You sit with knees bent not straight
In front of you.
Joe Moore would adjust seat as several seat combos are available. Low medium high
The footpegs are adjustable
Joe also would move the forward thwart. This is after all a semi custom boat. Not an off the shelf mass produced boat
I got my RapidFire outfitted as to what I want
Now if you have a non bendy knee you can rest that straight
I’m up for knee replacement in Oct but paddled my RF five miles today
Thanks
I probably shouldn’t tell you my knee replacement story then. After a ton of rehab and a revision of the replacement, I was about 80% happy with the results. Then I had an unfortunate accident that shattered my femur just above the knee prothesis. A three hour surgery, bone grafting, and a 12 inch titanium plate have left me significantly worse than I was before the knee replacement. Oh well… thank goodness I’m a water person and not a backpacker. I still can raft & paddle, so I’m happy. It just takes a little more thought & preparation to make it easier.
Thwart
I’m just a tad shorter than you, and the thwart position is not a problem at all. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I bought my SpitFire (thwart position is similar to the Rapid), because I can lift the boat over my head and onto my car, just by grabbing the thwarts.
Getting out is no problem, just use your arms to push yourself up, get your feet under you, and step out. My balance isn’t the greatest because of a stroke, but I haven’t tipped it yet using this method.
Placid boats are light but bombproof. I’ve put mine through a lot here in Rocksylvania, with no worries. For where I paddle, I don’t think I’d feel quite as comfortable with an ultralight pack canoe that doesn’t have a protective gel coat bottom.
And you are still going!
I do miss walking in the White Mountains.
I’m hoping for no more accidents my knee has had no cartilage for 45 years but lately it’s not straightening and one leg is shorter than the other
Plus it hurts all the time!
I agree getting on the water is a real godsend
Depth of Slipstream
Yes, my Wee Lassie is the standard 10.5" depth, but they can make one 13.5" if you choose. The length is 10’6" and beam is 27". Capacity 230 lbs. My gunnels are ash. My boat is fiberglass, but I’m not sure if
Slipstream is offering fiberglass anymore - the last brochure only listed Kevlar,(14 lbs);hybrid(11 lbs)and carbon (9 lbs. or less) The brochure said that there was no charge for custom depths. Slipstream always attends the local solo canoe get-together here in Pa. during the first weekend in June. I was lucky to pick up a demo and it’s become my favorite canoe.
more details
I’m 6’4" and 300#. I can’t say much about it’s stability on the water or paddling stroke. Just getting into it I could see that it would never work for me, so I didn’t go any further to take it out for a spin.
For me, I had more trouble entering and exiting the Rapidfire than, say a Wenonah Vagabond or Prism. The higher seat position in the Wenonahs and greater interior space better suits my relative inflexibility. I need a little more height off the floor to get my legs under me for leverage up and down/in and out of a boat.
But obviously our measurements are vastly different, and different boats fit different people, well …differently.
I can give you a good example of that in action. I picked up a Wenonah Advantage (16.5 ft., narrow, fast, straight tracking) because I had never tried one before and it was pretty inexpensive. I got in this thing and hated every second of the time I had it out. Felt like I was going in the drink at any moment. Like I was riding a unicycle on a tightrope. One of the worst rides in a canoe that I’ve tried. My wife, who is less than half my size and a foot shorter than me, is a novice paddler at best. Thinks every canoe she’s ever been in besides an Old Town Camper is tippy. Had pretty much sworn off canoeing with me in favor of stand up paddle boarding. Somehow I convince her to try out the Advantage before I sell it. She may not like canoeing, but she’s pretty game to give most things like this a try, and I didn’t go into detail on how uncomfortable I was in it. She gets in this boat I hate and absolutely LOVES it. Totally stable for her. It’s a little tippy, but not uncomfortably so for her. Ended up spending hours in it and had a great time zipping past me in her speedy little canoe.
I had only hoped it wouldn’t feel as bad to her as it did to me, but I couldn’t have imagined that it would have been a perfect fit. That’s made me a firm believer in the importance of test paddles over reviews and measurements.
Vagabond
– Last Updated: Aug-31-16 7:53 AM EST –
I'm going to test drive my friend's Vagabond again next month. I'll get a better chance to do it properly this time. More relaxed environment with less other stuff going on so I can really figure out how it feels. This should give me a rough guess on getting in & out of a pack canoe and the basics of paddling one.
Right now I'm leaning towards either a Placid Spitfire 13, Rapidfire, or a Slipstream Impulse 13. The Slipstream is much more within my budget. I'm not sure I can afford a Placid. The used Rapidfire in Portland is within my budget, but I can't get out of town until mid to late October for a road trip even if I had the money.
Both the Spitfire and the Impulse are 13 footers that have an optimal capacity around 300 pounds. That would work for me, even on a 5-7 day trip. A 13 footer would fit more easily in my garage than a 15 foot Rapidfire. there is also the Swift Pack 13.6 that's a little longer, priced similar to the Placid, but a little heavier at 30 pounds. The Slipstream & Impulse are under 25 pounds.
Lots to think about. My other huge decision is whether to continue with whitewater rafting. It's been a major part of my life for the past 20 years. The ability to plan trips with friends has been increasingly difficult this past year and my passion for it has decreased as I get older. Not the adrenaline junkie I once was. Touring with my SOT kayak has really filled a void for me this summer. It's relaxing and so much easier & less labor intensive. I have $$$$ invested in rafting gear that has sat idle for over a year, but selling my raft and leaving my rafting circle of friends would be a major life change.
have fun
Don’t forget to come back and let us know how it goes and what canoe you finally go with. It’s always nice to know how these things turn out.
Kevlar or Hybrid?
I’m getting close to pulling the trigger on a Slipstream Watercraft Impulse 13. I have had several email chats with Stan the Slipstream owner and he’s been great to answer my questions. Now I just have to convince myself to take the leap and call him to iron out the details. Shipping will cost me $295 and they have a 2-3 week lead time on delivery. I have a 4 night/5day trip coming up on Oct. 7th and the canoe should make it to me for that trip.
Decisions - Kevlar or Kevlar/Carbon hybrid? The Kevlar boat would weigh 23 pounds & the hybrid 18 pounds. Stan says the kevlar has better tensile strength and the carbon has better compression strength and the hybrid is the best of both worlds.The Hybrid costs $150 more. Either boat will cost around $2000 give or take shipped.
Any thoughts?
Hybrid
Your guy is correct. That’s the nature of the materials
Cost vs weight
A reduction of 5 pounds for only $150 is a steal, definitely worth it. You will NOT be carrying those 5 pounds around for years and will be happy the whole time.
Compare that to say, QCC, where the difference between kevlar and kevlar/carbon in a Q10x is $300, with a reduction of only 2 pounds.
Up keep
Any big differences in up keep on the two? Stan said no. He said they both are about equal for maintenance and both equal in how they hold up to shallow rocky waters.
No
My RapidFire is 10 years old now. I have never maintained it. A scratch happens… not a big deal
Good to know
There is an option to add extra material (scratch layer) to the ends and under the seat area for abrasion resistance. That would add 1.5 pounds. Another option involves flotation. Slipstream does not build their canoes with built in flotation so that people can use flotation bags as they like. It is an option to get the built in flotation however. $50 extra and adds 2.5 pounds.
In all probability
the boat will sink if capsized and filled with water. Happened to me once. Get the flotation.
???
If Slipstream could get a canoe made & shipped to me before an early October trip, I might go that direction. However, when discussing pack canoes on another forum, a person posted this…“I asked about Slipstream. The report I got was nice folks but all their hulls are hogged.”
So I Googled what a “hogged” canoe hull meant and it doesn’t sound good. Also doesn’t sound like something that a decent canoe company would intentionally design. So I’m taking the comment with a grain of salt. But it still worries me.
you read one thread from over a
– Last Updated: Sep-05-16 10:28 AM EST –
year ago and now are in a knot?
I wrote one of those observations.
At Solo Canoe Rendezvous most of the posters on that thread paddled the craft and noticed a slight hog when it was on the trailer. Note that none said it paddled like a hog.
One boat. They are all handlaid up and minor hull blems does happen from time to time even with other makers.Weather and humiditiy does play a role in how a boat comes out "THEY" are a couple of folks. Its a small company
No two craft come out of the same mold exactly alike even those factories of one man that use vacuum infusion. Its not like a car mass production line.
You also have to give them credit for improvement in the process over the last two years. They were standing right there when we talked about the hulls. They aren't dumb or out to fleece anyone
Go give them a call and state your concerns. You are a person and they are people. No reason you can't talk to each other.
Recent observation
– Last Updated: Sep-05-16 11:07 AM EST –
The comment I quoted was not from paddling.net. It was from another outdoor forum I belong to and the comment was from yesterday. The person who made the observation lives in upstate New York and is a long time canoe paddler.
Since I have no way to demo these canoes, getting a wide range of observations & advice is helpful, but can be confusing. Is a canoe that fits my budget a better choice than saving my pennies and getting a more expensive canoe???
My rush to choose the Slipstream was based partly on budget, and partly on the itch to get the canoe before my October trip. I got some input today from a US dealer who carries both Slipstream & Swift. Their comment was that the Swift was a more solid feeling boat. They said nothing bad about the Slipstream.
Drat!
I found out over the weekend that a friend was going to Portland for Thanksgiving. I decided to contact the kayak shop with the Rapidfire on consignment and make an offer to buy it. I emailed yesterday and called them today. It sold on Tuesday… Argghhhhhh!
Oh well. I guess I’ll start saving up and keep my eyes open for another good deal. I think that the Rapidfire is the canoe that will meet my needs for size, capacity, speed, and safety in bigger water.
Pack Canoes
The issue with, chat rooms emphasis on “I like mine so you will too” is that perspective is lost. Here’s an overview of the genre.
Pack Canoes: a Historical Overview cc cew 2014, 2016
Low seated, double blade solo canoeing was popularized by Scotland’s John MacGregor during the US Civil War through his “Rob Roy”, a semi-decked touring canoe, but Hunter Canoes had originated in the Adirondacks in the 1850s, the paddler sitting on a slats in the bottom and also using double blade paddles. They were similar to modern recreational kayaks but are open topped canoes for easy paddler entry and exit. Single blade paddles were used when alders interfered with the long/wide footprint of double paddles.
G.W. Sears, who wrote outdoor articles as “Nessmuk”, commissioned a series of plank on frame canoes from Rushton in the 1880s. Between 9 and 10.5 ft in length and between 11 and 23 pounds in weight, they were all Sears, 110 lbs and tubercular, could carry or “pack” on a series of Adirondack paddling trips.
The rebirth of Sears/Rushton’s pack canoes started with Bart Hauthaway, an Olympic Slalom Kayaker. He molded several small, double blade canoes with low seats, sometimes with decks and oversized cockpits presaging the modern Rec. Kayak and retaining the cheeked stems from Rushton. Old Town Canoe molded one in fiberglass as a ~1965 “Pack Canoe”, later forming the Pack in ABS and Rotomolded plastic; with high solo canoe seats.
Peter Hornbeck started molding pack canoes in the 80’s starting with a higher sided, 9’ X 26”“Lost Pond” variant of the original Rushton “Sairy Gamp”. He followed with a significantly longer, wider and deeper version of the Rushton boats, 10’6” X 30” to fit modern sized humans. Over time Peter developed larger models and molded in progressively more sophisticated Kevlar and Carbon, and currently offers a carbon hull with integral carbon rails at 11 lbs with minimal outfitting. Newer, “New Trick” Hornbeck boats have dropped their cheeked stem but continue the original concept: minimal size and outfitting to reduce weight and improve portability at some cost in ruggedness, seaworthiness and paddler comfort and control. Peter attracted attention and competition.
Joel Flather of Compass Canoe copied original Ruston sizes before selling his molds to Heritage in ~2005. Dave Curtis molded his 10’6” X 27” Nessmuk from a Hauthaway hull before stripped his own 11’10” X28” Nessmuk XL, both hulls with traditional flared, cheeked hulls, minimal outfitting and foam pad seating.
Dagger’s Steve Scarborough designed the Royalex Tupelo, with bottom mounted cane seat and back rest ~1991 just as David Yost nudged Bell Canoe into producing “BuckTail”. Both fit modern paddlers, and while retaining the flared sides of Rushton’s originals, modern entry and exit lines increased speed and stability. Bell’s outfitting retained a low foam seat but added an adjustable backband and footpegs, improving paddler comfort and control. Bell wet bagged Bucktail with a foam core as a rugged, river-running, tripper at ~28 lbs.
After the turn of the century Grasse River and Savage also both developed small pack canoes named Wee Lassie. GRE also came out with two sophisticated design based on modern marathon canoes. Both companies offered minimal outfitting but optioned footpegs in cored and bagged or infused construction.
Placid boatworks changed the genre in 2004, their Yost designed SpitFire incorporating tumblehome to improve the paddler’s station in a modern Swede-form hull with differential rocker. Outfitting includes high shaped molded seating, footpegs and adjustable backband to maximize paddler performance and comfort. Infusion molded carbon/ Kevlar laminates with integral foam rails and thwarts result in very rugged, lightweight, boats. All feature two tone gel, with off hite wterline patches to hide scratches. Placid pioneered longer tripping- oriented hulls with more capacity and speed. Construction, outfitting and two tone trade dress places Placid’s boats in the premium catagory.
Vermont Canoe commissioned Robbie Frenette to design their “Tupper” in 2005. Tupper was offered in all Kevlar construction bottom mounted cane seat, footpegs, and backband. WeNoNah entered the pack canoe market ~2006 with the 12’6“ X 27.5“ Wee Lassie and,13’ X 31” Fusion; wet bagged with sliding seats, footpegs and backrests in Kevlar with flared sides and minimal rocker; they are reasonably rugged and priced.
Swift has built pack canoes since 2010 with flared 12’4” and 13’8” models both 27.5” wide are now joined by a 14 ft tumblehomed Yost design with a 13 footer in development. All are Swede Form with differential rocker and are light and rugged, with infused and cored laminates and integral foam cored rails and composite thwarts and grab handles. Outfitting includes footpegs and a comfortably padded seat with adjustable backrest. These premium hulls feature stunning trade dress including two-tone gel.
Mad River offered the Serenade pack canoe for in 2012 at 13’ X 28.3” with tumblehomed sides and the expected V bottom. in Fiberglass at 32-36 lbs plus seat and attractively priced, it was heavy until built in cored Kevlar for 2015. There are three new pack canoe builders. Slipstream focuses on hulls reminiscent of Rushton shapes in price pointed glass, Kevlar and ultralight carbon. The Adirondack Canoe Company makes minimally outfitted Kevlar pack canoes with modern, cheekless hull designs. NorthStar has remolded the Bell Wee Lassie as the Adirondack 12 and Old Town’s Bob McDonough designed Next arrived fall 2014. 13’ with a tumble homed hull, footpegs, and adjustable seat in OT’s very heavy but price pointed triple-dump poly construction.
The pack canoe market supports two design schools in late 2015. Minimalist concept reduces weigh to improve portability via short length, light construction and minimal outfitting. The Tripping concept improves on water performance with comfortable outfitting in more rugged hulls. The variety of hulls satisfies a broad array of individual preferences.