So tell us just how many Sawyer canoe models you HAVE paddled and your love/hate/indifference toward them.
With all the talk about Sawyer Canoes lately I realized I, yes me, personally knew a lot from conversations, but not that much from first hand experience about these canoes. Got me more and more curious the more I thought about it. So ..........
This is an informal survey:
1) Which Sawyer canoe is your favorite? Why?
2) What other Sawyer canoes do you like? Why?
3) What Sawyer canoes do you not like? Why?
4) Any other comments about Sawyer canoes?
5) Questions about Sawyer canoes? Maybe someone else here will have the answer or know where to find it. :^)
Sawyers Rule 1) Cruiser - Fast, light (Kevlar). I sold it because my big-headed buddy would have capsized us.
2) Autumn Mist - Fast enough, heavier (in goldenglass). I sold this to my (big-headed) buddy. He loves it. He does not kneel, he sits.
Nice canoe for a fairly large guy (235#, 6’2")
3) Oscoda Loon - Read my review. I love the storage room and fact that it would be good in fairly large waves. Mine is goldenglass. I like the way it kinda wants to turn one direction on its own. Let’s say it is trying to go right. I just keep paddling on the right, but not enough to change its tendency to go right. Then, when I get tired of paddling on the right side, I push really hard on the right and it moves across center (controlled) and then tries to go left. I then paddle on the left hand side, paddling just hard enough to NOT stop it from continuing to the left, etc. GET IT? Confused me
4) Summersong - Don’t buy this boat. I want to be the only one around p.net who owns one. What a GREAT boat…
190 & Oscoda Solo 13 190: I had it for a couple months last summer. I liked the maneauverability of the boat and the comfort of the original rear tractor seat & foot brace (the original front seat had broken & been replaced with a make-shift web seat). It seemed like it would be a great river boat, but I sold it before I got it on the river because it felt to tippy to my wife for her to ride in it with me (I had bought it hoping she’d like it). I paddle mostly solo. Turns easier than my Wenonah Solo Plus and much easier than my Moore Canoe Ladybug.
Oscoda Solo 13: I really enjoyed the 10 minutes I had to test paddle this boat on Sugar Creek in central IN. It felt a little tender like my Mad River Slipper, but turned much better. Again, I like the original Sawyer tractor seat. I would strongly consider buying one of these, preferably equipped with a foot brace. I suspect that this would be my preferred solo if it was in my livery. I might even sell a boat or two. I hope to have another chance to paddle one soon.
One I’ve yapped about this canoe too much already I guess. But it was a dream boat.
1979 model Sawyer Cruiser 17’9", very fast, super glide, tracked like a train. The golden glass layup was tough and stiff. Even though the initial stability didn’t feel great to some, I had lots of kids, mine and others in it. Lots of fairly unsteady fathers-in-law, brothers-in-laws etc. in it and it never dumped once in the 25 + years I owned it.
Sold it to a fellow with a young son, and told him I’d probably buy it back if he ever wanted to sell. I’d talked myself out of selling it – again – but wanted to buy a solo and this fellow was keen on getting a boat so…
It didn’t turn real easy, but nothing is perfect :-).
BryanM beat me to an Autumn Mist a couple of years ago, but I’m not holding a grudge, Bryan.
Its great that Sawyer is back. More boat choices should be good for everybody.
My first & so far the only Sawyer I own is an Autumn Mist. I don't personally have any problems with it( I'm 6'4" & about 200 lb), but a lot of my friends are apprehensive about paddling it. I think part of what I like about it is very few people own & paddle one. I use it on a nearby lake on a fairly regular basis; early in the morning or late in the afternoon when there is little traffic. The thing I like most about it is the ease with which I can keep it moving at a good pace, and it's tracking ability. The more I paddle it, the better I like it, and the more stable it feels to me. Get lots of positive comments on it's sleek looks. My wife tried it, and said she felt like she was riding a cork; won't get back in it. She is used to paddling a Mohawk Solo 14 or an Odyssey. Quite a difference there! I outweigh her over 50 pounds too. I actually think it might handle better with more of a load.
Would love to test paddle a Summer Song.
BOB
P.S. Very few people in Missouri have ever seen a Summer Song or an Autumn Mist, much less paddled either of them.
Sawyer canoes I have paddled Sawyer Canoes I have paddled
1-Crusier
2-Guide Special
3-Champion I
4-Champion II
5-Champion IV
6-Champion V
7-Super
8-Super II
9-Saber
10-D.Y. Special
11-Sockwave
12-Loon
My 2 favorites were the Saber and the Champion II. Both were Lynn Tuttle designs. The Saber was a very fast 24’ unlimited racer. The Champion II was a USCA racer I used with John Diebold to win My first C-2 Mens National Championship in 1976.
Loon Photos Mick, somewhere recently I saw some photos of the reconstituted Sawyer’s Loon. Mostly photos of the inside seat arrangement. I am not referring to the photos of your recent Assateague trip. Do you happen to know where those photos can be found now on the WWW? I can’t remember where they were posted. Thanks.
Lost Loon Foto. I did several searches for the thread and fotos you asked about. No luck. I suspect that it was on the Paddlers’ Place Discussion Forum which is NOT archived (hate that!). So if it was posted before 11.43 PM 28 Apr 05 (current last post on that board) it is gone forever.
I do believe that Topher was the one that posted that foto. Suggest that you contact him to see if he will look for it.
Was it just the foto you wanted or is there something you want to know that perhaps someone here can answer?
Summersong I’ve only paddled the one Sawyer, but I sure like my Summersong. It had a little bitty seat, though, that was torture for anything over a couple of hours. (It was a slider, but didn’t adjust for height) I replaced it with a Kruger bucket and now it’s comfortable for as long as you want to stay in it.
It’s an easy cruiser, though at 200 lbs I’m probably near the limit of efficiency for it. It’s GoldenGlass and a little heavy, but at 22 years old it feels like it’ll be good for another 22. I should personally be so lucky!
I own… an Autumn Mist and a Summersong. I think they are both nice boats and I really enjoy them. I am a heavier guy, so I primarily paddle the Autumn Mist and it works great for me. The Summersong was actually bought for my son, but I do paddle it now and then, especially if I am not carrying a load of camping gear. We had both of them in the BWCA last summer and are planning on it again this summer.
My son and I have also paddled a Sawyer Cruiser that belongs to a friend. That’s a nice paddlin’ tandem!
I believe the Summersong and Autumn Mist to be too dissimilar to compare in these simplistic terms, Mick :(
The performance of these two boats is too different to say in the same breath. I guess I wouldn't compare a Bell Wildfire with a Merlin II without making a lot of "these two boats are much different in this regard" type of statements.
I realize the old Sawyer ads implied that the Autumn Mist and Summersong are very similar, but the nuances make them very dissimilar in certain respects. Also, the lay-up (Goldenglass v. Kevlar) makes quite a difference within the model group as well (I know - fairly obvious...).
The Autumn Mist is ROCK solid AND a STRAIGHT AHEAD boat when compared with the Summersong. I'd recommend the Summersong to anyone UP TO 220 pounds and 6'0" who IS NOT carrying ANY significant load (i.e.: day trips). This is how I use my Summersong - to a take a 2-hour cruise...
Mick, you know how your Wildfire just "talks" to you when you take it for a paddle, even on flatwater? And (I suppose), you don't get that same feeling from your Merlin II (unless your lighter weight gives it a more enhanced performance than mine does with my weight)?
Well, that's the way I feel about the Summersong. The canoe "talks" to you, telling you EXACTLY where you are at ANY paddling pace. (I'm a kneeler, so you "sitters" may have a somewhat different experience).
Anyway, while not nearly the turner that the Wildfire is, the Summersong is like a beautiful lady (or a summer song). To turn it, just pull the bow up on whichever side you want to turn towards and reach forward on the opposite side with a strong forward stroke. She turns like a dream...
Bell Wildfire - Sawyer Summersong. Moving water - flat water. Love - love...
Cruiser, DY, X-17 I own three Sawyers–Dy Special, X-17, and Cruiser. I like them all, a lot, but would have to say the Cruiser is my favorite. It’s simply the sweetest paddling canoe I’ve been in. Fast, yet soft, if that makes sense to you. It’s plenty stable for fishing. It’s a bit shallow for two big guys and gear for a week, but every canoe has its limitations. I have this in Northcountry Superlight (epoxy, kevlar, S-glass)with gelcoat. It weighs 54lbs.
The X-17 has an abolutely rock solid feel to it, while maintaining excellent efficiency and good maneuverability. I abolutely love this canoe for family trips in the BWCA. Other canoes that inspire confidence in their seaworthiness tend to be dogs–not so the X-17. I’ve trpped with my three kids and gear and the canoe swallows the load. And, it’s efficient enough that I don’t really mind getting nominal help from my bow paddler. My only real complaint is that the bow paddling station is a bit wide, although this is less an issue with the sliding seat. Also, I have this in Goldenglass with wood trim and cane seats–bringing the canoe in a a heavier-than-I’d-like 75lbs.
The DY is a wonderful canoe. Fast as you could ever want, yet I’m comfortable fishing out of it. (Something I could not say about my prior We-no-nah C1W) I love how the razor thin bow just slices through the water. The sliding adjustible seat rocks. On the down side,with its straight asymmetric narrow hull the canoe’s a bit unnerving in following seas. Also, I’d like the gunnels a tad wider to better accommodate packs, but those are minor complaints. 40 lbs in Northcountry Superlight.
I should add that I’ve tripped extensively in We-no-nahs (and Grummans, of course). I’ve also at least test paddled most Bells and have been in a variety of other craft. As a generalization, I think Sawyers tend to fall somewhere between We-no-nah and Bell. They have the sharp entry of the We-no-nahs but the softer, user friendly, feel of the Bells. Just one man’s opinion.
Liked them all, having a standing offer to a friend that I will buy his Cruiser when he is ready to sell. Its been sitting in his barn unused for close to 12 years so the day may be getting close.
Loon Photos Those were exactly the photos I was looking for. Topher, you are “Da Man!” PS UPS just got my copy of “The Ultimate Canoe Challenge” by Kruger and Frentz to me. My weekend reading assignment is set!
Autumn Mist only I owned the Mist that TheBob.com now has. I tripped with it in the BWACW, and used it on local lakes and rivers. I second Bob’s comments exactly. The only problem I ever had was in a quartering sea from behind she’s a bitch to keep from wanting to broach in spite of tracking like a freight train in all other conditions. Discussed this with a very experienced Sawyer driver and his comment was that the whole family of Sawyer/Yost solo’s tended to exhibit the same behavoir. I sold the boat because at 55# I found myself going for the 33# and 42# boats in the inventory and I needed the sotrage. I’m still not sure that selling that rocket was the right thing to do. Glad to hear that Bob is still happy with it.
Come Try One of Mine I know not too many of you Republican paddlers are chewing corn with me down here in Michiana, but, if you ever get down here into southern, southern Michigan (the “pulse” of Michigan), come paddle a few of my canoes/kayaks.
You guys in N. Michigan just twist my tittie when you start talking about paddling the Pine or surfing in Grand Traverse Bay. I’ll be there, soon, God willing, but right now I’m busy detassling corn down here in Michindiana…
