A new contender for worst manufactured canoe ever

[yellowcanoe]

Someone brought a stripper to the PA Solo canoe event. Laden with fancy tropical hardwoods and extremely thick strips it was 13 feet and impossible for one person to pick up

That pumpkinseed kayak was either the Perception Keowee or the evil Spectrum. The latter had a sprung stern . To DYs defense that was not a design fault
That boat belonged on the River Styx forever
The Keowee was my first boat. Because of it I acquired some 40 others. Can't be all bad

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I don't mean to take this topic too seriously or literally, but if the Emotion Wasatch is the "worst manufactured ever" canoe, that would show up pretty fast as a market failure. I don't know the sales stats, but Dick's seems to feature the canoe and there are as many reviews for it on Pcom (3) as there are for the Swift Keewaydin 15 (including a rave review out of Baltimore-Chesapeake***).

It is very heavy, but 96 pounds can be handled by a couple, a strong guy or people with trailers. It's possible that a lot of newbies are attracted to the aura of indestructibility and the 5-year hull warranty, and figure weight is the price you pay for that.

SOT's are EXTREMELY popular and many of them are are quite heavy too, and most are only one person boats to boot.

No one is going on overnight portaging trips, or circumnavigating Iceland, with an Emotion Wasatch or a SOT. They are day paddling-floating-gunkholing toys.
________________________________

***

My sister and I had been wanting to purchase a canoe since we live in the Baltimore Area and can launch in our own back yard at multiple public boat launches in the tributaries off the Chesapeake Bay. . . .

. . . realized that our prayers had been answered - we love the canoe! My sister was initially fearful of falling in the water, ( she can't swim very well ) however, after we took it out the first time we discovered that it is extremely stable = no fear of tipping! She doesn't even wear her lifejacket. (but it's in the boat per law). And this was in somewhat choppy salt water off Chesapeake Bay, not calm lake water.

The seat backs are a godsend (I am 53, my sister is 50 and a cancer survivor) and the length is great at 13 ft - no need to put it on the roof, we ratchet it to our 6 foot pick up truck bed using 2-3 ratchet straps. No problem. Travelled 3 hours to Ocean City, MD and back, then 3 hours to Lake Anna in VA, again, no problem, and we had to travel down I95 and around the DC Beltway! We even added the dog to that canoe trip! What a blast! Just be sure to flag the rear of the canoe for safety when transporting it.

Yes, it is a tad heavy at 94 lbs, but we are fairly big strong girls, we can manage it. It helps to be able to launch close to where you park the truck, although the wheel does help to maneuver it for short distances. . . .

I had been checking craigslist for months and I couldn't find used ones for less than this one cost new! This canoe is a great buy for the money! Buy it, go out and have fun with your family/loved ones! Use it often - don't let it sit in the garage - LIFE is TOO SHORT !

You go, girls! No paddler in the history of CTN has been THAT enthusiastic about a Wenonah, Savage, Swift, Bell, Colden, Hemlock, Placid, Nova Craft, Chestnut, or a homemade stripper.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Praise the Lord...!!!! I didn't know He made canoes!

 

[goonstroke]

. . . realized that our prayers had been answered - we love the canoe! My sister was initially fearful of falling in the water, ( she can't swim very well ) however, after we took it out the first time we discovered that it is extremely stable = no fear of tipping! She doesn't even wear her lifejacket. (but it's in the boat per law). And this was in somewhat choppy salt water off Chesapeake Bay, not calm lake water.

Someone should say, for the record, that newbies in tidal waters who can't swim very well should, uh, wear their life jackets. Life isn't that short ... preserve the balance of it.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Someone should say, for the record, that newbies in tidal waters who can't swim very well should, uh, wear their life jackets. Life isn't that short ... preserve the balance of it.

Disagree.. Mightily. Everyone should wear their life jackets
We've lost five so far this short boating season and today perhaps another
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/05/2...ecraft-safety/

Lest you think I am harsh.. Practice capsizing in a safe place without your PFD.. try to put it on in the water. Not so easy..

BTW today's empty kayak had no place out there in the sea.

 

[frozentripper]

About everyone needing to wear PFDs... there are exceptions to every rule and these people need to be told....

http://dotcomjoe.com/0519whisper

 

[yellowcanoe]

Not funny.. Have you ever tried to reenter with a set of those? I do need to wear a PFD for that very reason.. To squash them.

I see that men never get over boobs.. Ever.

 

[Guest]

I see that men never get over boobs.

There are different definitions of boobs. Someone who buys a 96 lb 13 foot canoe, noted in even the positive reviews for having seat and rivet failures, might be another example

Four and five star reviews on Dick’s:

Mine had some gauges in it upon purchase, and one of the seat screws had torn through the hull
+
The only issue is that on my first trip, the front and back seats were defective; the seats would sink in making you lean towards one side more than the other
+
The wheel sucks Seats break and are uncomfortable "Cup holders" are a joke Tracks bad in waves HEAVY this thing is super heavy
(BTW, that was a 4 star review, and another “Yes I would recommend this product”
+
I give it four stars instead of five as it is quite heavy and can be a pain to get to the water if you can't drive close. Also the seat backs that come with the canoe are hard to use and aren't worth much. We ended up just taking them off completely.
+
when picked up already had scuff marks and had a bolt missing from the seat.
(Also 4 stars)
+
a rivet popped loose on one seat
(that seems to be an awfully common issue)
+
if you get any water inside the canoe there is a lip around the edge that makes dumping water out impossible. Which also makes the canoe even more heavy.After using it a few weeks I would have probably held out for something lighter, even if that meant paying a little more.

To say nothing of the one star Dick’s reviews. I miss the old P.net reviews, where every canoe was a rated a “10 out of 10”.

I don’t mean to diss anyone who bought the cheapest canoe available and is somehow enjoying it, I just feel bad for them and wish they had had better advice available.

That thing is a poorly made monstrosity, and encouraging anyone to contemplate such a purchase makes no sense.

 

[pblanc]

I have no objection to people buying cheap boats to get out on the water. I actually think the inexpensive rec kayaks are not too bad. They are safe enough for protected, inland waterways and efficient enough for someone who does not want to go too far or too fast. But I agree with Mike that a canoe like the Wasatch is just bad news, in a sad way.

First off, even assuming the seats don't break the first time out, a boat this heavy is simply not going to get used very often or for very long. It's weight exceeds the recommended load limits for many factory roof racks.

Second, it is a big, heavy piece of plastic that cannot be recycled very effectively and will likely end its life taking up a considerable amount of space in a landfill some where.

Third, a canoe that is 13 feet long and 39" wide is going to paddle like a pig. That might be fine for some applications, but consider that for the same price an informed buyer probably could have found a used 15 foot aluminum canoe that would have been 2 feet longer and 4" narrower, that weighed more than 25 lbs less, had seats that did not break, was far closer to "industructable" than this dog, paddled more efficiently, and could be effectively recycled at end of life.

 

[hidden_lo]

We sell a lot of them at my store. They are awful, Heavy beasts and made from garbage plastic. they usually end up on craigslist after the purchasers first use....but they have a lil wheel on the keel to help you move it, lol

 

[Steve in Idaho]

There are different definitions of boobs. Someone who buys a 96 lb 13 foot canoe, noted in even the positive reviews for having seat and rivet failures, might be another example

Four and five star reviews on Dick’s:

Mine had some gauges in it upon purchase, and one of the seat screws had torn through the hull
+
The only issue is that on my first trip, the front and back seats were defective; the seats would sink in making you lean towards one side more than the other
+
The wheel sucks Seats break and are uncomfortable "Cup holders" are a joke Tracks bad in waves HEAVY this thing is super heavy
(BTW, that was a 4 star review, and another “Yes I would recommend this product”
+
I give it four stars instead of five as it is quite heavy and can be a pain to get to the water if you can't drive close. Also the seat backs that come with the canoe are hard to use and aren't worth much. We ended up just taking them off completely.
+
when picked up already had scuff marks and had a bolt missing from the seat.
(Also 4 stars)
+
a rivet popped loose on one seat
(that seems to be an awfully common issue)
+
if you get any water inside the canoe there is a lip around the edge that makes dumping water out impossible. Which also makes the canoe even more heavy.After using it a few weeks I would have probably held out for something lighter, even if that meant paying a little more.

To say nothing of the one star Dick’s reviews. I miss the old P.net reviews, where every canoe was a rated a “10 out of 10”.

I don’t mean to diss anyone who bought the cheapest canoe available and is somehow enjoying it, I just feel bad for them and wish they had had better advice available.

That thing is a poorly made monstrosity, and encouraging anyone to contemplate such a purchase makes no sense.

I retract my statement and apologize to Coleman.

Here's the way I see it. Junk like this discourages people from paddling when they try to use it, thereby reducing the demand for good (more expensive) canoes, which results in fewer canoe makers, and fewer good canoes available on the used market. I see little good in it. A Coleman experience kept me out of canoes for years.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Before I comment further, I'd like to point out what a tremendous price deal the Emotion Wasatch is at Dick's for now $299. I say this because the canoe seems to be sold mainly as the Lifetime Kodiak Canoe. It is listed under that name on Cabelas, Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, BJ's Wholesale and Sam's Club, where it is featured as a "Best Seller". In all these stores other than Dick's, the canoe sells for for $599 (Sam's) to over $800 (Amazon vendors), although when sold as the Lifetime Kodiak it includes two plastic paddles. Walmart has it listed at $429 but out of stock.

On edit: Interesting . . . when you go to the Lifetime site, the canoe is called the Emotion Wasatch when you click on the green color but the Lifetime Kodiak when you click on the red color.

 

[frozentripper]

I miss the old P.net reviews, where every canoe was a rated a “10 out of 10”.

Yup, confirmation bias, the buyer wants to believe that the right decision has been made and negative qualities are ignored. Maybe it's better to believe only the bad reviews or wait until the cheery glow of the new purchase has worn off... but by then the impulsive consumer might not care any more and will not review.

Complicating matters is clueless opinion being mixed into the reviews and equally weighted with opinion that's knowledge-based and expert... this sort of thing in the bigger picture can lead to some spectacularly bad decisions being made. But that's going too far when what we're interested in is poking around in canoes.