Ein bisschen German freesyle

[tketcham]

...Before tax, a Dragonfly 15 (or Keewaydin 15) in Expedition Kevlar is $3595 USD with (undesirable to me) aluminum gunwales, and is $4095 with the far more popular integrated carbon/Kevlar gunwales. The Expedition Carbon versions are $300 more. All those canoes are base models with absolutely no options or upgrades.

To keep the comparison with past Dragonfly canoe builds at par, the Expedition Carbon layup would not have been considered a base model. Nor are carbon/Kevlar gunnels but Swift's wood gunnels option is $800 so let's go with carbon/Kevlar. Based on a common inflation calculator the $4095 Dragonfly 15 model would have cost ~$1425 in 1986. The 1986 Curtis catalog lists the Dragonfly at $1279 in Kevlar and $1379 for LiteTech Kevlar. I'd call that pretty darn close and my hunch is that if Curtis Canoe had offered a bunch of "upgrades" they would have charged accordingly. The options you mention for the Swift build are just that, options. No one is being forced to buy those "upgrades" and the canoe will still perform as intended. If you don't want to spend $400 on a foot brace, just pop that $50 foot brace into a Swift Dragonfly 15 and you're good to go.

 

[UCanoe_2]

Sehr gut boat control

As my wife's grandmother once commented: "Du muss' nicht zwei languages zusammen putten!" Outstanding canoe and brilliant paddling.

 

[Tsuga8]

The picture used for the preview image in that video looks like how you'd get a dirt bike over a log by popping a wheelie. Someone needs to make a video of using that technique to get over a partially submerged tree across the river. Crawl to the stern to pop a wheelie, get the canoe halfway over the log, then crawl to the bow to slide off.

I've used this method to get over low beaver dams, albeit in a 35" wide Royalex tandem beater, not a 28" wide canoe worth $4-7k. Soloing a tandem from the bowseat backwards engenders bad trim, but it pops the front end up enough to get it rammed up onto a beaver dam, then a scramble over the pivot point and push off the far side. I've also done it over logs, but logs covered in water (just not enough water to quite float over). It's admittedly hard on gear and I'm selective with what gear I'd do it with. But it is fun.

 

[lowangle al]

I've used this method to get over low beaver dams, albeit in a 35" wide Royalex tandem beater, not a 28" wide canoe worth $4-7k. Soloing a tandem from the bowseat backwards engenders bad trim, but it pops the front end up enough to get it rammed up onto a beaver dam, then a scramble over the pivot point and push off the far side. I've also done it over logs, but logs covered in water (just not enough water to quite float over). It's admittedly hard on gear and I'm selective with what gear I'd do it with. But it is fun.

I'm a fan of that move too for getting over beaver dams. I've only been able to do it without the boat stopping when going downstream. Other wise my goal is to get the boat far enough onto the dam to be able to step right out onto it without having to climb over gear.

I've done it in my composite Seliga, loaded on the Oswegatchie. I don't know if it's a 4,000 dollar boat or not, but it's close. It got what looks like permanent dimples on the bottom where going over dams empty only left scratches. That's OK though, my goal is to wear this boat out before I croak.

As far as boat trim goes, it's only "bad" if your boat isn't doing what you want it to. I don't believe that there is a "right" trim.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

As my wife's grandmother once commented: "Du muss' nicht zwei languages zusammen putten!"

Danke you for that Beratung.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I think it would be really interesting to get a sales breakdown of what Swift actually sells and what keeps them afloat. How many of those $7500 canoes do they really sell as opposed to bread and butter tandems and solos that go to outfitters and "regular paddlers"? Are those super expensive hulls more of a show piece to draw interest and make their other hulls seem more affordable or do they actually sell enough of them to affect the bottom line?

At 5:40 of the following video, Bill Swift says they build about 2,200 boats a year.

In another video, he has said they build more Prospector 14s than all their other solo boats combined. If you look at the Swift price lists, you will see that the least expensive Prospector 14 with no options is $3,300 USD ($3,800 CAD) with aluminum trim and $3,800 USD ($4,800 CAD) with CKT trim—all prices before taxes. The least expensive pack canoes, tandems and kayaks are in the same range.

 

[lowangle al]

In another video he said the 16' Prospector is their most popular boat. It makes me wonder why if two of their best sellers are Prospectors and Prospectors are their only boats with recurved stems, why don't they design recurved stems in more of their boats. I personally wouldn't spend a lot of money on a boat without them, I prefer the look. Winona and Northstar are about the same with only one or two boats with recurved stems. Are they cheaper or easier to build?

 

[Nick Pending]

In another video he said the 16' Prospector is their most popular boat. It makes me wonder why if two of their best sellers are Prospectors and Prospectors are their only boats with recurved stems, why don't they design recurved stems in more of their boats. I personally wouldn't spend a lot of money on a boat without them, I prefer the look. Winona and Northstar are about the same with only one or two boats with recurved stems. Are they cheaper or easier to build?

Recurve stems require either a two-piece mold or split end mold so they can get the finished hull out of said mold. That recurve blocks demolding of the finished hull whether composite or rubber (meaning Royalex or T-Formex or other similar material use). If the stems are slightly out of plumb, the top longer than waterline, then a one-piece mold can be used, which eases manufacture quite a bit in time, labor, and cost.