I’m looking to pull the trigger on one of the two boats (& layups) referenced above. Will mostly paddle day trips (but lengthy ones) on Lake Hartwell, a large recreational lake in NE GA, solo w/85-lb dog, less often w/spouse as well as dog.
I welcome thoughts & suggestions.
Dog is bigger now than in the two-year-old phot below.
B16 is a (versatile) river boat but not a great choice for a windy day on Hartwell with a light load. I have a Polaris with an optional third seat for solo paddling. The seat is in the right spot for solo and much more comfy than a kneeling thwart. Polaris is a touch narrower than NW16 so better solo especially since you and your dog look like a very light load for a tandem. NW16 2nd choice. My Polaris is Blacklite and the Blacklite has a nice stiff feel but Starlight is a fine lay-up and you absolutely do not need Blacklite for Lake Hartwell. Just FYI if you are thinking of paddling a B16 or other symmetric boat backwards when going solo with the dog you’re going to be super light in the bow (unless you carry extra weight) because your dog won’t come close to balancing your weight.
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NW 16 or the new Pearl from Northstar (a Northstar’d version of a Pal, but without as much in the way of recurved stems). B-16 is a terrific moving water boat, but as previously noted, can be a handful as a solo lake boat on a windy day. If it’s primarily going to be solo (assuming your dog doesn’t paddle), I’d go with a Pearl, if it’ll be 50/50, with the NW 16.
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I paddle a Northstar Magic in StarLite. There’s nothing wrong with opting for the more durable BlackLite, but it’s not necessary for lake use and I appreciate the weight savings a little more each year!
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Can’t advise you on the canoe but frequently paddle Hartwell, typically in the Clemson area. Usually launch from River Forks or the DNR office at Clemson. Let me know if you want some company.
We Usually paddle Pungo 140.
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Thanks to all for the responses. They’re steering me away from the B16.
Here are the practical & geographical practicalities:
- Within a 3-hr round trip, there’s one B16 in blacklight & another B16 in starlight, as well as a Northwind16 in blacklight.
- Or I can drive 9 hrs round trip for a Polaris in blacklight with a center seat.
- Come some time in December, I can drive 9 hrs for a there will be a Pearl in blacklight.
I’m inclined to drive 3 hrs & get the NW16 tomorrow — it’s my birthday!
Again, many thanks for the information shared.
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Thanks for the invite!
We recently moved. Let me get my boat in order & I’ll follow up.
Happy Birthday! That is a serious walk to the lake, especially now.
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Thank you for the birthday wishes.
This NE GA walk to the lake is nothing compared to the lot we were thinking of building on in Jackson County, NC, charitably described as “steep as a mule’s face.”
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Hi TOL3,
Did you know that you are living close to a Northstar Dealer? I just ordered a Northstar Phoenix in Blacklight with wood gunnels from Sunrift Adventures in Travelers Rest, SC. If interested in a new one, you might want to check with them. I did notice some tandems in stock, but I do not remember which models they were.
Welcome to the area!
Edit: I just noticed the 3 hour ROUND TRIP (not one way), so I guess that you found out about Sunrift.
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Sunrift is a class act . I’ve been dealing with them for at least 25 years.
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Sunrift is a class act. I drove there this morning & brought home a starlight NW16 & got her on the water this afternoon. What a change from rotomolded boats!
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Congratulations now the new Northwind, it should be quite a canoe. It looks like you live in the right place to give it a lot of use on Hartwell and other lakes in the area. It should also be great if you decide to do the long drive up to the BWCA, Adirondacks or Algonquin; with the Starlight it should make for some easy portaging!
Although I do not have a lake in my backyard, I am itching to get into the Northstar that I have on order from Sunrift. They should be getting their fall order in about 2-4 weeks, and on that order is my Phoenix in Blacklight with wood trim. I paddled the Phoenix (in IXP) during the last couple of WPSCRs and finally pulled the trigger about a month ago on my dream boat.
Drop me a note sometime and maybe we can get together for a trip.
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Congrats on your new boat! What a great boat. You and your pup have it made.
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One of our group of paddlers lives on the north end of Hartwell. 2 of us live in Greenville and others south of here often join us. Stay in touch.
Jim
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Great message thread guys. I’m in the same boat sort of speak. In Greenville,looking for a super lightweight, relatively fast, tandem canoe to paddle with my wife and small dog. Sunrift has a pearl stealth (30 lbs) and north wind 16 starlite (39 lbs) in stock. Would there be much of a difference paddling on a calm lake, from a speed, tracking, stability standpoint…given very similar measurements/?? Stability is not as important as we are both comfortable in narrow kayaks and surf skis… Would it be worthwhile pursuing a NW16 stealth or even the Polaris?
I have no experience with the new Pearl, but it’s hard to go wrong with a Northwind as an all-around good tandem. For me, saving a few pounds with the Stealth layup isn’t worth the significantly higher cost when you consider you also sacrifice some durability. I might think differently about the weight if I were doing long portages, but those days are history.
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Thank you! I have found, after paddling kayaks and surf skis for 15 years, that if they’re light enough to lift overhead onto my truck, I will be much more likely to get out and paddle lol!
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I think you’re smart to focus on light weight. If a 39 pound boat is any problem for you then the Stealth lay-up may well be worth the price. In general the Starlight is a fine lay-up.
I haven’t paddled the Pearl. It’s a Chestnut Pal reproduction. Pal is a symmetric boat known for versatility since it can be paddled backwards solo. The NW16 is longer, narrower (the waterline width is one inch narrower) and asymmetrical and all help with efficiency. The Polaris takes another inch off the width and the resulting 31 inch waterline width is more narrow than most tandems. Whether YOU will find the differences big or small I don’t know; others have found they can easily tell the difference in cruising efficiency.
I have to mention that I would never order a canoe from Northstar since I’ve had to return comically defective product to them twice and I am not alone in my experience; I would only buy a boat that I could inspect before buying. But even if you order a boat the odds are that you’d get one that’s built properly with no glaring defects.
You might also consider a Wenonah since you’re looking for fast and light. I think their 17.5 footer (Escape or Escapade, I forget) would be faster than a Polaris and very well-suited to calm lakes where the maneuverability of the Northstar boats is not so important
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Thank you! Very helpful for this canoe newbie here!
Dave