Flatwater Solo Boats?

[RandyJ]

Got a friend here in Tulsa that is interested in trying out solo flatwater canoeing and is looking for advice. I don't really know what to tell him except demo, demo, demo.

Couple of questions:
1) Any overall suggestions?
2) Good places to demo within reasonable driving distance of Tulsa?

[Dave Thomas]

I have almost every model of Mohawk in Fort Smith and available for demo. Just shoot an email my way and we'll set up a time and day. dthomas@mohawkcanoes.com

[arfish]

I've got a Wenonah Vagabond, and it is a great flat water/small stream solo canoe. Good tracking and light weight. I've got the RX, so I can take out on low water streams and drag it on the rocks if I need to.

You should be able to demo at a Wenonah dealer.

[DeBo]

The best manufacturers of flatwater canoes IMO are Wenonah and Bell.
As mentioned the Wenonah Vagabond is a great choice. I also like the Argosy.

http://www.wenonah.com/products/templat ... php?NID=28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bell Yellowstone is very nice but Bell canoes are more expensive. They also have several other models.

http://www.bellcanoe.com/products/defau ... &catid=197" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And don’t forget a really nice flatwater canoe paddle. My favorite is a ZRE

http://www.zre.com/catalog/paddles-c-22 ... 72a8688a49" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dave Thomas]

Randy, I think that a Solo 14 might be a good fit for your friend. However, just like you said, "demo, demo, demo." With that in mind, shoot an email my way, dthomas@mohawkcanoes.com, and we'll set up a day where you can demo all of Mohawk's solo flatwater boats. Also, if my predictions are right about a Solo 14 making your friend a happy paddler I may still have one priced at $600 for him to pick up here in Fort Smith.

[DeBo]

I also own a Mohawk Solo 13 which is a great boat for swamping. It is fairlly light and comes in camo. I love the 13 for sliding in among and around trees. It also handles mild whitewater easily, just don't expect it to be super fast on open water. It really depends on where you are going to paddle. Like everyone says, Demo! And of course, like whitewater, flatwater will eventually require more than one boat.

[RandyJ]

Great info, folks - thanks! I've pointed my friend at this thread so he can read and keep up.

[Cowper]

I agree with what others have said about some of the model choices. If by flatwater he means poking around, fishing, photography, etc, you can't beat the value of the Mohawks. If he wants to cover some miles, go for the Wenonah or Bells, but expect to get a boat that is a bit less stable. Nothing an experienced boater would really be concerned with, but enough difference to give some serious thought to whether or not to leave your tackle box open, and you don't want to try spinning around and grabbing a quick shot of that bird flying over the river behind you with your $1000++ camera and lens.

The thing I can add is, if he REALLY means just flatwater, then think about whether to go with an ABS boat, or to step up to the more expensive kevlar models. They will leave the ABS boats in the dust as far as covering some miles. Or cover a few miles, and make you feel like you didn't really get any exercise. There's a lightly used kevlar Argosy for sale on our "sale" board right now.

[prophet]

might want to check Two Brothers Canoe in Garfield, AR, another local boat company.

[GutIt]

I also own a Mohawk Solo 13 which is a great boat for swamping.

Does that mean paddling in swamps or getting swamped?

Sorry DeBo! I couldn't resist!

I solo in a Bell Yellowstone Tandem custom rigged (meaning I drilled a few holes and placed a seat where I wanted it)! Easy on and off the truck.

I like it better than the dedicated solos not only for the versatility, but I can make that turn and get that shot and not have to worry so much about splashing my camera gear. Hard to dufek while having both hands wrapped around a lens! Need to accommodate a partner? Just revert it to tandem. Want to do a 'nighter solo? It holds the amenities (camping and camera gear). I would bet if your bud would like this option, Dave at Mohawk could bang him in with a nice choice with his usual awesome quality and value combination. As an aside, I own a Mohawk Intrepid (Livery Edition) that probably dates back from when Mr. Thomas was just a Gleam in his Mama's Eye! Has been my Go-To Load-Master for years until it earned it's place in my museum! It is still, after all this time and all the awesome runs we have done together, ready to Rock & Roll!

The Yellowstone-2 handles like a dream, stable when you need it, is fast and will accelerate.

But the point is that your friend might enjoy a tad bigger tandem that would also be a pleasure solo as an option.

Just a Theory!

[Al Donaldson]

Randy:

Definitely check out Two Brothers. My wife is now paddling an Arkota 16' that we modified for solo paddling, and as far as we can tell, it is just about the best thing going if one doesn't mind a 16' solo. (And the prices from Louis and Bill cannot be beat!)

TBC is at: http://www.twobrotherscanoe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's a photo of a the boat:


Regards,

al

[arfish]

The Arkota seems like it has too much rocker for a good flatwater boat, especially if paddled solo. It looks like it would be tough to handle in open water, and windy conditions. I think the Brightwater would make a better flatwater solo, having minimal rocker. The biggest disadvantage the Brightwater has with being paddled solo, is how wide it is. For most people 30" is the best width for paddling, and the Brightwater is 35.5". That means you would have to place the seat well behind center, and making it stern heavy. It is definitely worth looking into though.
Another option no-one has mentioned is the Bell Rockstar. Its a longer touring canoe, but looks like an option I would consider if I were in the market for a solo canoe. Has anyone ever paddled one before?

[Eric Esche]

Disagree about the Arkota having too much rocker for flatwater. Al added rocker to his boat and then let me play with it brand new from the factory. I only got to paddle just for a few minutes on flat water as we were pushed for time, but I fell in love with Al's modified 16' Two Brothers Canoe Arkota that quickly, and if I was looking for a great handling all round 16' NEW boat, I know of no other better deal. It is a sweet boat that tracks and turns well with great initial and secondary stability. I expect to see someone compete with one in freestyle events it is that well balanced in it handling. Freely admit it is probably a better boat than I am a paddler.

I'm known to be biased towards Mad River hulls, but I really liked Al's version of the Arkota.

Eric Esche

Get him to let you try it sometime and you will see what I mean.

Also now in search for a used 13' to 14'9" solo boat. Won't tell you all of the short list as most are are older and rare models and I do not want them bought out from under me, but will say the short list now has a couple of kevlar hulls on it, and I hope to have it paid for with in a month, if not picked up and delivered in that time. Can't find the one I really want, so have openned up the parameters some to include some others I have paddled in the past and also liked. Found a few "stored in barn" jewels that some times folks did not know much about until I told them.

If I cross any off of my list, I will pass them on.

Example = Saw a green 17' Mad River Royalex with very dry gunnels for $275 on craigslist on east coast listed Sunday. Already got one and the oil goes on real easy if you are driving back from the east coast with rack space and want a nice boat for the money. I paid $500 for mine and it was a bargain in about the same condition. Think this is the same model as mine - a Northwoods, but have not inquired. I said mine - I'm really half owner as I bought it in partnership.

[Al Donaldson]

Just to add a bit more info...

I just picked up a couple of Two Brothers Brightwater 14' boats to play with. Louis had a slightly blemished hull and an older demo boat that both sounded useful to me. I asked him to set these boats up as solo canoes, with a single seat installed with the leading edge of the seat six inches back from center...

For those who know me, these would seem to be really strange choices, as I have always favored canoes with tons of rocker. However, after looking the the hull shape (flat bottomed, extremely wide at the center, a fairly sharp bow and stern shape and with relatively sharp chines and slightly flared sides) I made a guess that: These canoes, if paddled Canadian style (kneeling in one chine, keeping the boat heeled to the paddler's onside most of the time,) would probably pick both bow and stern out of the water and would thus be able to turn fairly well.

Just got back from a pool session where we had a few Iowa DNR folks working towards their ACA instructor's certification, and just for the fun of it, Scott, one of our instructor candidates, took the Brightwater for a spin in the pool.


(Sorry about the photo quality -- I'm not a photographer by any means.)

Scott is not a large individual (unlike myself...), yet at about 5' 8", he had no trouble with cross strokes or any other boat control issues.

After the session was done I got to try the boat myself and was delighted that:

1) When paddled straight up (no heel) it tracked well;
2) When paddled Canadian style, it picked up a bit of forward glide and turned exceptionally well (Not like a whitewater boat, but it could still spin a 180 in its own length at normal paddling speed.)
3) As expected, it had great primary stability (it was no challenge to simply step into the boat from the pool edge and paddle away standing up) and amazingly good secondary stability (It took a great effort to heel it far enough over to get the gunwale into the water.)

All in all, I'm thinking that, if a prospective canoe buyer is not firmly set on paddling from a sitting position, then he or she might well consider a boat that is wider than the "standard" solo canoe width of 28" to 30": the number of good options in canoe types goes way up.


Regards,

al

[Dave Thomas]

Wow Randy! Your buddy is getting some great suggestions. However, I'm going to give yet another one. Have him take a look at Mohawk's Odyssey 14 & 15. The Odyssey's are especially popular in our neck of the woods. They handle well on lakes and ponds and they shine on class I-II local rivers. Even with a center width of only 29" it still has plenty of stability while allowing for more speed and agility over boats that are wider and longer. Below is a photo I took at Lake Wedington that demonstrates the stability of the Odyssey 14. I have both models waiting for you and your buddy to demo them and tell me what you think for yourself. Drop me an email at dthomas@mohawkcanoes to set up a day and time.

The Mohawk Odyssey 14'sfunctional styling combines flared-sides for a dryer ride and exceptional final stability. A tuck-in narrows the center section to make solo paddling easier on the upper body. The Mohawk Odyssey 14 canoe is nimble and fun to paddle, especially on twisty rocky rivers streams. It’s also a fine craft for taking out onto the lake for a spot of fishing or some nature-watching.

Less rockered and 10 inches longer than the Mohawk Odyssey 14, the Mohawk Odyssey 15 Solo makes an excellent high-volume tripping and touring solo canoe. The Mohawk Odyssey 15's deep sides, flared-bow and stern provide a very dry ride in choppy water. With its narrow beam and sharp entry, the Mohawk Odyssey 15 is easy to paddle and glides well with each stroke. Available as single-seat or with tandem configuration (please see tandem section for specifications).

Head over to our website at http://www.mohawkcanoes.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more info. on all of our designs.