Lake canoe rccomendations?

Merlin
I have a Merlin which is 6 inches longer then the Merlin2. I have had no trouble with it on lake Norman with the waves and wind. I think the plans now go for $60-$90. (US) you have all winter to build it. I personally like the design so much I will probobly build another in the next year or so,once I stop storing the kids household stuff in my garage.

o good another boat that no one
can get their hands on. I have paddled MerlinI. It has personality and speed.



My favorite is over fifteen years old. MerlinII and Peregrine and Magic and whatever cant touch it.



That said I fear dropping it as its getting old.



The perfect combo of predictability in wind, speed and lack of initial stability. Its bottom tends to sweet round. Peregrine is a good boat but no match for my Swift Heron.



Which I strongly suspect never sold because it left prospective buyers upside down leaving the dock. It required a little tutorial (particularly re entry). As sales people could not take the time to do that and needed to be on the floor to move more boats, the customer got wet. Ergo the era of boats for the masses that did not require too much attention for the sales rep.

Again

– Last Updated: Nov-13-08 11:57 PM EST –

The Nomad, Loon and Merlin II are all later, David Yost tumblehomed variations on DY's original 78 solo tripper. The Peregrine is Dave Curtis' slight redo of the Nomad. Blindfolded, skilled paddlers would be unable to notice a performance difference if all three were similarly constructed in solid core.

All share the same designer, same wl length, same width; more bow rocker over time to improve speed and maneuverability, so....

Those discerning significant differences are best be referred to a recent Newsweek article on believe in the supernatural. [A genetic carry over.]

The original Bell Merlin was a Bruce Kunz design, the name stolen from a Galt series designed for Phoenix. It was faster than any of the DY variants, but not nearly as seaworthy nor as maneuverable. It was a one dimensional speeder. Probably every one built was hogged due to mold construction. All in all, it was a pleasure to personally discontinue that bottom in the mid 90s.

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I’m 170#
I weigh 170# and my max tripping load is under 40# actually. I’m thinking more boat in the water helps in the wind which is one of the reasons I want to go with a smallish boat.My Swift Osprey is even worse in a head or head quarting wind. My Impressions of Merlin II vs Perigine match what just what Charlie said.The Perigine is a beautiful boat and I always wanted one,but after a longish paddle in a Perigine I was struck with how like my Merlin II it felt. I am not a strong paddler,and have trouble on and avoid lakes in the wind,but want to be less limited in trip options.Yes I take a dubble paddle.I really like my Flashfire and will difinatly try it in wind.The only trouble is that if It works out I would want to then buy one of Charlie’s beautiful much lighter versions for the carries!(mine is 39#).

Turtle

at your weight
it would be worth your while to try a Kestrel if you can; I was mistaken and assumed you were 225 pounds yourself



a Kestrel is one of the most effortless boats out there in my experience (I have a buddy that I think is selling his Kestrel…in SE Michigan)



if you trip over a Blackhawk Zephyr it might be worth trying too…it’s a hot boat if you fit it


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We wouldn’t bring up the cud
aganin if all the knowledge and heritage tree was in one place.

My Zephyr is SCARY in high wind!

– Last Updated: Nov-14-08 11:02 AM EST –

My Zephyr has the ICS (integrated component system) with the two height sliding seat and with strong side winds, I feel like I'll get blown right over, even with the seat in the lower slot while kneeling. The wind's effect on my body gave me the impression that it was going to roll me right over. It was fine with the seat removed and sitting on a three inch cushion on the floor.

My royalex Bell Wildfire / Yellowstone Solo is less scary in strong winds, but still has it's challenges with strong side winds. It's fun with a strong tail wind, because you can use the paddle as a rudder to steer and the wind moves you along. It can be a little disconcerting when you lose control and go sideways to the strong wind.

The most wind neutral solo canoe I've paddled is the Wenonah Vagabond in royalex. I only paddled it about 15 minutes while comparing boats in the wind. The others I tried that day were a royalex Yellowstone Solo, kevlar Mad River Independence and kevlar Mad River Slipper. The Vagabond was the easiest that day to turn into the wind or away from the wind without much of a lean or to go with or against the wind. The O.P. should give one a try if they can. It's not as sexy as a Kestrel, but is much better for sitting if you should choose to take a break from kneeling.

I test paddled a Kestrel a couple months ago (in S.E MI) in a breeze with a little chop and it did seem to handle the wind and chop a little better than my Wenonah Whisper that I was comparing it to, but it certainly seemed designed more for kneeling than sitting, so I chose not to buy the Kestrel and keep the Whisper because I sit more than kneel and the Whisper felt more "at home" to me, even though I'd only had it for a month at that time. I might have made a different decision if the Kestrel had been equipped with a foot brace, but it wasn't.

I'm 5'6", 155 lbs and usually paddle with no extra load other than spare paddle and water.

The only way to know if any canoe will perform better for the O.P. in strong winds than your Merlin II does, is to try it in the same conditions on the same day.

Of course, my choice for really windy days if I'm looking for the least effort and least concern of capsize is my Sawyer Loon, but it's not a kneeler and weighs 55 lbs, so wouldn't be of interest to the O.P.

The O.P. could always add a rudder or tiller to their Merlin II, but that would add a few lbs to the boat and make things more complicated, but a rudder is great on a canoe in strong winds. My Summersong is much more capable and safe in wind and waves wtih the rudder down than with it up.

The O.P. is 20 lbs heavier than me, so their experience will likely be a little different.

Kestrel
I have good control in winds while kneeling in the Kestrel. I did drop the seat enough to get into a kneeling position but mostly to sit. Installed a footbrace and it’s made all the difference in the world or it’s too tippy while seated in rough water. The canoe is now perfect for open bay and coastal trips. It is one of the few canoes I’ve used that feels great both kneeling and sitting. However, the kneeling position is my favorite for the canoe.



Give it some consideration before buying another canoe. I had a Merlin II and hated it in the wind. Could never really trim that boat right and was hard to control in very windy conditions. Also not as fast as the Kestrel.

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So, I need to find a Kestrel w/ foot
brace to test paddle to see if it would be a good lake cruiser for me. It’s difficult for me to guess how a boat will behave with a foot brace if it’s not equipped with one. For that matter, I’ve only found one Kestrel in the midwest that I could even test paddle.

footbrace

– Last Updated: Nov-14-08 4:09 PM EST –

I doubt anyone has one with a footbrace. It took quite a bit of experimenting with temporary braces to see if it would work or not. I just did not want to drill holes in the boat. Did try to glue but that did not work for me.

You have to get the seat and brace just right and still be able to kneel in rough conditions. I usually bring a cooler and maybe some gear for the day and I weigh 160. Paddles well with extra weight haven't tested it empty in strong winds.

Did you try Plexus?

– Last Updated: Nov-14-08 4:48 PM EST –

http://www.itwplexus.com/home.html

I think this is the correct website..I am sure I will hear from Charlie if it isnt.

Better hear from him anyway as I don't know which product is which.

Seems that you have to get the placement right the first time.

Also I wonder if there is an adustable mechinism for a foot bar that extends across the boat..

But thats a total hijack.

yes, twice!
Poor Charlie tried so hard to help me but I somehow screwed up the plexus install, twice. Finally I took out the drill and went at it. It was sad at first but now I don’t even see those holes anymore :slight_smile:



I went with an aluminum angle and telescoping rod type footbrace. Did not like the yakima style footpegs. I like to center my feet to power off on the stroke.



Now will install a Cookes cover and you know how many holes I have to drill to install that on my boat! Ouch!



Hey, I am selling my kayak and this will be my coastal and inshore boat for the Everglades.

Expand your search

– Last Updated: Nov-15-08 6:01 PM EST –

Yanoer;

The Curtis Vagabond, Swift Loon, Hemlock Kestrel are very similar hulls. The Pb RapidFire is DY's latest design in the 27.5 wide ~ 14.8' compact tripper series.

The Vag was a DY design for smaller paddlers, ~ 82, and the second hull to have shouldered tumblehome. The Swift Loon, designed ~92 is DY's bubble sided variant, drawn to come out of a split rather than a two piece mold.

LD Curtis took a FG Vag, added layout at both stems, decreased the rocker a little and made the Kestrel mold, ~99. David Yost designed the Pb RapidFire in 2005. It varies from the former three by having more bow rocker, more tumblehome, and differential radii at bow and stern to improve tracking and turning.

Interestingly, smaller paddlers, short is more important than weight, can sit Wenonah-high with a bent in any of the above, but have better balance kneeling with knees in the chines; straight paddle of course. More successful paddlers with significantly longer belts are quite comfortable sitting low - pack canoe style, where that double blade stick works best.

Larger paddlers who want to kneel or sit at medium height should try the Curtis Nomad, Loon Heron, Hemlock Peregrine or Bell Merlin II, and similar DY designs for bigger guys. All are 28.5-29" wide and ~ 15 ' long.

Swift has two wider trippers, Osprey at 30" by 15' and Shearwater, 30" by 16 plus, both with differential rocker and Wenonah's Wilderness comes in at 20' by 15 feet; without bow rocker for the same reason the seat is misplaced.

Raystown indicates the need for a 31"- 31.5" wide by 15 foot hull.

[I'm leaving the river trippers/FreeStyle hulls out of this due to significantly lower Length/width ratios.]

To fake a footbrace in Kestrel/Vag, get a 2' section of 1" dowel and two 30" sections or rope. Swing the dowel from the front thwart, adjusting for length to fit your legs.

Re Plexus install of kayak footpegs. We have an installation tech sheet I'll share with anyone. Get the 1 oz Plexus MA 300 applicator from Jamestown.

The key is surface prep. Sand the plastic track, clean with acetone. Clean older hulls with acetone and a toothbrush to get a decade's dirt out of the fabric. Plexus won't stick to dirt.

Sorry this didn't post where intended.

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I thought of that
but being a klutz I could probably hang myself on a ADK portage mounting the boat.



The price is right however.



Anyway which Plexus?