Anybody ever paddle a Langford Muskoka or Navarro Pursuit. Looking for a tandem that solos well. I can trim with a cooler full of ice and my tackle and won’t be camping or tripping much. A long paddle will be about 3 miles, but it will be in a bay where wind and chop can pick up without much warning.
Tandem that solos well? The empty set.
The Langford is asymmetrical
See the kneeling thwart? That’s how you solo it. Kneeling behind the yoke.
You cannot turn it around and paddle backward on the bow seat. If you sit on the stern seat you will have to have your cooler all the way forward. You won’t be able to reach it.
Langford is a rebranded Quessy. Langford has awful customer no service.
Don’t know much about the Navarro but a 17 foot canoe is hard to solo in wind due to lots of skin… and skin friction. If you are in great shape with lots of horsepower, it might be worth considering.
When the wind comes up you are far better in the center of a dedicated solo boat.
Brand suggestions?
This will be my first canoe. Any advice on a brand. I’ve been looking at swift, wenonah, and langford. Message received about langford though.
Thanks for the advise. I’m going to have to test solo a few boats and I don’t mind kneeling for the short distances I’ll be paddling in open water. I’ll transport it on my boat for the longer solo hauls.
If you plan on soloing from the
bow seat backwards, look at symmetrical boats.
Try Swifts Keewaydin 16… There are others but I don’t know what you can lay your hands on. There are many boats that would do for you… small symmetrical trippers.
I’d avoid Prospectors on big windy bays. They are deep boats with high stems designed to negotiate rivers with heavy loads.
Yes you have to try out some… But don’t worry about the perfect boat. There is no perfect house either!