View topic - What's your solo boat(s)?

Wenonah Voyager - Dave Kruger

Bell Magic 16' ..

With anti hand whack padding, Barry?

No .. not "anti-hand-whack-padding" .. that's a mouth-full!

The Magic has a rather pronounced edge to its inner gunwale. I'm a long-legged beanpole of a guy and when I'm at rest with my legs spread out sideways .. that darned gunwale edge would press into the outside of my knees. Thus the pipe insulation being 'double-sided-carpet-taped' around the gunwale. I use a long kayak paddle most of the time. It works great, given the pronounced tumblehome of the Magic. I also carry a small wooden paddle as back-up and for when I'm amongst rocks or coming to shore.

The reason I commented is because the raised round bolt heads always got me good in the hands when I had my Merlin II and wondered why I didn't think of pipe insulation for that application.

Full length I have seen the same pipe insulation used as poor mans spray cover. It might help deflect the waves downwards.

Mike I taught I was the only one.Wenona voyageur too and I love it.Use it every week as long as there is open water for fishing and hunting. Did get 3 deer last year with that canoe and my crossbow.

I've got a Dagger impulse, and a Wenonah Wilderness.

Bell Wildfire BG. I feel inadequate only one solo......
Hugh

_________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M.T.

Swift Osprey has worked well for me on the few overnighters and weekends I've managed to get out.

I have more than one, but my go-to solo for any and all waters is a Hemlock SRT.

I have a Swift Raven, Swift Osprey, and a Hemlock SRT. The SRT is the one I paddle most often, it is a fast tripper and hauls large loads easily. I am interested in a Flashfire and/or a Dragonfly to play with a less sticky stern and less windage for the many times I paddle with no load. I have a footbrace in the SRT and wonder how paddling with a footbrace would be in a Dragonfly.

DF is pretty much a kneeling boat especially if empty. I have one. A friend of mine has one too and as she is exclusively a sitter, she dropped the seat very very low to paddle with a short bent shaft. DF is a deep boat and she is six feet tall so I sitting works for her. I am seven inches shorter so that would never work for me.

Hemlock Kestrel. Beautiful, quick, light, windproof, awesome!




Novacraft Pal. Great all rounder. Handles wind and waves well, efficient, manuverable. It's my big solo with a kid added for ballast.

Does the Dragonfly have less initial stability than the SRT? They are listed with the same waterline beam. Both are deep boats. I lowered the seat in the SRT to a point where I can still easily get my size tens in and out from under the seat to make it more stable while sitting. I am 5'10" and don't have trouble reaching over the side. The trickiest part, for me, is getting into an unloaded SRT, once in it is comfortable to paddle and heel while kneeling or sitting.

DF has a much more pronounced arch in the bottom.