Looking for a solo boat along the lines of a Northwind Solo / Merlin II / Hemlock Peregrine / Keewaydin 15 or similar. I am in Maryland, but am willing to travel basically anywhere in the eastern US for the right boat. Thanks!
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Happy National K9 Veterans Day! 🪖🐕🦺
WTB - Northstar NW Solo / Bell Merlin II / Hemlock Peregrine (or similar)
- Thread starter NikonF5user
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I was looking at that site a few days ago - I would LOVE that red LiteTech boat, but sadly it's a bit out of my price range. Ugh!
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I have an Adirondack Canoe Company Upper Boreas I bought last season with the hull guard and a new cherry seat. It’s the kneeling version, check out their site if you are interested… but I’ve decided to go strictly with wood canvas canoes. I paid 2200. I would sell for 1900- definitely a learning curve to paddling this… he does make a lower Boreas that you sit in the hull.
I’m in the Syracuse NY area.
I’m in the Syracuse NY area.
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This is awesome! I sent you a private message. Mainly I am unfamiliar with the boat, and wonder about size - but at a glance it is very alluring!
Still looking - please keep me in mind if selling something of the sort!
@yellowcanoe has a Swift Heron for sale in the Classifieds. It's a member of the Dave Yost 15' family.
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I have a North Wind solo and I've been kind of debating if I should have bought something else.
Northstar implies that the North Wind is the fastest seaworthy canoe or the most seaworthy fast canoe. Take your pick.
If I had it to do over, rather than something like the Peregrine, I'd be more likely to buy something like the Phoenix.
There are still a few Wenonah Rendezvous around. I'd consider that one too.
I'd be looking for something a little more versatile. Something that I could paddle in the BWCAW one trip and then down a class II river the next.
I was looking at the Peregrine, online, just yesterday. I concluded that, even if it was available around here, I would have gone with the North Wind instead. The Peregrine might be faster, but the North Wind should be more stable and seaworthy. I'll have to take another look at the Merlin II. Swift makes a good boat, but they sure don't give their boats away.
I went from an Advantage to a Peregrine and was surprised just how slow the Peregrine was. But it was such a pleasure to paddle in almost all conditions I kind of lost the 'need for speed'. I have a Trillium now, but test paddled all of Northstar's solos; just didn't get that speed rush from any of them except the Magic.
M Clemens,
You mentioned that "I went from an Advantage to a Peregrine and..."I paddled an Advantage for many years and it has a different hull design than the canoes mentioned here so it's not really fair to expect them to have a similar top speed. I went from the Advantage to a Kestrel and my impression is that the Kestrel is relatively quick in comparison. Certainly not as fast as an Advantage but with a bent shaft paddle and a lively cadence you can cover the miles fairly comfortably. And the Kestrel is much preferred when the wind and waves start building.
Sorry, did not mean to imply they were similar hulls, just that I was surprised how slow the Peregrine seemed in general, a perception no doubt exacerbated by the immediate transition from a quasi-racing hull to a lake country tripper. I have owned a great many solos before and since that would have been a more suitable comparison, and while my Peregrine was one of the most beautiful and comfortable hulls, it would be hard to say it was quick (or quicker than a NW Solo, per Mr. Savant). I almost bought a Kestrel last year, by the way, as I am a smaller paddler and really had no need for the volume of the Peregrine. Opted for the Trillium instead, a decision based mostly on weight, not speed.
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If I had more room and money, I'd get an Advantage. Kind of looked at it before buying the North Wind. Still want one.
If I lived in Ely, I would have bought something like the Advantage or Peregrine or, maybe, something even racier.
When I bought the North Wind, I was remembering my first day on the Upper Missouri. The wind was blowing upstream pretty strong.
Pretty good chop developed. I wanted a boat that could handle that. I thought the North Wind would do a better job than most.
I'm also remembering a day, in the Boundary Waters, getting ready to launch, at the end of a portage trail, and waves crashing against the shore. Again, I thought the North Wind would do a better job of handling that than most other solo canoes.
I have heard others express disappointment with the NW Solo, and still others who swear by them. I can tell you that the Advantage is a real blast on flat water, but a white-knuckle trip in wind and chop.
I have been looking at that ad on Facebook Marketplace, it has me intrigued - it does look like a stunning boat. I am unfamiliar with the Heron, but everything I keep reading suggests that it is substantially larger than a NW Solo or Kee 15. Definitely would love to know more about the boat from those who have paddled it!
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I really like the idea of the Trillium, and I wish I could find a way to test paddle one. But I weigh 220 lb, and while I definitely do trip light, I still imagine I'm going to be over 250, probably more like 260 when tripping. I'm also 6'1" with longer legs than torso, so I just wonder if I would fit in the thing. But the Trillium strikes me as a bit closer to the Merlin (which is really my prime target) then does the NW Solo...
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Plans for the Merlin are readily available if you would like to build a strip canoe. Budget friendly (way cheaper than buying) and there are quite a few people on here who can (and will) provide coaching if you post a build thread.
Oops - I mixed up the Heron for the Shearwater that's on FBM, the Shearwater is the one I took to be a larger high-capacity solo...
I wish I had the facilities to do so! Unless I build something outside, that wouldn't be realistic where I live...
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The only two negative things I'd say about the North Wind are:
If you are used to a real speed demon, like the Advantage or, even, a Peregrine, the NW solo is going to seem sluggish.
If you like to paddle sit n switch, the NW isn't the best boat. It turns too easily. I found that I could get in, at most, three strokes before needing to switch sides. For efficient sit n switch you need a long boat with very little rocker.
I paddle it, mostly, with a double bladed paddle, which works out great.
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Hello Nikon,
I have a Hemlock Peregrine that I’m selling shortly. It’s an amazing boat in every respect. I find it to be very quick and stable. It handles wind and waves quite well and tracks like an arrow. I live close to the finger lakes and about 20 minutes from Dave Curtis.
PM me for more information or if you’d like to try her out.
