Does anyone have any experience with this discontinued canoe? I saw a used one for sale with a center seat. I'm looking for a secondary canoe to my Nova Craft Prospector 16. I want one that is good for solo use - fishing rivers for smallies, but that can be used tandem once in a while. The Nova Craft is the main tandem boat.
maybe a 15?
I've had a Reflection 15 for 13 years now, with the center seat. Kind of a pig with the flat bottom, but funny thing is, I've been leaving my Encore, Flashback, Dumoine and Pyrana home lately and darn near living in my Reflection. Tough tough royalex, comfortable on my old knees being able to sit, I took a thwart out and it's a tolerable poler as well. It's becoming my favorite all around boat for up to cl. 2 rivers.
The pix I posted this week were all taken from the Reflection. Might even name this one...old girl, maybe?
Over the 13 years, this boat started as a lake tandem for me and my son, then 5. We then started running cl.2 rivers in it. It later became our "yacht canoe" as it fit on the deck of my sailboat, which allowed us to fish for stripers and blues at Block Island, Watch Hill, and other locales when cnditions didn't neccesitate the RIB (outboard powered rigid inflatable). We took her surfing in modest conditions as well.
Definitely 14.5
Thanks for the reply. It’s def a reflection 14.5, which I think is wider and shorter than the 15.
I looked up older Daggers
and found a 14. Looks a bit finer in the ends and perhaps squatter in the middle. I’ll say one thing, probably the toughest royalex I’ve seen, along with the Encores. Looked decent for your purposes.
If it is wider and shorter than the 14,
I’d be concerned that it is too wide to make a good solo. The 15 is OK if the paddler is right up toward the middle and can reach forward, ahead of the widest point.
That other company, Mad River, has their “Explorer” series, in Royalex and with corresponding “Triple Tough” models. The ~16 foot Explorer is really a tandem. Their 14’ 6" Explorer is a portly pig. Their 15’ Explorer is a nice width and a decent large solo or pocket tandem. Their real general purpose solo is the Guide/Freedom Solo, 14’ 6" and only about 30 inches wide. Guide Solos come up on the used market, usually in Royalex, sometimes in Kevlar.
Don’t tackle a wide boat for solo. You will always feel like a school bus driver. Shop until you have a properly narrow boat. Even the Dagger Reflection 15 is a bit wide for solo use, though it is not a piggy hull.
cripesakes G
I was in mine 25 miles this weekend.Paddled some, mostly poled. Not too wide at all, crosstrokes are easy yes, piggy compared to more rounded bottoms on my other boats , and to top it off, I'm doing better ruddering in the cl. 2. Leaning forward is a lot wetter and not as productive. I actually surfed the hole I took the pix of everybody else at, but leaned so far back I was looking at the sky to keep from pearling. Couple other spots like that as well, had a ball, feet and elbows on the gunwales, laying back, ruddering as needed.
Also, the boat is going to be used for fishing, not slalom. Fat is beautiful in that instance.