The best solo you aren't considering.

[Idiot Savant]

I've had several solo canoes.
The first one I owned was a Wenonah Encounter in Tough Weave.

Wenonah Canoe :: Encounter

wenonah.com

Not very light, and doesn't turn very well, but otherwise I really liked that boat.
Super stable, reasonably fast, tracks well, holds a ton of gear, sliding tractor seat allowed trimming it on the fly.
For the Boundary Waters I'd get the lighter layup, which still isn't super light compared to some, but quite reasonable.
A bit expensive.
Pretty easy to love.

 

[billconner]

It is heavy.

What sort of packs do you use? I found my CCS packs didn't fit in much under a 26 to 28" gunwale width.

 

[Bob B.]

Idiot Savant …

Well said on the Encounter. I completely agree. I am about 6’ 2”, 225 pounds. I travel with about 100 pounds of gear food etc as well as my 65 pound dog Jake. Not many solo boats are happy with that much weight in them. The Encounter handles us very well, and is reasonably fast, effiecent. This boat is great for a tripper who will be out a long time with no resupply, and or will paddle lots of open water. Further, the canoe handles large waves and wind with a load pretty well. The ONLY reason I do not still own one is because ( as you mentioned ) it does not turn well. I just do not like to paddle “go straight“ boats.

I really prefer more manoverable boats , even if that means I have a slower or heavier canoe.

 

[Bob B.]

Forgot to add my Encounter ultra light weighed like 42 pounds.

Bill, I use a small to medium pack that is ported with the canoe, then my second load is a large canvas bag that I tump … it has no shoulder straps … is long and narrow, fits excellent in a canoe up to the stem.

 

[Idiot Savant]

It is heavy.

What sort of packs do you use? I found my CCS packs didn't fit in much under a 26 to 28" gunwale width.

To be honest, I don't remember, for sure, what packs I used. Most likely a very large dry bag, like a 115 and a smaller bag, plus a 7 gallon jug.
I'd drop it in sideways and then rotate it. I do remember one thing. On one trip, I brought along a ridiculously bulky sleeping pad, meant for car camping, and it didn't leave a wide spot for a river toilette so I caught a lot of flack for not taking my turn.
Many solo canoes are pretty narrow at the gunnel, for more efficient paddle strokes.

 

[Woodpuppy]

I had an Encounter for a while, before my Polaris was ready. I could put one 9yr old behind me and one in front, plus a cooler and a dry bag for picnicking on the water and she handled the weight just fine. Stable and go straight. Interestingly, this was the first boat I cracked the J-stroke code with, and also learned how to steer towards my onside. Steering nearly anything else afterwards was easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I gifted that boat to a young guy working for me as a wedding gift. He liked to camp out of kayaks, and was thrilled with the boat the first time he tried it. He’s tripped on the Suwannee with it since, and since his cadre are all yakkers, he got to play freighter. A perfect job for that boat.

 

[Black_Fly]

I tripped with an encounter, and found it to be what you say, both good and bad. The Prism is a fine solo tripper, just a little smaller. My dog is 55#. I’m smaller than you, only 180ish. You’re gonna need to go smaller to get away from the tanker feel and handling. My wife and I took both those rides on a fly in to WCPP. I carried them both on portages. The wind was my biggest complaint with both canoes. They both catch a ton of air. I went to a NS Magic in 2019.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I tripped with an encounter, and found it to be what you say, both good and bad. The Prism is a fine solo tripper, just a little smaller. My dog is 55#. I’m smaller than you, only 180ish. You’re gonna need to go smaller to get away from the tanker feel and handling. My wife and I took both those rides on a fly in to WCPP. I carried them both on portages. The wind was my biggest complaint with both canoes. They both catch a ton of air. I went to a NS Magic in 2019.View attachment 138763

This is why I posted a thread about the touring kayak option. Much better in wind. Also faster than the Encounter. On a Stillwater Canyon trip I tried to catch two people in sea kayaks and got my butt handed to me. Being able to carry a river toilette or cooler is a huge advantage for a canoe. Most of the rivers I trip on require a toilette system and a cold drink on a hot day is a real treat. It can be an issue for solo canoes too, because of the narrow gunnel. Always nice to have a tandem along on a trip.