Do you race it? We have some members who do race or have done so in the past.
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Happy Near Miss Day (1989)! 🌎☄️😰
Long, Fast Solo Canoes
- Thread starter Glenn MacGrady
- Start date
Do you race it? We have some members who do race or have done so in the past.
A fellow experienced racing friend contacted me about a year ago, saying he can't figure out why his new SR Blackwater kept wanting to veer to the left, no matter how he thought he was paddling as straight as he could. But without more correction strokes than he thought should be necessary, it kept turning left. Out of the water no deflection could be detected in the hull. So, he brought it to me to watch his technique and so I could try it out.
The Blackwater was one of three new solo canoes I was looking at over for the past couple of years, but I did not have the opportunity to try one before finally getting my long awaited PB Shadow, and also a Swift Cruiser. Bring that Blackwater to me. I watched him paddle from behind and sure enough it was veering left. I could not detect any paddle bias or errors in his technique. Then I gave it a try. Wow, I loved it. I paddled it straight as could be on track line, straight ahead and smooth no matter which side I paddled on. Even without any rocker I had no trouble turning it at will at speed in a tight buoy turn. I had no answer for my friend's problem, but my mind was made up and I soon put in an order with Ben Diller at SR.
So, my new Blackwater arrived on Thanksgiving week, when ice was already forming on my lake. It has been in the garage, safe from the more than 230 inches of deep snow during this rougher than average winter. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks when, hopefully, with enough warmth to the air, I will give it straight line race speed and turning trials. I am hoping that the very twisting winding Brown's Tract will not be too much of a problem on the "90 miler" race route.
The Blackwater was one of three new solo canoes I was looking at over for the past couple of years, but I did not have the opportunity to try one before finally getting my long awaited PB Shadow, and also a Swift Cruiser. Bring that Blackwater to me. I watched him paddle from behind and sure enough it was veering left. I could not detect any paddle bias or errors in his technique. Then I gave it a try. Wow, I loved it. I paddled it straight as could be on track line, straight ahead and smooth no matter which side I paddled on. Even without any rocker I had no trouble turning it at will at speed in a tight buoy turn. I had no answer for my friend's problem, but my mind was made up and I soon put in an order with Ben Diller at SR.
So, my new Blackwater arrived on Thanksgiving week, when ice was already forming on my lake. It has been in the garage, safe from the more than 230 inches of deep snow during this rougher than average winter. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks when, hopefully, with enough warmth to the air, I will give it straight line race speed and turning trials. I am hoping that the very twisting winding Brown's Tract will not be too much of a problem on the "90 miler" race route.
I am not a racer - too many competing interests! Just like going deep into the wilderness.
Sweet - what layup did you get? Will be interested to get your thoughts. I’ve always wanted to paddle a Shadow - would love to hear your comparison of the two. Was not interested in the Cruisers but the new 17.8 has my attention.
I'm going to split this "Long, Fast Solo Canoes" discussion off into its own thread by that name. It's an interesting topic.
Anything that says Canadienne on it. "No one will ever pass you on a river."
I got the Textreme Lite with light Textreme interior, Pro Package, and everything optional in all carbon, sliding seat and integrated footbrace. Race seat is elevated an extra inch as is my preference.
I have a first generation Rapidfire, which has been my workhorse tripping canoe and solo racer for many years. I came to realize that Joe of PB created the Shadow to compete with and beat in races all of the Rapidfires he had previously sold. After experiencing Joe and his employee team regularly blow away Rapidfires and every other solo canoe in the 90 miler, I became convinced of this. So, after trying an early one, I had wanted a Shadow for a long time, but for the build time Joe always told me during the 90 miler that it would be a full year wait. Not good enough to get one to train for the next year's race.
Continued long story, my wife secretly ordered a Shadow for me for our 50 year anniversary present, just as I mentioned wanting a Cruiser or a Blackwater or a GRB Legend (turns out the Legend would have been too small for me). Oops! Bill Swift and Charlie Wilson had a spring Swift Demo day in Saranac Lake where I got to try out a Cruiser. Charlie told me it was the right new boat for me. What advice from legend CEW. I loved its performance and ordered one. Bill said one month to build and deliver to me. True enough, Bill brought one built to my specs directly to my home in northern NY State just exactly a month later. He was on his delivery rounds, towing the biggest canoe carrier I have ever seen, as long as a tractor trailer with dozens of canoes on board. Even with my requested higher than highest stock seat, the Cruiser is more stable than both my RF and especially my now new Shadow. The Shadow with my requested higher than stock seat paddles great for me, though some would say it is quite tippy, I am sure. The Cruiser, very stable but not as fast as RF or Shadow, is best for a photo platform and jobs like carrying support and my tripping gear for Lean2Rescue team jobs that I support in the Adirondacks.
Why the higher seats, you ask? With the exception of low floor seated Hornbecks, I always paddle my solo canoes with a single blade paddle and sitting higher works and just feels better for me. A carryover, I suppose, from my years of paddling bow in large voyageur size race canoes.
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Except most of the "long, fast solo canoes". I do like the Canadienne though, but only paddled the 17.
Are these "long fast solo canoes" decent tripping boats? Seems like they would be good for large bodies of water but not small rivers with obstacles. Will they fit all your gear if you pack light? Had a mid 80's Jensen Marathon tandem that I just sat in the middle on a foam pad and paddled with a kayak paddle. The paddling stations were just too small. It was very stable paddling it this way. The Cruiser 16.8 with bench seat peaked my interest after watching the Bill Swift infomercial. I probably would of liked my encounter more if it had a bench seat. So many boats so little time and money.
My first solo was a 16' Wenonah WWC-1, built to marathon racing specs below the waterline, and fullness above, designed for downriver whitewater racing. I've raced flatwater with it as well as paddled whitewater and tripped (to one week). It's spent a lot of time on rivers and tortuous creeks (what I call "gunkholing"). On flatwater, it paddled a lot like the old Wenonah 17' C1 Flatwater marathon boat, but I wanted additional depth for tripping. Now I paddle the 17'6" Wenonah Voyager, which is even faster, and I've done a couple of 2 week trips in it. This is all sit and switch paddling with tractor seats, where such boats come into their own (and for which they're designed). If you're looking to kneel with bench seats there are lots of other canoes more suitable.
I have paddled my PB Rapidfire for the majority of the 30 years I have been a wilderness high adventure wilderness guide trek leader instructor for BSA National Camping School in the Adirondacks. I carry all of my own personal gear and food, plus a good share of the group gear, not to mention extra demonstration equipment for my students for a week long training session. No need to pack particularly light in that boat. Separately, I have made many personal tripping paddles on waterways big and small with all my gear for several days at a time. Last year I used my new Cruiser to carry heavy tools and gear, tripping into Adirondack lakes to repair and build new leanto shelters for the NYSDEC. I feel I could do the same with my less stable new Shadow as well, as long as I had enough gear for bottom ballast to help with extra stability in questionable lake waves. I am certain I could do the same with the more stable Blackwater too, after I experienced a trial paddle in my friend's boat.
When not racing, I paddle on one side for as long as i like, 20 minutes or more, or until I feel the need to exercise muscle tone on the other side. Racing, of course, is all about hit and switch to go straight.
I am not a white water paddler by any means, and tend to avoid such, but have no trouble paddling and navigating and racing
on moderately flowing rivers such as the Oswegatchie, the Jordan, the Black, the Grasse, and similar Adirondack waters.
I too do like bench seats, since they better allow shifting of body weight and position for heeling the canoe as needed for steeerage and stability. But bench seats are a no go requiring extra supports on extra light hulls and gunwales, unless the hull is beefed up somewhat at the bench mounting location. But long solos tend to be narrow enough so that a shifting lean is easy enough without shifting butt in a bench seat.
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I have a GRB Classic XL, and at 16'8" length and widths of 26" Max and 22" gunwale width, I consider it long and fast. I generally pack light and had to switch from my Granite Gear #4 portage Pack to a 90+ liter backpack just to get my gear int the narrow canoe. I don't really care for a heavy portage pack and am used to lightweight backpacking. It works for me.
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yknpdlr, you are in an enviable position with that stable of rides. Would love to see some photos of your Dillercraft in Textreme Light. How much does it weigh? Mine is 24# but stock it was 26#. Very robust build - it has stood up to all my abuse.
The GRB XL al la southernkevlar & Bill's new 17.8 cruiser (narrower by 2" than the 16.8) are a couple of others I'd love to try in addition to a Shadow.
zekabl, I can only speak for the Blackwater...the way I trip I could probably bring enough to stay out all summer if I had the time. Plenty of room unless you bring two kitchen sinks and a tuba. I do also own a Northstar Magic (gathering dust)...which can hold a lot but not as much as the Blackwater.
I checked and water has opened up by me in the last 24 hours...boat may get wet this weekend. The Blackwater will return to Quetico in 60 days; possibly Wabakimi later in the summer.
The GRB XL al la southernkevlar & Bill's new 17.8 cruiser (narrower by 2" than the 16.8) are a couple of others I'd love to try in addition to a Shadow.
zekabl, I can only speak for the Blackwater...the way I trip I could probably bring enough to stay out all summer if I had the time. Plenty of room unless you bring two kitchen sinks and a tuba. I do also own a Northstar Magic (gathering dust)...which can hold a lot but not as much as the Blackwater.
I checked and water has opened up by me in the last 24 hours...boat may get wet this weekend. The Blackwater will return to Quetico in 60 days; possibly Wabakimi later in the summer.
