I’ve heard positive comments on it and have heard that in some conditions might be squirrely and stern might skid out in stronger leans. Is it a blend-compromise of an Anas Acuta and Pintail? Experiences and or opinions?
Ellesmere
Great boat. It does tend to slide sideways in beam winds. I’ve heard of the stern skidding out, but have not experienced it myself.
It is much faster and tracks much better than either an Anas or Pintail. As a result it is not as playful as either.
The Ellesmere is a touring boat. The Pintail is not and the Anas is only sometimes considered one.
Definitely paddle on.
Even though I have been critical of the Ellesmere on this board my comments have had nothing to do with how it handles. It is actually a very nice boat to paddle. In following seas it is a dream. It is among the easier touring boats to roll. It is somewhat limited in carrying capacity because of the low decks and space taken up by the skeg. But with careful packing and discretion about what you bring you can do quite well for a week of camping and paddling. Like all boats you will need to improve the outfitting. But by all means give it a try.
as said above
the only thing i can really add is that boreal’s construction is top notch, very good company, very good boat.
Be careful of the skeg
– Last Updated: Dec-07-05 1:18 PM EST –
I watched several guys test paddle an elsemere one day. The Skeg was constantly stuck in the Down Position.
I saw this in June of 2004.
The shop owner had to many times wade into the water and push the skeg up so the guy could continue the test paddle. The guys got disgusted with the skeg, and tried other boats.
Be careful of the skeg. other than that, I never tried one, so sorry I can't help.
New skeg or old one?
They have re-designed it.
Many have rope skeg
The Ellesmeres I’ve paddled all had rope skegs. The owners had not had problems with them.
I have not tried one with the new dial skeg.
ellesmere
i’ve had an ellesmere for about 3 years and really like. it is limited in its capacity for storage but i have no problems with packing for a week. the stern does wag some due to the abbreviated keel. that said i rarely use the skeg and love paddling this boat in rough water. the goal of the designers seems to be to create kind of an updated greenland design with a reverse chine. responds really well to edging and feels solid. the layup is a bit light, i have kevlar version and have hit concrete pilings along the edge with little damage except to the gel coat.
Ellesmere -Tempest pro 170
Yes different. So how do they differ (manuverability, initial-secondary stability, rough water conditions, speed etc.) and how do they overlap (outside of filling the “touring” classification)?
Ellesmere skeg
From another message: “I watched several guys test paddle an elsemere one day. The Skeg was constantly stuck in the Down Position…I saw this in June of 2004.”
The Ellesmere’s skeg was redesigned for 2005. I tested a boat with the old skeg and loved the boat, but hated the old skeg. After trying numerous other boats, I kept returning to the Ellesmere. In July 2005, I purchased an Ellesmere with the newly re-designed skeg. I love it! The re-design works beautifully. I have not had any problems with it.
Also, in response to the posts that have commented on being blown sideways, I have not had this problem when I let the skeg down just a tad (maybe 1/4 the way down or less).
Mar