Old Town still has the Old Town Loon 111 on their website but it seems most retailers (all so far?) have the Voyager listed instead. Are they phasing out the 111 and replacing with the Voyager?
Because from the website it seems they are the same (cockpit size, width etc.)
except for
111 - 1) 275 weight capacity, 2) 589.00, 3) different material than regular poly?
Voyager - 1) 329 capacity, 2) 499.00, 3) regular poly
So can both boats actually be the same 45 lbs?
My concerns are
Weight
and
I’ve sat in a 111 and I liked that it sat sort of shallow - i.e. I can get in and out easier
so if the Loon 111 is available that seems safest regardless of paying a little more. If I can no longer find a 111, I’d like to know if the voyager seat placement were different or if there are any other differences.
I may call Old Town but thought I’d ask here too.
Thanks
Same boat…almost
The Loon 111 and the Voyager are the same boat aside from a few differences. The Voyager is a single-layer poly construction vs. the Loon’s polylink 3 (2 layers of plastic, with a foam core). Also, the Voyager does not have the sliding padded seat that the Loon 111 has. Old Town has been fading the Loon 111 out for the past couple of years, it was not cataloged last year, but was available to purchase. This year it is not available at all. Take the listed weight with a grain of salt, manufactures usually fudge these numbers a little bit, but 45lbs does sound about right for the Voyager.
The Voyager will give the same feel in the water as the Loon 111 and like you said the dimensions are identical. Many people have enjoyed the Loon 111/Voyager over the years, but I would recommend trying the Dirigo 120 for a better paddling boat with a much nicer seat and in the same general weight class.
PolyLink 3
If you can find any of the kayaks mentioned in PolyLink 3, DEFINITELY choose that over the single layer or variable layer poly!
Possible difference
We have two Loon 111’s and they are well liked.
One possible difference, other than material, between the two is that the 111’s have the seats attached to sliding rails on each side. This allows for an easy fit and use for persons over 6’.
There are persons that do a yearly paddle with my son and his wife who can only fit in the cockpit of the 111 due to the ability to move the seat backwards to accommodate their height.
We don’t even talk about selling them. That’s taboo around our home.
Hope this info is helpful.
Old Town Loon/Voyager
As the earlier posts stated, the big difference between the two is the material. Polylink3 evidently was too expensive to manufacture, so the Voyager was created, using the same dimensions as the Loon, except it is made of a single layer poly, same as the Cayuga series. This is not bad, just not as great as Polylink3. Polylink3 was/is unsinkable, incredibly durable and a couple pounds heavier. Both boats are a good value for a recreational kayak. The Loon has the sliding seat, a nice touch. I found a Poly3 Loon on Craig’s List for $400 and scooped it up. I’ll use it a lot and figure it’ll still be floating 20 years from now.