Sorry about the other post, Celia. I misread your second post and didn’t understand what you were talking about in your original post.
As far as I can see, the boats you guys are talking about are just smallish, light canoes, not that different from what I’m looking at.
But:
1- I’d still have to wait months for it.
2- They cost an arm and a leg.
3- Most are too small to carry five days worth of food, water, camping gear, a toilette, fire pan, etc.
Rival51:
Looked at these websites and found some interesting boats.
Slipstream-didn’t see anything that fit the bill.
A lot of these boats are so light because they are very narrow. Taking an inch or two or three out of the width makes a big difference in weight.
Hornbeck Fifteen Six- I need a boat for multiday river trips in the west. Too light. Yes, too light. I need a tough boat.
Adirondack Tamarack- not much different from what I’m already looking at.
Placid RapidFire- Expensive, too light, Probably too narrow for my taste.
Swift Keewaydin 15- I own a Swift Winisk and had a Swift seakayak, so already looked at Swift. It’s a possibility. No dealer in my area. I’ve had trouble with getting boats shipped to me.
I just reread and am having another brain freeze. OK, give you that these boats (like many) are hard to find right now and some are pricey.
But what could you not fit into a 14 ft pack canoe, even if they get a little narrower, than on/in a SOT?
Also these canoes tend to be fast, handle great and extremely comfortable to paddle because you are seated on the bottom like in a kayak, not with legs folded or alternate like a single blade canoe. These pack canoes can smoke a lot of SOTs in terms of speed. It appears you have never actually encountered one in person.
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These threads seem to jump back and forth, pro and cons with price, availability, features and usage.
Lets start at the beginning getting a boat out of the garage and on to the truck and back off the truck and into the water. Once in the water and loaded with gear for a five day trip over water will you expect to find yourself in a situation where you have to unload your gear and pack it and the boat on foot any great distance over land?
If the only actual lifting and moving of the boat and gear will be loading it on the truck and getting it in at put in, then there are ways DIY and store bought to aid in doing all that. I built a simple rig that gets my 80# canoe on the car and I bought a dolly that rolls it right to the water and I exert very little effort in doing it. It does take a few minutes longer than watching the young kids running with a boat overhead to the water but slow and steady wins the race. My dolly folds and wheels come off and if I’m doing a point A-B paddle I put it in the canoe in case I need it during or at the end plus it saves a trip back to the car at put in.
I would have loved a pack canoe and still would but like you availability and price had me looking at what was around used and I found a used OT 147 that was wide for stability and a tandem that I stripped out and for less than 100 bucks I set up similar to how a solo pack canoe would be. I even added a cheap DIY flotation to each end. In converting it a simple DIY process I actually lessened the weight from around 80# to 70#. Once I get it on the ground and on the dolly I load it up at the car and roll it to the water.
If I had a truck I would get a hitch extender T bar or have one made even and haul my boat in the bed sticking out the back. A trailer is another option that makes the lifting a lot easier.
It sounds like a canoe is what you really want and a short tandem is about the size that you would like only converted to a solo with a center seat with a comfortable seat back type seat. Then paddle as I do with a longer than normal kayak blade. 
I dug out my Yakima rack and plan on putting it on the truck sometime next week, to see if I have everything and it all still works.
I cleared out some of the crap in the garage (I should post a photo, my garage is a sight to behold) so I can probably get to my solo canoe, after moving a couple bikes and an old TV or two. Then I can see if I have the strength to get it on my truck.
I definitely want a smaller canoe than I have, but still big enough for a future trip. I’m very experienced with river trips, so I have a pretty good idea how much room and weight capacity I need.
If I had the space and money, I think two boats are what I need. Maybe a smaller pack boat for day trips and a bigger, stronger boat for the Green, Colorado and whatever other river I want to do.
What is your solo canoe? What kind of truck do you have?
I have one of these:
https://wenonah.com/Canoes.aspx?id=125
And I have a crew cab Silverado 4X4.
Looking for something that’s a little more manageable on and off the water.
But 14’ is too small and 16’ is getting too big.
I’m looking at a canoe that’s 15’ 6". That’s two feet less than my Wenonah.
Ah, a Mad River Independence (if you can find one used).
I guess what had me confused about the whole pack boat thing is I’ve already mentioned two or three times, my intention of buying a North Star, Northwind solo.
This comes in two versions, one of which is a pack canoe just like Celia was suggesting.
NORTHWIND SOLO PACK (northstarcanoes.com)
Now, I intend to buy the version that has a more traditional canoe seat, and I was going to get it in their heaviest, strongest layup, but those are the only differences between what I said I intend to buy and a pack boat.
One of the things I found out with the SOT is I don’t like my feet being at the same level as my butt. So I’m getting a traditional canoe seat and I can lower it if I need to.
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I have a 2015 Eddyline Caribbean 12. I can’t say enough good things about it. I can keep up with sea kayaks on most recreational paddles in Puget Sound. I can fish all day without undo pain. It is stable and tracks really well. I have taken this on lakes, rivers, and in Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca. I have even rounded Point Wilson on a tide change and managed to keep the boat upright in serious chop and heavy current. A longer, narrower sit in would have been a better choice, but I’m still here. I love my Caribbean.
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Find an Eddyline regional sales rep and go to one of their “kayak days” at a marina near you. That’s what I did, and I was sold. It was a lot like test driving a car. They let me try every boat they had, and encouraged me to put each one to the test. No pressure to buy. They also talked to me about what I intended to do with the kayak. Fishing and a day on the lake is far different from a week expedition across open water. The Caribbean is my 4th kayak and first Eddyline. I have spent more hours in it than any other yak I’ve owned.
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I went to something like that, at the local res, years ago. Not sure they are doing it anymore. At least not nearby. I’ll watch for it, but I’ve owned quite a few boats and paddled even more. I’m pretty sure I want another solo canoe. The only problem with them, and why I was trying an SOT, is they get full of water using a kayak paddle. Having to stop and bail every ten minutes is a pain. Not sure there is a cure, but I’m working on it.
Hi Traplive. Came across your post about the Caribbean 12 today. I’m looking to upgrade from my first boat, a sit-in Perception Prodigy 110. Rigid, rotomold hull, WAY big cockpit, one stern bulkhead. Looking for something safer, with a few more bells and whistles, and just a more efficient ride. Today I test paddled a Caribbean 12. Loved the stability, foot pedals (you can actually stretch your calves out if they start to cramp!), cool bungee strap to stash your paddle, and all the storage. Also the fact that it looks like I could easily take my 50lb. Goldendoodle along. But…it kinda felt heavy to paddle. It tracked well, but felt a bit “barge-like”, compared to the Sandpiper (which I also test-drove today). I felt like I couldn’t keep up with husband when he was in the Sandpiper (and I’ve got a more efficient stroke than he has, in general). We switched back and forth throughout the afternoon, which was good for comparison.
So, I’m kind of torn. I love most of the aspects of the Caribbean, and feel like it would likely wind up being a complete home run for me, and that I would come to appreciate all of the boxes it checks, way more than a sit-inside, and in this case, the Sandpiper. But it does feel like it glides a bit slower.
Do you have any thoughts/advice?
I’m from the Pacific Northwest, so paddle in similar areas to you. But mostly I’m a flat lake/slow-moving river kinda gal. Do occasionally putter on a protected bay or coastal water - never open water.
Thanks!!
SOT are typically not fast boats except surf skis. The Caribbean has a wide, flat bottom. More contact less speed. I didn’t like mine but lighter people thought it was fine. Same thing for a Skimmer.
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One thought is to upgrade to the Caribbean 14. 2 feet longer and an inch or so narrower. That should give you multiple benefits of faster, more stable, and room for the dog. I would have opted for the 14 but I needed to limit weight and length for both my back and storage space. Since my primary use of this kayak is fishing, I often find it too fast. I have to force myself to limit paddle strokes when trolling for kokanee. I haven’t had a problem keeping up with friends in sea kayaks, but we’ve usually just been out for a fun paddle and not terribly competitive. If it came to a race, a sea kayak would leave me in it’s wake. I’ve owned the boat for about 5 years now and still feel it was the best choice for my use.
The Caribbean does NOT have flat bottom. Evidently you know not of what you speak.
Thanks, Traplive!
Yeah, storage and weight are the two issues keeping me from the 14. But moving up from a sit-in at 10’, the 12 feels pretty darn roomy. I really appreciate the feedback you’ve shared.
I owned a Carribean and like many SOT, it has a relatively flat hull. For comparison look at the hull on the Stellar S14S.
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