 in this picture.

Excellent thread.

I saw that lake Nokomis is iced out now. I’m sidelined with an injury for a while but hope we can get you and the new boat out for a social paddle soon. Congrats!

I had a dagger sojourn for a bit. It was fast and quite light for a royalex boat. It’s a hard tracker and I spend as much time on twisty rivers as possible, so I upgraded to a royalex Yellowstone solo, which is nearly as fast and much more maneuverable. Is it the perfect boat for you? Who knows...

Just seeing this thread. Beautiful boat. Also curious how different the ss shadow might paddle from the starship. Probably moot since the ss is so rare. Maybe the ss has a higher sheer?

Sweet! Hope you like it. I find mine to be very well balanced so the swing weight feels low. Increasingly that is more important to me than overall weight.

Not my idea and not my pics or boats, but I hope the original poster will not mind. I have built it twice and am very happy with form, function, and flexibility for adapting to different boats. I substitute pex-a sleeves instead of pipe insulation to mine for smooth easy on and easy off and no...

I have a Werner journey carbon that I’m enjoying immensely. It is well balanced and lightweight and durable. I was able to try two factory lengths and ended up going with the shorter option, 54” claimed it is actually 53.75”. The blade is smaller than most or all of my other straights. I may...

you might consider getting some gunwale brackets, which I have found to greatly improve stability while moving at high speeds. The Yakima Keelover model will fit on your factory roof racks and will also fit any aftermarket roof rack cross bars if/when you upgrade.

Happy to say I was able to purchase the 50” from the ad listed above. Thanks for the tip. It’s in great shape and I’m a happy customer. She still has a 53” bent available. My quest for a straight shaft black bart continues.

I briefly had one of these, which I traded to another user here in a big paddle swap. I liked the paddle. It has a mega big blade. The underwater recovery slice was nice. Not perfect, but nice. The "uncut" came with the grip unglued and was spot on to the advertised weight. I didn't tune it to...

Thanks a lot. I sent a few messages to the seller with no response as of yet.

No worries at all. Hardly a secret that these are special paddles, and I appreciate another confirmation my search is worthwhile even if yet fruitless. Someday, maybe, though $1M might not be feasible even if I sold all the other paddles I could ever find.

Thanks for the post. Not sure you’re helping my cause much lol.

I’m looking to find two Black Bart paddles: one bent shaft in the 49-51” range and one straight shaft (troublemaker) in the 53-55” range. I’m willing to pay dearly, and fairly, based on condition and rarity. I also have some very nice paddles I might offer for partial or full trade. I’m in...

I’ve been fortunate to come into a few exceptionally nice paddles that fit my body and boats and preferences for balance and in-water feel. It is hard to go back to something less now. I’m still looking for one or two more and the bar is high and I expect the price to be proportional. Wood is...

Thanks for sharing this news. I’ve heard you talk about this friend. Some of the best friends in my life have been made through paddling adventures. Sounds like a solid person. I’m sorry for your loss. Paddle on folks.

nice to see this one coming together. Opinions seem to bifurcate on the performance of this hull. Some reports cite thwart width as a factor. Mine is stock from 2002 and is a bit less than 45# with end loops and end bag lacing. It has an entirely different and more charming personality with a...