Hemlock SRT Solo Canoe Review

[duNord]

Thanks Conk and Glenn.

I like tripping on WW rivers, so the ability to shed waves while carrying a load is part of what's attracting me to the SRT. The depth and fullness of the SRT are very desirable features as far as I'm concerned.

As far as the round bottom goes, I'm not too worried about that. My current solo river tripping boat is a Nova Craft Super Nova, which also has a round bottom. I bought my Super Nova from a friend that didn't like it because he thought it was too tippy. I also have another friend that recently sold his Super Nova because he also thought it was too tippy. The relative lack of primary stability of the Super Nova doesn't really bother me because the secondary stability is so good. Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that both of these friends are much taller than I am and carry their body weight much higher. I just don't like the 60+ lb weight of the Super Nova.

Glenn, I appreciate your comments regarding the durability of Hemlock's premium+ layup. That helps alleviate one of my main concerns with the SRT.

 

[duNord]

I ordered an SRT in late October and it was delivered two days ago (just ahead of the COVID-19) lockdown. I took it for a lap around my local lake yesterday. My initial impressions were favorable. I like the way it carves a turn when you heel it over. I was concerned about twitchiness when lightly loaded mentioned in many reviews, but the primary seemed on par with that of the Super Nova I'm used to paddling. I didn't test the limits of the secondary stability since the ice only recently went out and the air temperature was about 40 degrees, so I didn't want to risk going for a swim. As a bonus, I got to see numerous muskrats and ducks, a couple cranes, thousands of baby panfish, and a great blue heron rookery while out paddling.

I bought it primarily for solo river tripping. Hopefully I'll get to do that yet this summer, but for now it's back to extreme social distancing (i.e. just working around the house and going for walks in the local woods).

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Congrats, duNord. A beautiful looking canoe.

 

[Sdrew22]

Beautiful two tone!

I've had my SRT for nearly two years. Kevlar layup. I wanted a boat that was completely different from anything I owned previously. That is exactly what I found in the SRT. I use this for lakes almost exclusively.Mostly day trips so I've never had it loaded. I replaced the stock seat drops with a set of kneeling drops. I like my seat as high as I can get it. I also swapped the stock seat with a double contour for comfort. The confidence I have in this boat in all conditions is impressive. There is a definite learning curve,but once you get a feel for the hull and master your strokes the SRT is hard to beat. I use a 54 inch ZRE power curve 90 percent of the time and a 58 in ZRE ultra lite for windy conditions. The SRT is the perfect compliment to my Eagle.

 

[NikonF5user]

I don't think the SRT is particularly more sensitive to trim than any 15' asymmetrical canoe, most of which probably travel better slightly bow light than bow heavy.

I have no idea what features/flaws Conk was talking about in his write-up here, but overall he praises the SRT both in writing and in person, though it's not his hull choice for his pond hopping and portaging trips. You could PM him here and ask him about the SRT. I consider the most "detrimental" feature for inexperienced paddlers to be the tender initial stability. This is due not only to the narrow waterline but also to the rounded bottom -- rounded more than the typical shallow arch hull of, say, a Yost canoe. However, paddlers with a lot of experience in narrow solo whitewater canoes should be amongst those least deterred by this feature, which enhances speed and the verticality of forward strokes.

Don't be confused by Harold Deal's complex discussion on how to paddle a Shaman for whitewater slalom and play, which Harold emailed to me many years ago. In that same email he says, "I never thought paddling the SRT was very complex to do a write-up . . . ." The unusual thing about the Shaman is that it turns differently than flatwater touring canoes and most whitewater canoes. Most canoes, especially symmetrical ones, turn around a point slightly forward of the paddler, resulting in a stern slide to effectuate the turn. The paddler can accentuate stern sliding turns in most such hulls -- making them easier and crisper -- by pitching body weight forward to lighten and lift the stern stem out of the water. This is taught in flat water freestyle technique. The asymmetrical Shaman, in contrast, is designed to make snappier turns by pivoting at a point slightly behind the paddler, so those turns can be enhanced by leaning the body backwards. In addition, Harold advocates heeling the hull to the outside of some turns in whitewater, rather than to the inside. None of this stuff necessarily applies to paddling the SRT, although one can certainly try the techniques and experiment with different fore-aft weight trims.

Here's the Hemlock video on the SRT, narrated and demonstrated by Harold Deal:

I know this is an old thread, but I felt compelled to respond. I believe I paddled the very boat that Harold Deal is paddling in this video at a Hemlock open house earlier in August! The new owner had it there and let me take a spin (actually two), and I was absolutely floored with the SRT. It's close in maneuverability to the Wildfire I had tested a few days prior (not as crisply responsive, but much more than I would have thought for a 15' boat with asynchronous rocker), yet is no struggle to paddle straight with corrective strokes. I have size 14 shoes, and kneeling has been a problem all summer for me - but the SRT has plenty of depth. I think if money were no issue, I would have ordered one already! I just wonder for how long they will be available...

 

[gadabyte]

Re-resurrecting this resurrected thread to seek some feedback: is the SRT worth considering if I'm really not all that interested in whitewater? Right now I pretty much portage or line anything beyond class I, and even with an appropriate boat (and a lot of practice), I imagine my ceiling would just move up to class II (I'm pretty cautious, doubly so when in the backcountry).

But with that said, it seems like the SRT excels at everything else I do want in a boat - fast enough on flat water, maneuverable enough for winding streams, capacious enough for my not-dainty self to take on extended trips, and as F5 mentioned above, deep enough for my big feet to comfortably kneel. Glenn's SRT review on paddling.com was what really got me interested in the boat, especially this line:

If I take only one of my 15 canoes and kayaks on the road to unknown waters, the SRT is the boat that now gets the call.

It sounds like just the boat I'm looking for, especially as someone who will never have 15 boats to choose from, and who enjoys heading to unknown waters. Thoughts from those with more experience than I'll ever have?

 

[Art D]

Re-resurrecting this resurrected thread to seek some feedback: is the SRT worth considering if I'm really not all that interested in whitewater? Right now I pretty much portage or line anything beyond class I, and even with an appropriate boat (and a lot of practice), I imagine my ceiling would just move up to class II (I'm pretty cautious, doubly so when in the backcountry).

But with that said, it seems like the SRT excels at everything else I do want in a boat - fast enough on flat water, maneuverable enough for winding streams, capacious enough for my not-dainty self to take on extended trips, and as F5 mentioned above, deep enough for my big feet to comfortably kneel. Glenn's SRT review on paddling.com was what really got me interested in the boat, especially this line:



It sounds like just the boat I'm looking for, especially as someone who will never have 15 boats to choose from, and who enjoys heading to unknown waters. Thoughts from those with more experience than I'll ever have?

I’ll confirm that it is an awesome boat, even if you don’t paddle whitewater. Happy to let you take a spin in mine once ice is out. I’m in Camden and you could paddle it on Megunticook Lake. In fact. I‘m so happy with it that I ordered another one, which out to be ready to ship by end of the month. My guess is you won’t regret the purchase.

 

[NikonF5user]

Re-resurrecting this resurrected thread to seek some feedback: is the SRT worth considering if I'm really not all that interested in whitewater? Right now I pretty much portage or line anything beyond class I, and even with an appropriate boat (and a lot of practice), I imagine my ceiling would just move up to class II (I'm pretty cautious, doubly so when in the backcountry).

But with that said, it seems like the SRT excels at everything else I do want in a boat - fast enough on flat water, maneuverable enough for winding streams, capacious enough for my not-dainty self to take on extended trips, and as F5 mentioned above, deep enough for my big feet to comfortably kneel. Glenn's SRT review on paddling.com was what really got me interested in the boat, especially this line:



It sounds like just the boat I'm looking for, especially as someone who will never have 15 boats to choose from, and who enjoys heading to unknown waters. Thoughts from those with more experience than I'll ever have?

I test-paddled the exact same boat that is currently for sale on the Hemlock used/demo page - it's an absolute stunner and was owned by Harold Deal himself. I paddled it kneeling and felt very comfortable in the boat - it was an absolute dream to be honest. I was on a lake in NY, so I have not been out on a river with it, but I meanuvered a bit around some down trees to play around and was very pleased with its responsiveness willingness to be heeled and carve turns. If only I had the funds...

 

[gadabyte]

If only I had the funds...

Yeah, I hear that. I was just researching different makers and models of solos so I'd be able to know a good deal on a used boat if it presented itself when I stumbled across the SRT which sounds like everything I want, with a cherry on top. I suspect I'll remain in the "if I only had the funds" camp, but it sure is fun to think about. And the used one listed on Hemlock's site is the same layup/color/accessories that I would want as well. I sent them an email yesterday about it - waiting to hear back, but the boat being 9 hours away likely adds enough expense that I can no longer stretch to afford it. But with Dave Curtis retiring, it might be now or never...

Happy to let you take a spin in mine once ice is out. I’m in Camden and you could paddle it on Megunticook Lake

Thanks for the kind offer, Art (and the feedback). I lived in Camden for a short time, and the immediate area for a number of years. I actually still technically work in the area, though these days I'm mostly working from home and rarely traveling to the shop - but I do get out that way somewhat regularly, so I might take you up on it if our schedules ever overlap after ice out. And please do keep me in mind If you're going to sell 1 of your 2!

 

[stevet]

Harold paddled an SRT across lake Ontario so I think it can handle anything most of us would do.

Meet Harold Deal

Meet Harold Deal Harold Deal ranked among the top open-boat paddlers in this country for many years. He had a solid background in several canoe-sport disciplines, and decades of experience with...

www.hemlockcanoe.com

 

[Proud Mary]

Harold paddled an SRT across lake Ontario so I think it can handle anything most of us would do.

Meet Harold Deal

Meet Harold Deal Harold Deal ranked among the top open-boat paddlers in this country for many years. He had a solid background in several canoe-sport disciplines, and decades of experience with...

www.hemlockcanoe.com

I have an SRT in Central Maine that I'm looking to sell. This is a beautiful boat that does all the things it was designed for. For me, it did take a little time in the water to get comfortable with, once your there it's a great boat. I've decided I like to pole a canoe as much as I like to paddle, and the SRT wasn't designed for that. So it sits in my barn waiting for its true owner. Let me know if you want to check it out.

 

[gadabyte]

I have an SRT in Central Maine that I'm looking to sell. This is a beautiful boat that does all the things it was designed for. For me, it did take a little time in the water to get comfortable with, once your there it's a great boat. I've decided I like to pole a canoe as much as I like to paddle, and the SRT wasn't designed for that. So it sits in my barn waiting for its true owner. Let me know if you want to check it out.

definitely interested, i'll drop you a PM.

 

[tomo]

I do find the depth of the SRT and my ability to comfortably kneel and extract my feet to be a huge plus. I bought it for extended river trips, but it will likely be my boundary waters cruiser as well (I also have a swift osprey and a mohawk odyssey 15). Having said that, it is a 'twitchy' feeling boat, imho, and that depth can really mean you get blown around in wind.

 

[Tryin']

Does anyone have any experience with the Northstar Polaris in solo mode vs the SRT? I loved the polaris, except for the seat height, but I don't have an SRT near me. I am also looking at the Clipper Caribou S, but that's even worse for availability.

 

[NikonF5user]

I love the Polaris - and if I ever get a new tandem it would probably be that - fast and light and efficient. The Polaris has an optional kneeling thwart, which I'd personally get - but this is not IMHO any sort of replacement or substitute for a SRT. I'd argue the Polaris is a superb tandem and decent solo lake tripper while the SRT with its higher sides is less at home in a lake than on a river. I think the closest solo equivalent to a Polaris may well be a Merlin.

The SRT on the other hand is far more maneuverable and will be more efficient as a solo than a Polaris. It's 2ish feet shorter, far more narrow, and taller. If you want to heel and carve and weave - you'll not find much better in the 14' range than SRT (Dragonfly or WildFIRE or SuperNova are closest to being comparable I suspect).

 

[Tryin']

Thank you!