good multi purpose canoe?

[robkanraft]

Rivers and flat water, occasional use. I think a Wenonah Prospector 15 might be a good choice. Other ideas?

[Owl]

What about the ubiquitous Buffalo?

[Louiscov]

Robkanraft:


I'm picking up my new Wenonah Prospector 15 from Canoe Colorado this Saturday afternoon at Ponca on the Buffalo. Eric Nye is outfitting it solo with a center seat, knee cups, daisy chaining on the sides for air bagging for class II up to easy III, bags easily removable for tripping/canoe camping. I can give you a report in April and you'll be welcomed to paddle it in Arkansas sometime.

[robkanraft]

[quote="Owl"]What about the ubiquitous Buffalo?[/quote]

I gave up my Buffalo 17, I'm looking for something shorter, and lighter to handle as I stumble into middle age. Used to also have a Mohawk 14 Sport, which I miss.

Louiscov, would love to hear a trip report.

[Louiscov]

Be pleased to give you a report. Paddling it Sunday on the Buffalo Sunday plus 4 days in Mississippi on small streams in mid-April. I paddled one a short trip on the Nantahaha 4 years ago Ferabee (sp?) through the falls. It was set up tandem and I paddled kneeling against the center thwart. It turns almost to the point of spinning, which I love, not a playboat but a lot of fun. It is leanable until water pours over the gunwale and straightens up for lots of fun. Tracks fine with attention to technique. High ends look beautifully classic, but can really catch wind making open water a challenge. This 15 footer is a much better stream boat than lake boat in my opinion.

At 60 my ankles won't take kneeling on a saddle all day with ankles in footblocks, so I want a boat to kneel in whitewater, sit in moving water. The Prospector will spin nicely into eddies. Weight for mine in royalex with only the center seat should be around 57 pounds. Not trying to "sell" you since boats and paddlers interests are so personal. I just love performance characteristics rocker and shallow arch bottoms and am willing to put up with the compromises. If you'll ever paddle it tandem with two adults I'd recommend looking to the 16 ft.

"Song of the Paddle" is a great place to check the reviews section and a subject search in the forum:

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Best wishes, getting a new boat is so WAY COOL!!!

Louis Covington

[GloryDaze]

I'll be curious as to what you find with the Prospector- I waffled between the Prospector 15 and the Mad River Legend 15. I went with the Legend 15 and will be picking it up next week.

I will be hitting the Big Sugar Creek the first weekend in April, but will be happy to give you a quick report.

[Cowper]

You didn't say "solo" or "tandem", but you did mention weight.

So if you can get by with a solo, then I'd have to put in a word for my favorite flatwater/mild whitewater boat I don't already own: The Wenonah Argosy. At 47# in royalex, it is significantly lighter than most of the competing models. And it's fast, or less work for same distance if speed isn't a selling point for you.

On the down side, the speed comes at the expense of some stability - this is not a classic "fishing" canoe. I don't mean to make it sound like a racing canoe; you won't turn over just because you cough or something. How stable it feels to you will be a function of your past boats owned, natural balance, and body weight. Some owners don't even mention the stability thing, others coming from experience with much bigger canoes tend to notice. Richard and Mike Beebe are both current owners, and can give you some other impressions.

[okieboater]

Since Cowper tossed out his favorite solo canoe he does not own,
I am gonna throw my not owned but favorite choice into the mix.

That would be the Wenonah Rendezvous

Just a bit bigger than the Argosy with light weight royalex but carries my 210 pounds or so body weight and Buffalo Float and Eat camping gear with no problems.

This canoe has a slanted seat. Setting on the seat turns this boat into a relatively fast and stable cruiser. Get down on the knee pads and you just turned this boat into a relatively responsive WW boat. Class 2 not a problem, Class 3 toss in some air bags, take out the camping gear and my bet is most would be comfortable

[Richard]

Cowper has a Rendezvous. I have a Prospector 16 and an Argosy. I personally think all three would work. However, if I was to choose just one as a multi purpose canoe, it would be the Prospector. The others would be a distant second and third. And I would outfit it as a tandem. Turn it around and it becomes a good solo. It was Bill Mason's favorite canoe.

[okieboater]

Hard to disagree with Bill Mason's advice when it comes to canoes.

[Al Donaldson]

All:

Agreed on the Prospector design, as it does a lot of things well. As for the Wenonah version, I do have a 15 footer, and the design is pretty much true to the older ones that Bill Mason liked (if a foot shorter). BUT...

It is a Wenonah, which means that to make seat modifications, you have to drill out those silly rivets that hold the aluminum brackets and start over after replacing the rivets (which also aid in holding the gunwales on.

That said, with the seats moved toward the center a bit, it makes a fine tandem boat for lightweight couples, and with a kneeling thwart placed correctly (just behind center by about a foot,) makes an even better solo boat.

Set up as a solo, with just one seat or a kneeling thwart, it is lighter than the Rendezvous and handles a lot better in most situations.

If this is the design that you decide upon, consider the Nova Craft Prospector. While a bit hard to get down South, it is a better-built boat, IMHO. (It is also available in Royalite, which saves a few more pounds.

Regards,

al