In case someone else needs the answer, the Wenonah Voyager is another option.
With a light load, it can be a bear in the wind. It is determined to go into it and will fight you for that position.
A cover reduces that tendency.
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Actually 250 pounds is a light load for even a solo canoe. I like the bigger longer boats for speed. The narrower beam of solos takes some getting used to. A small tandem boat would work fine. Then you have more capacity for overnight trips.
I agree I paddle my 14’7” tandem as a solo 100% of the time. It has a rated capacity of something like 900#. So with some gear and me, I’m still way under 30% of the max loading. I get thru a lot of shallow spots on our river where all the kayaks are grounding out. I removed the two seats and placed one just behind center and that for the most part solved the lightly loaded and getting blown around by any wind. The problem with the conversion is the width of the tandem at that seat location. The pack canoe solos are similar but have a tumblehome hull and paddle better with a single blade. In my case I selected a 260cm double blade and that also solved the problem nicely.
Sitting close to the center my canoe became a very stable platform for fishing etc. Sitting in the bow seat backwards works but additional weight needs to be added to the other end and then the result is not as stable as a center seat.
Hi Bud,
I have been paddling an OT Canadienne solo. It is a rocket but only has a 32 inch beam.
After soloing tandem canoes for 50 years it feels very tender.
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Yes mine is a bit of a barge at I believe 38”. Three inches on a side doesn’t seem like a lot but with a shorter double blade it is tough going. Adding about a foot of length to the paddle six inches per side solved the problem nicely but it is like jumping to the next taller ring on a triple crank road bike. So far I haven’t trimmed the blades so suit lesser area in the water but have thought about it. Instead I slowed my paddle cadence kind of like mashing again in bike terms.
I’m still learning and experimenting so at some point I will trim the blades to see what I can learn.
I enjoy keeping a dead thread going as much as the next guy, so for my contribution:
Dagger Sojourn. Picked one up earlier this year and have been enjoying it. Needed something that accommodated my dog better than my 12’ kayak and was faster than the 10’ Old Town Vapor loaner boat that had enough room for her to sit in front of me. It’s a fun boat. Definitely fast when using a featherlight carbon kayak paddle, and at ~200lbs combined the dog and I don’t seem to be eating up much of it’s capacity. Little rocker at all so it tracks well, but is still maneuverable enough for any of the places I’d be likely to take it. I’m looking forwards to doing a multi-day trip with it next year.
Unfortunately out of production, but worth picking up if you have a chance at one.