I will definitely give them a look. Thanks!
Collinsville Canoe & Kayak (CT) usually has a good inventory of Swift boats. Bill Swiftâs sister has an interest in the store ⌠at least she did 10 yrs ago and maybe she does still.
If it were me, Iâd take the a road trip there as long as they have a reasonable try before you buy policy. Too much $$$ to drop without a good test paddle, and itâs not that far from NH.
Great! I actually grew up not far from there and plan a trip down to CT next month.
Yes, thatâs my understanding. If you buy the 150 and want the extra width, you can get the conversion kit which replaces the center ribs with wider ones. Itâs the same skin, so the tradeoff for the extra width is lower sides. If you buy the 150T, it comes with the wider ribs, so you donât have to buy the kit. The 150T is $195 cheaper than the 150 + kit, but if you get the 150T then you donât have the option of trying the narrower configuration.
Tracking. Thank you.
If youâre interested in a Prospector, my friendâs widow has a 17â WeNoNah Kevlar Prospector in RI. Unfortunately I didnât weigh it, but it is very light. Appears to be a rare model as WeNoNah doesnât list it, even as discontinued. She also has another WeNoNah, a Jenson 16â single WW1, that isnât listed. Off topic, Iâll be going to Collinsville later this week to fetch a Hobie Mirage part.
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Hello Chris. Iâm in the âsame boatâ as you, with the kids grown and my wife no longer wanting to do much canoe camping. We had an Old Town Penobscot 17 in Royalex for over 20 years and it was a wonderful canoe, and extremely tough. Sadly, we just sold it bc we just werenâtâ getting the use out of it any more. I bought myself an Old Town Discovery 119 Solo which I absolutely love. Its not too heavy, (under 50# if I recall) highly maneuverable and can be paddled with a kayak paddle or single bladed canoe paddle. Very nice seat too. Obviously, its a lot smaller but still holds a lot of stuff. Might be worth trying to get a loaner to try it out, but Iâm guessing you may like it,
I have a nice Pakboat 150T for sale = $1150 plus shipping from 66502
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Pakboats US dealer is in Enfield, New Hampshire â check with them as to when they might be open (small outfit) â they are usually pretty open to providing demos (as long as the nearby lake isnât frozen, i suppose). I have always found them to be very helpful with advise on the boats. You often have to leave a message and wait for them to get back to you, especially since Alv, the founder, retired and ScanSport has taken over distribution of the brand. he is often back in Norway visiting family.
Watch their website for occasional deals on used or demo Pakcanoes (Iâm guessing you have already seen that the canoes are on sale and they are offering free shipping). I was tempted by a demo PakCanoe 150 in great shape with full float bags that they offered last year , but i already have 4 PakBoat kayaks and a folding tandem sit on top as well as a solo canoe, so I passed.
Especially as we get older, folders are a great option due to both the lightness and the ease of storage and transport. And they are rugged â the PakCanoes are used by fishing and hunting guides for trips into the Alaskan bush. I bought one of my first Pakboats from a guide who used their canoes exclusively to take clients into the wilds from the Arctic Circle to Patagonia. Heâd used them on up to Class III rivers with no problems. Alv Elvestad, who founded PakBoat, had been a designer with Ally folding canoes so their products are based on similar designs and materials. Two years ago I helped a local guy sell a 30+ year old 18â Ally folding canoe that he had inherited in an estate. I assembled it to assure all the parts were there, and other than some patched wear areas on the skin, it was in fully functional shape and was only missing the seats, which were still available from Ally to fit that frame.
And itâs great to be able to check your boat(s) as airline baggage for travel, then stash the duffel bag in the trunk of a rental car and store it in a hotel room between outings.
Another option, if you are handy and have the workspace, would be to build one of Cape Falcon Kayaksâ ultra light skin on frame canoes. Follow Cape Falconâs owner, Brian Schulz, on his Facebook page to see his demos of the various models of canoe he has been building, including one that incorporates both a pedal drive and sailing rig. Cape Falcon Kayak
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I second the Cape Falcon canoe. Was about to post about the lightness of skin on frame, and they are tougher than you would think.