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Happy Apple Cider Day! 🍎🍵
Kevlar Curtis Nomad
- Thread starter Mike McCrea
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looks like mine used to.. But I bought it some 15 years ago secondhand mint for less than half of that price. It is a wonderful tripping boat for lakes.. less nimble on rivers.
Ouch, that's pricey! I wonder what it would have cost in 1989 when originally purchased?
I have long thought that I would jump on a Curtis Nomad if one became available, but that's out of my price range despite it's apparent great condition. Besides, my three wood/canvas canoes might object to having to cohabit with a Kevlar canoe out in the barn. 35 lbs. would be really nice to portage though.... my lightest canoe is 55 lbs!
I have long thought that I would jump on a Curtis Nomad if one became available, but that's out of my price range despite it's apparent great condition. Besides, my three wood/canvas canoes might object to having to cohabit with a Kevlar canoe out in the barn. 35 lbs. would be really nice to portage though.... my lightest canoe is 55 lbs!
I noted that too. I can't think of a single one built by a robot.
After a little research of old catalog pricing; 1988 Kevlar Nomad - $1429.00 1990 Kevlar Nomad - $1799.00
I guess maybe some canoes value improves with age.
I guess maybe some canoes value improves with age.
Used composite canoe values go up as a direct function of the prices for current labor and materials, and hence as a direct function of the price increases of new canoes. It's not unusual for a Curtis canoe in very good condition to sell for more than it did new, and I suppose the same will be true in 40 years for today's new canoes.
With so many of a composite canoe's components being petroleum based, we can probably expect continuing composite canoe price inflation in the next few years as world petroleum prices keep rising.
Looks to be in really great shape. No one can make these again, unless they get a suitable exemplar and reverse engineer the mold. Price doesn’t seem crazy to me? If I were closer and didn’t have a Phoenix on order I’d be pretty tempted.
I bought a Curtis Solo Tripper about 5 years ago, paid $600.
$1995, even with the few extras, is an extraordinary price.
Hold your hands high, just ask what caliber the seller is using.
$1995, even with the few extras, is an extraordinary price.
Hold your hands high, just ask what caliber the seller is using.
Maybe it means not vacuum bagged or resin infused. Dave Curtis has always resinated all his layups by hand—"hand laid"—no vacuum pumps, tubes or motors. Ordinarily, one might think a hand laid hull would naturally be more resin heavy than a vacuum bagged or infused hull. However, probably no one is more expert at proportioning resin by hand than Dave Curtis.
Glenn I think he uses vaccum bagging.. He does NOT use vacuum infusion . He said at a Rendezvous he does not need to as his area is rural and the infusion mechanicals are expensive.
The Nomad mold went to Colden.. Swift now has some of their molds but doubtful the Nomad is among them as Swift has brought out the Keewaydin which is a lineal descendent.
I got my mint Kevlar Nomad in Florida . You never know what will pop up there. I paid about 500. Mint.
No. I've talked to him about it and watched him make canoes. He features the term "hand made" at various places on his website and clearly means "hand laid" by that term. See here, for example:
Engineering and Construction
We construct Hemlock Canoe hulls using specially selected fabrics impregnated with a vinylester resin system, the characteristics of which are selected to match the durability and flexibility of the...
www.hemlockcanoe.com
"Our experienced laminators lay up each hull by hand utilizing several full layers of cloth reinforced with additional partials (pieces) in areas of greatest stress according to the needs and uses of each individual design. We carefully cut each cloth partial to a predetermined pattern and place it to gain optimum strength. We use no mat, woven roving or foam fillers. The correct amount of resin [is] used to laminate the layers of cloth while keeping weight to a minimum."
Also, here is a photo album documenting the construction of an entire canoe. No vacuum bags.
Building A Hemlock Canoe Start to Finish
Copyright © 2020 Hemlock Canoe . All rights reserved.
www.hemlockcanoe.com
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“$1995, even with the few extras, is an extraordinary price”
I agree, $1995 seems pricey for a 33 year old canoe, even an immaculate and desirable boat.
Although, looking at it in other ways, a comparable kevlar solo now runs, what, $3000+?
Or, alternatively, with inflation, $1429 in 1988 is $3472 in 2022 money.
I agree, $1995 seems pricey for a 33 year old canoe, even an immaculate and desirable boat.
Although, looking at it in other ways, a comparable kevlar solo now runs, what, $3000+?
Or, alternatively, with inflation, $1429 in 1988 is $3472 in 2022 money.
Charlie Wilson put a document of DY boats and I am not sure of exactly which boat fits in the family tree for all of them but the Solo Tripper back in the early 80s evolved into the Nomad. Then Swift wanted a version that came out of a different type of mold and voila the Heron. The mold IIRC wasn't robust and few were made. ( yellowcanoe is a Heron). I don't think that they thought redoing the mold was financially a good idea because the Heron was round bottomed and delighted in dumping unwary paddlers empty. Then Bell came out with the Merlin II another evolution in DY thinking.
The latest in this sort of general purpose DY line for 15 foot tripping solos is the Keewaydin 15. Each one is a little more tailored to the current population of paddlers than the last.
David Yost is the most prolific paddle boat designer we have and has been at it 40 years. He designs boats with a particular type of paddler in mind. Other designers have other starting points such as which boat will be best for x race.
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I was gifted a Kevlar '16 foot Curtis Canoe. It is the best Ive ever paddled in. Trying to find out what model it is. Likely a Nomad or Northstar according to an old catalog. The right canoe finds you.
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“I was gifted a Kevlar '16 foot Curtis Canoe. It is the best Ive ever paddled in. Trying to find out what model it is. Likely a Nomad or Northstar according to an old catalog”
Birdnerd, I have a 1986 Curtis/Canoe Specialists catalog and a few other Curtis pages from that era. I do not have the Northstar page, but it is listed as a 16’ tandem
Ruling out the more diminutive Mayfly (12’ 5”), Ladybug (13’ 8”), the Nomad is listed at 15’ 4”, 26 ½” at the gunwales, 17” deep at the bow, 12” center and 14 ½” stern.
The Solo Tripper is listed at 15’ 7”, 30” at the gunwales, 16 ½” deep at the bow, 12” center, 15” stern.
The Vagabond is listed at 14’ 8”, the Companion at 15’, Dragonfly and Bluegill at 14’ 6”.
Got a tape measure handy?
Birdnerd, I have a 1986 Curtis/Canoe Specialists catalog and a few other Curtis pages from that era. I do not have the Northstar page, but it is listed as a 16’ tandem
Ruling out the more diminutive Mayfly (12’ 5”), Ladybug (13’ 8”), the Nomad is listed at 15’ 4”, 26 ½” at the gunwales, 17” deep at the bow, 12” center and 14 ½” stern.
The Solo Tripper is listed at 15’ 7”, 30” at the gunwales, 16 ½” deep at the bow, 12” center, 15” stern.
The Vagabond is listed at 14’ 8”, the Companion at 15’, Dragonfly and Bluegill at 14’ 6”.
Got a tape measure handy?
Nomad is a dedicated solo (one seat) while Northstar would have likely had 2-3 seats.
A used nomad is pictured here.
Specs and photos of northstar and nomad are in this photo gallery.
A used nomad is pictured here.
Specs and photos of northstar and nomad are in this photo gallery.
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Hi everyone-
Here is a Nomad used @ Hemlock canoes
Price seems reasonable
DT
