Another new member from CA

[Dagger]

I live in Northern CA. We still have a few good flat water canoeing opportunities sprinkled across the northern part of the state, and even a few more if it ever rains again! Nothing like the famous wilderness areas like the Boundary Waters though. We can only dream of one day being able to enjoy such seemingly unlimited paddling. Never the less, I am, and I understand no one else has ever tried to do this, on a quest to find the perfect canoe!

Not sure I would know it if someone hit me over the head with it, but I have so much fun studying layups, shapes and anything else canoeing related, I just can't stop .

I am sure I can learn a lot from all of you and, who knows, perhaps even find the perfect canoe.

At the moment I own a Wenonah Prizm in Kevlar and my trusty old barge, a Dagger Legend 16 in Royalex.

 

[sweeper]

first off welcome to the forums

How do you plan to use it? Flat water, rivers, day trips or tripping?

 

[yellowcanoe]

It or them.. Canoe breed canoes you know..! You will have many drift in and out of your life. I bet you will see way more Clippers than we can ever see back East.

 

[Dagger]

At Sweeper, 95% flat water Sir!
For up to 3 people for a week 5%
Mostly day trips for two adults and two kids 95%

At Yellowcanoe, You bet. I see the occasional Clipper. Not too many though, because the local (and regional) availability of premium boats is veeeery limited. I see mostly Old Town and Coleman plastic tubs. Some Wenonahs and the occasional NothStar or Bell

What I practically never see around here are Swift (with the exception of my friends Kywaiden), Souris River, Nova Craft, Placid Boat Works, Hemlock...etc. It seems the innovative stuff in canoe development mostly happens on the east side of the US, and the eastern part of Canada. As I mentioned, a friend has a 16' Swift Kywaiden which seems to be a very nice canoe, but I have not paddled it yet. I kind of had my heart set on a 16' or 17' Swift Prospector for the symmetry of the hull and the classic design. Their boats also look very nice. Then I heard Swift and some others understate the weights of their canoes, and that they are skimping on layers as well as using inferior vinyl ester resin compared to epoxy. So lately I have been looking at the Souris River canoes more. They seem a little heavier, but are supposedly made with 4 full sheets of material plus epoxy resin.

Anyway, there is a lot of confusing and perhaps outdated information out there.

What is your (your's to Sweeper) favorite if money was no object?

 

[sweeper]

We just picked up a pair of 'Rental Rescues' Souris River Quetico 17'ers and love the canoe. We haven't paddled it in a river but did on the lakes in winds from all direction and preformed far better then my Wenonah Spirit II.

I've found my tandem tripper in the Quetico.

 

[yellowcanoe]

ooh my fav for utility boat is a Souris River Wilderness 18. Its ten years old. Its not pretty but we take it everywhere. Reasonably light in Kevlar its not that well made but gut enuf.
My fav for tandem flatwater speedster big water.. my Wenonah Odyssey. Its circa 1991.
Old is not necessarily outdated. When we find something we like, we hang on to it.

Some people like way older boats. Newer mostly means lighter and more expensive and tailored to retirees who love canoe tripping but who can no longer hoist a Chestnut. Study new canoes closely. The best new designs are based on old Chestnut designs IMO..

Dagger you may find yourself drawn to a particular designer. My magnet is David Yost. He has designed over a hundred boats. He made one dud. The other over 99 boats I love but don't own them all. I have some 18 of them though. Yes there is a link between DY and Chestnut. He studied their patterns closely.

You are just starting on your voyage of rationalization. Build the barn now.

 

[Dagger]

Oh the wisdom of having been there.

How funny...I already have a barn, and I would not mind filling it with many canoes either ;-).
I too like the DY designs, or his modified versions of Chestnut boats. I am reading the Chestnut book now. I know what you mean by the quality of some of the old designs. I do like modern materials though. I suppose I am spoiled by the weight of my 16.6' Prizm at about 35 pounds.

The 17' Quetico might be a really good start. A little heavier, but likely a heck of a lot more forgiving. I like their new Le Tigre layup, and their Carbon - Tec looks awesome too.

At any rate, very nice meeting you guys!

 

[yellowcanoe]

I think , for me , the importance is the "who" rather than the "what". Real people make real canoes. Whether its designer , hand maker or mentor to you canoeing is about people. ( even though we sometimes trip to get away from people!)

History is fascinating. While Wenonahs are rooted in racing and Gene Jensen designs ( which I respect) my bent is for more manueverable if slightly slower canoes.( I figure if I want to make speed I should be in better shape for the portages!)
Your Prism is a nice weight for us oldsters. I do like the Placid Boatworks RapidFire.. 15 feet and 23 lbs. You can go lighter but then there are tradeoffs.
I love my new WildFire. A relatively old design by DY first from Bell then Placid now from Colden its available at sub 30 lbs. I got a wood gunwaled WF for 31 lbs. at a good price. Its one of those symmetrical rockered designs (2.5 inches bow and same for stern) that is surprisingly tripper friendly yet sporty for FreeStyle. or river running.
Anyway when looking at a canoe and its maker, usually there is a link between offering and place of manufacture. Old Town makes really beefy heavy canoes. But look at the Penobscot River in Old Town and the link clicks right away.

Ooh My Bad.. I was born in Pomona California. But it was alot different in 1946. My dad was a geologist and we spent time in the Mojave Desert.
I have no idea where this canoe thing came from. We did move East in the 50's.
Maybe that is why my very favorite canoe trip is the desert of Canyonlands National Park on the Green River?

 

[tear_knee]

Hi, and welcome! I'm pretty new too, from the other CA.. Canada, that is.
We love our prospector for tripping. It's a perfect all-rounder.. it's not going to be the best at anything, but handles everything with style and grace. Ours is an Evergreen, which unfortunately is no longer in business, but the lines are very similar to the old Chestnut prospectors which some of the other manufacturers (Nova Craft, in particular) haven't really been able to replicate. We've done everything in our 16' 49lb kevlar.. but as others have said above, once you buy one, you always want more.

 

[Dagger]

Yes yes...I agree. I have two and want more . Is it bad to want more...? I think it is OK if it is canoes right?

I am originally from Germany where I started out as a teenager at kayaking. I took too many risks and nearly drowned a few times. Youth is wasted on the young I suppose. I then bought my first canoe. Safer and could carry more beer. It was a horribly heavy fiber glass barge with three keels! It must have weight 100 pounds or so. No clue who made it. It was cheap, paid for and mine! And what fun we had with it. Rivers, lakes, we did it all, and we always had plenty of fiberglass patches handy to fix things in the evenings, ready to start a new adventure the next morning.

Then I moved to the states (to follow one of those California girls you know) and got out of canoeing for a number of years. In 2014 I re-discovered canoeing, and my wife of 20 years (that same California girl) and I fell in love with canoeing once again. Only this time I think I am addicted...

Thank you for the welcome tear_knee, and thank you for your wisdom Yellowcanoe!

 

[sweeper]

Canoes and Canoe Gear are a slippery slope, enjoy the ride.