I was looking at their website and I’m really intrigued by the Compass 12.5 and the Ultimate Tegris 12. Both lightweight pack type canoes. I particularly like the Compass. Has anyone here paddled one of these? I cannot find a review on either of these boats.
hi
hi…
there new model…compass last year and tigris just came out…
so not mutch people got to try them yet i gues.
and look at the tigris price…wow.seems expensive for what you get…but mabe its just me.
will try to find some info for you.
joco
I like the looks of the Compass
But, there are other pack style canoes I’d look at before buying the Compass. As I understand it, the Compass was originally built by a company bought out by Native Watercraft’s parent company. Don’t believe the design is original to NW.
hi yak-canfish…
you say…
there are other pack style canoes I’d look at before buying the Compass
whitch ones…???
and for the natives i do no its liquid logic that build there manta ray before native naught them dont no whitch one build the canoes they have …do you no whitch comanys did them…?
joco
I Paddled One
I demo’d a Compass and was quite impressed. First of all the yak is so light that you feel as if you are sitting on a small piece of balsa wood. I also discovered that Native has surpassed Wildy’s Phase III for the most comfortable seat. The boat paddled easy and was quite responsive.
My dealer enjoyed the Compass so much that he personally bought one for own fleet.
IMHO - You can buy cheaper but you will not find anything else to match the light weight and versatility of the Compass.
Damnit. I already liked the looks of it.
That was the last review I needed to hear. ;~p
Try these links
– Last Updated: Mar-08-08 1:27 AM EST –
http://www.hornbeckboats.com/
http://placidboats.com/index1.html
http://www.swiftcanoe.com/canoe/solo/
You may also want to check out Clipper Canoes and Hemlock canoes.
A lot depends on what you want the canoe for. Both Bell and Wenonah make some nice solo canoes and Wenonah recently began selling its Wee Lassie, a nice small solo.
Those are a few. Haven't paddled or seen any of these up close except for the Swift Shearwater (seen, not paddled) You might call them boats to dream about.
Compass
– Last Updated: Mar-08-08 7:45 AM EST –
The Compass was made by a small company in Rhode Island, but they disappeared about the time I was really interested in buying their boat. Nice to see that Native picked up the design. The Tegris and the Compass appear similar, but the Compass is kevlar/fiberglass and the same weight. I already have a kevlar Wenonah Prism and want a smaller canoe for getting in to the beaver ponds. The price seems fair on the Compass ($1,500) compared to some other kevlar pack canoes on the market. The seat in the Native boat is a big selling point for me. I don't really want to sit in the bilge as in some pack canoes.
Should have looked at the Wenonah site before I wrote this. Haven't been there in a while and I see they have now added a seat to the Wee Lassie. Doesn't look as comfy as the Compass, but then it's $300 cheaper.
Compass vs Hornbeck
I demo’d the compass and was impressed, especially with the seat. Then i demo’d the hornbeck low volume 12 kevlar/carbon. The hornbeck was the winner, more responsive, faster, lighter-18#. Bought it and love it. Also the hornbeck was cheaper.
Whatever you get, enjoy it!
Tegris and Compass totally different
Tegris is the trade name for the material the Native Ultimate 12 is made out of-not a hull model. So the Compass model and the the Tegris Ultimate (I have one on order!!) are really different from each other. The Tegris will take a real beating while the wood trim and light weight lay-up of the Compass would probably be more suitable to those canoe afficiandos who know and understand composites?
Native Watercraft Compass
I got the Compass a few weeks ago and am in love with it. I got the 12.5, as I want the extra capacity for camping and an Australian shepherd.
I paddled it Memorial Day weekend on Sacandaga Lake in Speculator, and also down the Sacandaga River to the Kunjemuk. Going up the Kunjemuk, I had to pull the boat over a few beaver dams.
The boat’s superb features:
** Weighs 27 pounds without the seat. It’s a breeze to take it off and on the Subaru, launch it, carry it. It’s made of a carbon/kevlar composite.
** The seat is ultra deluxe and comfortable. It’s like a camp chair on a legless platform, with rubber strips on the bottom to keep it from sliding around the boat. Great back support with adjustable webbing to change the angle. It adds about six pounds to the boat’s weight, but you lift it right out and carry it separately. If you’re packing the canoe, it’s more of an issue, but in that case you could leave the seat home and use a Crazy Creek chair.
** The boat handles great, even in a headwind. You use a kayak paddle.
I don’t have anything negative to say about it at this point, except that the beautiful shiny finish scratches easily.
Mary
Sounds good. Solo canoes
are great for fishing. You’ve a great dog also, love Australian Shepherds.
Original Compass Cayak
For those interested in the origins of the Compass, it was first produced by Joel Flather in Little Compton, Rhode Island and made in a 12ft 9in kevlar hand lay-up nicely gel coat finished. The company was Compass Cayak and the model was called a Tippet. There were a couple of versions of the seat. The one I have is a folding cane seat with back. The rails on mine were ash but apparently there was a vinyl version too. Compass Cayak was pretty much a one man operation.
Native Watercraft, an innovative company I must say, bought the molds and “after considerable re=working” according to Joel, have been used to produce, first the fiberglass model and now the kevlar composite. Joel’s original Tippet weighed 22 lbs in the ash rail version.
The rounded arch bottom and moderate flare on the original make them feel a bit tender initially, but with good secondary stability. The sharp bow sheer cuts nicely and adds to good tracking for such as small boat, yet the dramatic flare keeps it dry in chop. Freeboard is of course low which decreases windage but limits meaningful stowage.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has done any river work with the Compass. Floats and Class 1-2.