I’m thinking about adding another canoe to our collection and I’m trying to decide between the Northwind 16 and Polaris (both likely in blacklite layup).
My wife and I already have a B16 in IXP, and I also have a Northwind Solo. The B16 will be our river tripping boat and the new boat will be our lake tripper where portaging is necessary (i.e. BWCA type trips). Since I already have a Solo boat, I don’t need the new one to serve double duty as a tandem and solo. I know the B16 will perform fine on the lakes, but the IXP layup makes it 20 lbs heavier than the other boats, which is the biggest reason I’m looking at adding another boat.
We tend to pack fairly light, so I think our total trip load would be 425-450 lbs and our no-gear load is maybe around 350 lbs. This is why I’m not looking at the Boreas or NW17; I think our no-gear load is too light for those boats.
From what I can tell, it seems like the Polaris may be a bit faster, but the NW16 will be more stable. The NW16 is also easier to find in stock.
I’m thinking the Polaris is the boat for us, but I wonder if I’d really notice how much faster it is, especially on a loaded trip. If I pick up an in-stock NW16 somewhere, am I going to be disappointed?
Thoughts?
I’m pretty sure that the answer to your question is “no”. I won’t suggest which boat you ought to get, but maybe a bit of “thinking out loud” on my part will help clarify how badly you want that Polaris compared to the more-available Northwind 16. The specifications for the Northwind 16 and the Polaris are just about as close as you’ll find when comparing two canoes, and in some respects the specs become even closer when comparing them at your expected tripping load.
The Polaris is slightly narrower but at your expected tripping load it will ride about half an inch deeper in the water, effectively reducing or even equalizing what would otherwise be the one-inch difference in effective widths for those two boats when both are loaded to the 4-inch waterline (to state this another way, the load that will settle the Northwind 16 to a draft of 4 inches will settle the Polaris to about 4.5 inches, widening the waterline width beyond that of its 4-inch load). This might also tend to reduce any speed difference between the two boats when loaded that way. The Polaris’s slightly narrower beam will in theory be an aid to the stern paddler in making paddle strokes that are parallel to the keel line, but though the Polaris “looks a bit sleeker” in the overhead view, I fail to actually “see” a “lesser angle” of gunwale alignment compared to the keel line as experienced by the stern paddler, and of course the specs support the idea that this particular difference must be very slight.
The Polaris has a bit less shear and this is probably enough to notice in brisk wind, but then again, if you are out in some real chop, that difference in shear, as slight as it is, might be enough to make you prefer the Northwind 16. And on that note, I have a hunch that the Northwind 16 will ride over waves slightly better when carrying a full load than the Polaris, but again I think this difference will be small. But overall I’d give the (expected) advantage to the Northwind when carrying a load in choppy conditions.
I get the impression from how you describe your situation overall that a slight difference in stability won’t make a real difference to you. If you paddle from a kneeling position that’s a sure bet.
Based on the overhead views, it appears that the Polaris will have a more-neutral trim when carrying only the two paddlers since the bow and stern paddlers will be more equidistant from the ends than is the case for the Northwind 16, but it probably wouldn’t take much minimal day-tripping gear being stashed forward to help counterbalance any tendency for the Northwind to ride a bit lower in the stern (and most people don’t mind a bit of a stern-heavy situation, and indeed it’s common and hard to eliminate for most paddling couples when both persons are not all that heavy (as in your case)). And of course the lesser rocker in the stern will already tend to correct this issue, though in a way that can’t really be predicted just by looking at specs.
Does that muddy the waters enough?
Well, the obvious first response is to try and paddle both and make a call from there. If you’re within a few hours of Chicagoland, both are available for test paddling at Offshore in Lake Bluff (once the waters are a little warmer).
From a design standpoint, the Polaris is a cruiser, the NW 16 is more of a short cargo hauler. Experienced paddlers of average build will definitely be able to feel the efficiency difference between them (in favor of the Polaris). The NW 16 offers both a little more initial stability, as you noted, which might make it a little better suited for fishing or paddling with less experienced paddlers.
My boats include the NW 16 and Polaris. Agree with Chicago Paddler comments. My primary use was/is solo, so both were purchased with a center seat and foot bar in addition to the tandem seats. I bought the NW 16 first and after 2 years of use the Polaris was added in search of more speed and lighter weight. The Polaris is slightly faster. From the center seat both handle identically, initial and secondary stability seem identical.
If I were to tandem overnight with a partner I’d probably take the NW 16, it is a fuller hull.
What is there about the Magic that turned to toward the other two?
Just curious.
You covered my own thoughts exactly, especially in regards to the loaded drafts of both boats. It would be interesting to see the total wetted area of both boats at a given load, instead of just the draft. My suspicion is that at cruising speeds, both boats are similar in speed and paddle effort required, but as the speed increases the advantage of the longer narrower hull of the Polaris is more evident. We don’t typically sprint around the lakes though, so it probably doesn’t matter.
Unfortunately, Chicago is about a 10 hour drive for us, I had already looked to see how far away Offshore is.
I’m starting to get the impression that the differences between the boats isn’t dramatic, though probably still noticeable if paddled back to back.
Thanks! It’s good to hear from someone that owns both. It sounds like if Solo paddling the boat were important to me, then the Polaris would be a no brainer. Since we’re using it as a tandem tripper, then either boat would work, but perhaps a slight advantage to the NW16. I don’t think there’s a bad choice here.
If you are both lighter frame paddlers and pack light, the Polaris is a viable choice