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Guest
Guest
I would have to put the OT Stillwater 12 in my top three of worst manufactured canoes. A 12 foot tandem? Stupidly glass mat heavy for a 12 foot canoe and at 41 inches wide beyond slow. Even overlooking the weight factor the width made it awkward to shoulder carry or cartop. Simply a what-were-they-thinking design.
The old Coleman Ram-X boats deserve a place in the worst canoes ever manufactured list. Horrible heavy poly hulls, and even with the internal aluminum framework the bottoms warped sickeningly. That warp and aluminum framework made for one fugly hull.
My third candidate, in latter day design, would be the Mad River Adventure series. Molded poly canoes with kiss-offs below the seats and center not-actually a seat/not actually a yoke. 85 lbs, but they do come with 6 molded in cup holders. If you store an Adventure outside I guarantee come summer there will be a wasp nest in each and every one of those cup holders.
The massively wide “integral” gunwales provide no place to grasp the hull when carrying 85 lbs of poly beast, and because of the molded gunwale shape make it a PITA to bracket when cartopped
A new 16 foot canoe for $800, let’s buy one! And after two trips with the beast put it on Craigslist. Sadly the Adventure boats are actually decent once you manage to get them on the water.
Maybe one more; I have mentioned this lament before; Old Town’s short-lived competition to MRC’s Adventure canoes, the Ojibway.
Poly (link3). Heavy. But it had a usably positioned actual center seat, some rocker, some arch in the bottom so it didn’t warp the racks the first hot summer day. Only two cup holders, and some other thoughtful outfitting and accessories.
The Ojibway, based off the Disco 158, actually paddled very well. Coulda, shoulda, woulda been a fine if heavy plastic canoe and an outfitter’s choice.
The problem was the “based off the Disco 158”, with the same bow and stern seat placement. Except the molded gunwales on the Objiway are massively wide, just like the Adventure. Take the stern seat position on a 158 but reduce the seat space by 3 inches of molded gunwale on each side.
The back of the seat is only 11 inches wide. WTF, whose arse is 11 inches wide?
http://www.sacobound.com/store/?Pag...5&Manufacturer_ID=0&Category_ID=0&SortOrder=0
Even perched two boat cushions high on the stern seat for adequate derriere space it was a good paddling canoe. It could have been a wonderful molded poly canoe without that ridiculous seat.
Did no one ever think to simply sit in the prototype before the mold was made?
The old Coleman Ram-X boats deserve a place in the worst canoes ever manufactured list. Horrible heavy poly hulls, and even with the internal aluminum framework the bottoms warped sickeningly. That warp and aluminum framework made for one fugly hull.
My third candidate, in latter day design, would be the Mad River Adventure series. Molded poly canoes with kiss-offs below the seats and center not-actually a seat/not actually a yoke. 85 lbs, but they do come with 6 molded in cup holders. If you store an Adventure outside I guarantee come summer there will be a wasp nest in each and every one of those cup holders.
The massively wide “integral” gunwales provide no place to grasp the hull when carrying 85 lbs of poly beast, and because of the molded gunwale shape make it a PITA to bracket when cartopped
A new 16 foot canoe for $800, let’s buy one! And after two trips with the beast put it on Craigslist. Sadly the Adventure boats are actually decent once you manage to get them on the water.
Maybe one more; I have mentioned this lament before; Old Town’s short-lived competition to MRC’s Adventure canoes, the Ojibway.
Poly (link3). Heavy. But it had a usably positioned actual center seat, some rocker, some arch in the bottom so it didn’t warp the racks the first hot summer day. Only two cup holders, and some other thoughtful outfitting and accessories.
The Ojibway, based off the Disco 158, actually paddled very well. Coulda, shoulda, woulda been a fine if heavy plastic canoe and an outfitter’s choice.
The problem was the “based off the Disco 158”, with the same bow and stern seat placement. Except the molded gunwales on the Objiway are massively wide, just like the Adventure. Take the stern seat position on a 158 but reduce the seat space by 3 inches of molded gunwale on each side.
The back of the seat is only 11 inches wide. WTF, whose arse is 11 inches wide?
http://www.sacobound.com/store/?Pag...5&Manufacturer_ID=0&Category_ID=0&SortOrder=0
Even perched two boat cushions high on the stern seat for adequate derriere space it was a good paddling canoe. It could have been a wonderful molded poly canoe without that ridiculous seat.
Did no one ever think to simply sit in the prototype before the mold was made?
!
(never test paddled!!!). When loading the canoes on the trailer, the teenage boys began to argue about who got to spend the most time in the raddison. Got to Algonquin. loaded up, and headed for the 1st portage with a 1/4 wind (the Radd being the 1st to shove off). My wife and I were the last to go (our Grumman).and within a short time the Radd was sorely lagging behind. 7 Grummans lily dipped while the poor guys in the Radd worked hard to keep pace. And it wasn't easy to portage because of the exceptionally wide beam, but it was light!!! 2nd lake, I stopped and turned to make sure all got off OK. I noticed that the adult was no longer in the Radd but in a Grumman (which he paddled & portaged the rest of the trip). After dinner the boys argument did a total about face. I made an executive decision: each boy had to spend a day in the BEAST. New argument from the boys: why don't the girls have to spend time in it? As the father of young male teens at the time, the answer was simple: because I said so! (That and my wife told me the girls shouldn't have to spend time in it
