Recently paddled an SRT. Really great boat. Maneuverable, dry in rapids, and fast on the flats…quite fast actually. I think this would make a great down river tripper.
Would like to buy a used one, but they don’t seem to pop up used very often (probably because people generally hold on to them).
Anyone seen a used one for sale?
thanks
Matt
used SRT
Yep, there was one on the Hemlock web site, it didn’t last long…SOLD!, The Hemlock site is a good one to watch, the used section on the web…jesse
There might (or not) be one
– Last Updated: May-22-11 6:25 PM EST –
pop up at the Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous. I will be there and can check if one floats by. (I have no interest in snagging one as I will be getting a Colden DragonFly there). SRT is too big for me, so you are safe.
Dave Curtis will be there too and I can ask him in person. He often knows ahead of time of boats "coming home" for refurb and resale long before he puts them on the website.
Dave Curtis
You might check with Dave Curtis or maybe Harold Deal.
Sometimes one or the other will know about a boat that isn’t being used much and might be prised from the owner’s hands.
Tried one at Raystown las’ year…
Nice boat indeed. Ah’s want one too iffin’ ah’ had room an’ not a $10,000 bill ta pay fer new vinyl sidin’ fer me lodge.
Good luck, Maj. Matt
FE
That’s what it is
"I think this would make a great down river tripper."
Well, of course, that’s exactly what the SRT was intended and designed to be: a Solo River Tripper, which can also fly across the big flats that intersperse Canadian wilderness trips.
One distinction about the SRT, which was meaningful to me when I decided to buy it, are the unique qualifications of the designer, Harold Deal. The vast majority of modern solo canoes have been designed by guys who seem to have primarily FW cruising or FW racing backgrounds. Deal is a lifetime WW expert and racing champion, an actual wilderness river tripping veteran and, by the way, a key influence the modern technical FW paddling movement sometimes called Freestyle.
The SRT is a special combo craft, IMO, because of the unique blend of the personal combo talents and experiences of the designer. Very few of the popular modern solo canoes are capable crafts in real WW, especially with a load – and of the very few that are, almost all of them are pigs on the flats.
No boat is perfect and the SRT has its quirks, but I continue to believe it is the best current solo boat for combined WW river and FW lake tripping. As Dave Curtis has put it, the Dragonfly was spec’ed by Deal to be a WW racing canoe that could also be put to effective use as a combo tripper, while the SRT was designed by Deal to be a combo tripper that can also be put to effective use as a WW cruiser and racer.
As pblanc has suggested, Harold sometimes knows of SRT’s that might be available, and he is very approachable and helpful
Tripping. Tripping through WW with
a load and with acceptable WW maneuverability and ability to get in and out of reasonable eddies.
But it appears to be rather tubular and modestly rockered for more severe maneuvering and playing. Harold can probably make it do almost anything. I’ll yield on the lake crossings and use my old MR Guide instead. Turns easy, ferries like a Concorde.
The SRT may have the best balance between cruising speed and WW handling of any tripper. I hope buyers don’t misunderstand its purpose the way they did with the Wenonah Rendezvous. They’re not fast whitewater boats, they’re trippers designed to handle some whitewater.
SRT
I bought a used SRT last year and really like its performance. And no, I can’t flat spin and dart from eddy to eddy, but I can load it up for tripping in light whitewater and cover the flat water inbetween the drops in a hurry if I want to. The more seat time I get, the more capabilities I discover. I looked for about a year before I found a used one.
g2d…I solo my MR Synergy for tripping in bigger whitewater.
That’s what I mean. SRT will handle
many of the rapids one would encounter when tripping on rivers. Most rapids on a “tripping” river will be class 1 and 2 and a 3 now and then. The SRT will be excellent for that, when one also must cross a lot of flatwater.
If I’d owned an SRT when I did the San Juan, I might have chosen it over my MR Synergy. Though the San Juan has such a high average current speed that covering ground in a ww boat isn’t hard.
As for flat spins, the Synergy spins OK, but it won’t flat spin to save its life.
srt for sale
you want a SRT still? I’ve got one used for sale. july 30,1016
set for sale
– Last Updated: Oct-04-16 8:11 AM EST –
I'm looking for a used Hemlock SRT. Is yours still up for sale?