I was trying to decide between the Arkota and a Buffalo. I demo'd the Arkota and liked the handling but was still unsure about the capacity and what it would be like on the river. I finally bought it due to the great service from Bill and Louis. I have had it out twice since then and absolutely love it! So, here goes:
1. The downside is the initial stability. After floating the Penobscot(barge) the canoe was a little "tippy" and somewhat hard to get used to for the first few hours.
2. The secondary stability is great so it is easy to get comfortable with the rocking and not worrying about it.
3. Maneuverability of the canoe. WOW! I can turn it 180 in one stroke. That is obviously good and bad. The good is turning and running the rapids. Very easy to flip it around and surf! The bad is the straight, flat areas of the river(or at least so I thought).
4. Tracking was very difficult at first. Floating tandem was harder on the first float because I was with my dad who hasn't been in a canoe in 40 years. The second time out I was with my 14yr old son. My son was much better and therefor much easier to paddle with. Here is the lesson from this canoe. If you lean, it will turn. I was used to paddling to turn my old canoe. The Arkota is a little more sensitive than that. I was paddling solo, well I did have my boxer, Lily, with me. I would paddle hard trying to keep the canoe traveling straight down the river. Sometimes it would go right or left no matter what I was doing(J stroke or not) for seemingly no apparent reason. Then I realized it was to whatever side of the canoe Lily was on. So I tried leaning and paddling. That was the trick! I could paddle on any side without the J stroke and could keep it straight. This canoe tracks incredibly well if you know what you are doing.
5. Weight capacity was a concern because I did not want to give up those special days of canoeing with my son on overnight trips. This is not an issue now. I loaded the canoe just like I was going to be taking an overnighter and had absolutely no problems. I could have loaded several hundred more pounds and not had any problems. The canoe handles great with or without the extra weight.
Overall, I am very happy with the performance of the canoe. It is a 16', shallow arch hull, with a 4" rocker. This is definitely made for the river which is what we enjoy. I look forward to many trips and lots of playing with this canoe. Thanks to Louis and Bill for a great canoe!
PS If you see someone in a blue canoe, with a boxer doing 180's going through some rapids, don't worry. That just means I am still trying to figure out what the heck I am doing!
