Hi, would anyone in the Mid-Atlantic area be willing to let me take a turn in their Old Town Pack, Wenonah Wee Lassie, Vermont Tupper or other small solo canoe? Am getting tired of buying untried boats that don't work for me. Looking for a small solo canoe with seat that would be easier for me to rack than my Reflection 15. Am in Baltimore, but willing to drive to avoid making another bad purchase. Would like to determine which boats would be good for me, so I can troll the classifieds waiting for one to come up for sale. Thanks everyone!
Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous June 11-13 in western PA is likely to have all listed plus at least a few dozen other small solos you may not have even heard of.
I do believe Colden Canoes will the there with their sub 30 lbs Flash and WildFires and there is sure to be a Spit or Rapid from PBW. Plus Nessmuk from Hemlock…and so much more. Last year there about 100 solo boats.
I hear that Swift may be there. I’ll also have some strippers including a quite reasonably priced Jun Bug that is looking for a home. In addition to trying out boats, there will also be several on and off water clinics. Best of all, the entire event is free. All you have to do is pay for your campsite, or the campground’s day use fee.
Thanks! Thanks a bunch for the heads up for the PA event! I didn’t want to go to a single dealer, as I would feel guilty wasting their time to determine what I wanted to buy used, and they don’t really seem to have much in stock to try anyway. I will definitely look into this event!
WPASCR Among other vendors, Colden, Hemlock, Placid boatworks and Swift should be in attendance. If Bell and Wenonah are represented as per last year, that should pretty well cover solo canoe options.
Another option for trying out boats is the Adirondack Freestyle Symposium coming up in July. Although there is no official manufacturers’ representation at that event, there will be a large selection of solo canoes. Most owners are more than willing to allow test paddling and one evening is usually dedicated as “boats on the beach”.
While you are there, you might as well take advantage of some of the best paddling instruction to be found anywhere.
Are you looking for a SinPC? That’s my term for a so-called “pack canoe”, which you sit in on the bottom and propel with a double-bladed paddle. Other people may call them “open decked kayaks” or something else.
The reason I ask is because the boats in your OP are of that variety, although the Old Town Pack, being the most flat bottomed, can be single bladed with honed skill.
If you are specifically looking for a SinPC, you might want to check with the manufacturers to see whether they are bringing any such to the Penn event. Placid will be, of course, since that is their only line of boats.
I doubt you will see any SinPC’s at a freestyle symposium, which is dedicated to training in single blade technique, unless one of the attendees happens to bring along an extra boat of the SinPC type.
If you are open to solo canoes that are not designed primarily for double blading, that’s a different story.
lkb, I feel your pain That’s just the fix I was in a little over a year ago, but even worse down here in Florida, which is definitely not canoe country. I was pretty sure a light weight solo canoe was what I needed, but couldn’t even find one to demo. I got lucky, as Vermont Canoe was bringing some boats down, and Rob let me paddle a Tupper for two days. I bought it, and have enjoyed the heck out of that little boat. If you weren’t so far away, I’d be happy to have you paddle it.
Doesn’t anybody Up North have a Tupper she could try?
But will the SinPC be there Yes, my suggestion was for the OP to call Hemlock, or whomever, to check whether they will be bringing their SinPC or to request them to do so. The reps only have so much space on a trailer.