For those that may be following along, I’ve since added a contour seat from Ed’s canoes. It seems to have softened the initial stability a bit. Seems like you roll in to the secondary, and makes leaning the boat more controlled. Comfort is better as well. All in all I’d say a worthwhile upgrade.
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that is all that counts. What makes you happy.
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“The boat is too big” I have been paddling tandem canoes solo for many decades. Some as long as 18 feet. You have to trim the boat correctly for the conditions and learn your strokes. There is no reason a small person cannot control a 14 foot canoe with a 32 inch beam.
For a shorter armed woman 32 inches is too wide. I stand by that having fit women in my fleet of various size solos for 25 years in class. When the boat is too wide they struggle with learning. We try to keep the gunwales around 26-28 inches apart.
For a long time I had a teaching fleet of various size solos . and paddles
Nothing more frustrating to a new paddler than not being able to fully immerse the paddle in the water.
I am not talking Canadian Style Solo where anything goes for size. A gimbal in a 20 foot long Old Town Tripper XL really clears them out. Sure large tandems are ideal for that sort of paddling with the hull heeled over. And an ottertail paddle
Make sure that anything that you add as ballast is well secured and positioned. You don’t want it to shift. Adding weight definitely helps with stability. Many Brits think that Americans are crazy for paddling empty kayaks.
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Well, Americans are crazy, but that is for another post. Thanks for the tip on tying it down.
Humans are crazy wherever we are.
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Kim I agree 100% about the width. While my teaching involves tandem canoe for Scouts and grandchildren I am a strong believer in the sliding front seat for the reason of putting the bow paddler at a position that fits their stature. Making the reach to the water shorter and getting the paddle vertical is essential to good form and a small paddler who does not tire from holding a paddle away from the body. Solo paddlers do not get the luxury of sliding their seat to a narrower location. The canoe must fit the paddler for the best form, control , and pleasure. Bill