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I wouldn't rule out composite boats, unless you're paddle serious WW. Gelcoat/resin slides over rocks when royalex grabs 'em. Sounds and feels awful but, surprising how well quality composites hold up. Years ago I bought a royalex Wildfire to save the wear and tear on my composite one...

No problem loading up my Wildfire for a week. Two 70 L bags.

https://www.nrs.com/padz-canoe-foot-support-pads/pad8 Just that little bit of extra support made a difference for me. Used these in my WW boat. Contemplating adding to others but some (minimal) concern about foot entrapment with a bench seat vs pedestal.

I was referring to the plug of the P15 solo as mellow, not the Dragonfly 15…. The DF15 checks all the boxes for an extended river tripper. Retains its maneuverability. (P15 solo seems like a load hauler, fishing platform) The Kee is definitely a lake tripper. Lower sides won’t catch wind like...

I used 30” (closer to 32/33 inflated) in my RX-WF tripping. Have also used my 54” bags on day trips, fit right to the thwarts.

Picked up a Royalex Wildfire (Yellowstone Solo) to save the Gelcoat on my Wildfire. Great boat but I don’t like the differential rocker; lengthened the thwarts a bit to lift the ends which helped. (Esquif Echo is a great boat, doesn’t heel as smoothly but tail doesn’t hang up like a skegged...

The P15solo is a new solo. Prolly 32”(ish) wide, easy to do cross strokes. Flatter bottom, very stable. Gear hauler and good fishing platform prolly. Reminded me of a mellowed out StarFire (I’d like to see that boat come back into production). DF 15 lost the rounded bottom. Really amazing how...

That shouldn’t be a problem…

First of all I love the Wildfire; if I could have only one boat it would be my Colden Wildfire. Design evolution says the Wildfire is a ‘user friendly’ Dragonfly. I find it to have much better initial stability and better glide than the DF. When paddled the DF is faster but slows down when you...

I had the pleasure of paddling the DF 15 plug last Fall, side by side comparison to Dragonfly, Kee 15 and the Prospector 15 solo plug. Amazing design; a lot of fun to paddle. Seemed to carry speed similarly to the Dragonfly, not as nimble. DF 15 tracks better than the Dragonfly and its...

Love my Colden canoes. I’ve been considering a Swift Dragonfly, before they’re gone. Any thoughts on Colden’s Carbon/Kevlar vs Swift options? Specifically, considering their Expedition Kevlar w/Epoxy. Wondering about weights and durability for river tripping, up to Class III. Would love to...

Agree with all the above, especially re: WildFire. Mine’s a Colden (favorite of all my canoes, if I could have only one…) So many great designs, for every intended use… What do you paddle most (rivers, fast or slow; lakes, big or small; or all the above. Day trips or tripping. What do you...

I could be wrong but I believe the earlier models had an extra layer of cloth, before they started using the foam core to save some weight. Not sure which is more durable... Congratulations. The Wildfire is one of the best designed canoes (so far...); If I could only have one boat.. that's IT!

Native Michigander here. I started few years ago with a small tandem/large solo, Blackhawk Combi. Quickly learned the benefits of a dedicated solo; especially for tripping/portaging. Went to WPASCR to try as many boats as I could before buying new. Went with a Colden Wildfire. later picked up...

Love the specs on the Ashuelot, wish Millbrook would make more...

Started out my return to canoeing in a Blackhawk Combi 15.8. Beautifully designed and easy to paddle 'small tandem/large solo'. Originally bought it thinking I only needed one boat. Great solo flat water tripper (or tandem day trips). Being a tandem it's best paddled solo Canadian Style...