ISO Comparative Canoe Suggestions

[Mike McCrea]

The Inspector Gadget boat, a customized, soloized RX Penobscot, remains my favorite all-around river tripping canoe. But, even using a cart down to the launch, the RX weight is becoming a chore just moving it from racks to truck and back.

I’m ISO a used canoe with essentially the Penobscot’s dimensions, in lighter weight composite

The RX Penobscot
Length - 16’ 2”
Gunwale width/waterline width – 34”, 33”.
21”, 13 ¾”, 21” depth
Rocker – Not much
Weight – RX heavier ever year I age

Wenonah Solo Plus
Length - 16’ 6”
Gunwale width/waterline width – 29”, 32 ¼” max
19”, 13”, 17” depth
Rocker – Not much
Weight - Made in a variety of composite lay-ups, from graphite UL to kevlars 40 to 51 lbs, and Tuf-Weave at 54lbs.

Souris River Quetico 16
Length - 16’ 2”
Gunwale width/waterline width – 34”, 34-ish
19”, 14”, 19” depth
Rocker – Spec’ed at 2” bow and stern. I have straight tracker lake trippers, I’d like at least some rocker.
Weight - Made in a variety of composite lay-ups, 39lbs to low 40’s

I need to start seriously looking for a used composite in those general dimensions. Preferably cheap with rotted gunwales or brightwork; I’m going to gut it and rebuild it.

There are a few others on my short list, but any keep-an-eye-out suggestions for a composite canoe with those approximate dimensions would be much appreciated. I’m going to need a long winter project.

 

[Tsuga8]

I have a royalex Penobscot and a royalex Heron, and I too am in search of a lighter option to solo. Something that tracks a bit better than the Heron would be nice too....

 

[Mike McCrea]

There are several more modern light to ultra-light composite designs that fit my desired criteria very well. But in my preferred dimensions that boat is probably a 16-ish foot tandem. I am wayyyyy too cheap to drop $3000+ on a new canoe only to gut it and rebuild it the way I want. Or hazard several grand by having the manufacturer solo seat, foot brace, thwart placement it to my specs.

Or even spend $1000 on a used canoe.

So I remain ISO a unicorn, a (cheap) used, relatively lightweight kevlar canoe, likely best priced with rotted wood gunwales and brightwork, maybe a patchable hole or two.

 

[Tsuga8]

I'm right there with you, eyes to the horizon for that unicorn...hopefully we're not to close geographically or we may end up in a Craigslist bidding war!

 

[scratchypants]

When I saw the title and then the author, I thought maybe you had come up with a standardized testing and classification method for canoe types and styles.

 

[alsg]

When I saw the title and then the author, I thought maybe you had come with a standardized testing and classification method for canoe types and styles.

When I saw the "My River Rocks" thread I thought, "what's so darn special about the rocks in his river that they need a thread?"