I just read both reviews on this site. Neither one says "wow, wow, wow,". One says "mine" and that is obviously a reference to an older Loon he owns. I myself own an older Loon. In my writings about the paddle tests of decked canoes we did refer to "mine" when talking about the Sea Wind. We did use my Sea Wind in these tests. The only "wow, wow, wow," turned up in repeated "edit searches" is yours. Please let us know what review you are talking about.
might think these recent reviews could be staged. I know most all of the paddlers that have written recent info on the Sawyer canoes. I can pretty well assure you that this is not a conspiracy to promote the new Sawyer Canoe Company. It just happens that when the magazine contracted for an article on decked canoes there were new Sawyer preproduction Loon available nearby. wildwater is an enthusiastic canoeist who does own a lot of boats. He was not connected with the decked canoe tests. He is obviously enthusiastic about his Sawyer canoe and with the increased interest with the restart of production is talking about it and the Sawyers canoes he owns just like the rest of us. I am very enthusiastic myself! I also would not be any part of a staged review, underhanded promotion scam to promote any product in this manner. The type of promotion only hurts the product and the company in the long run. I have talked with many people that have met the new owners. I recently had the chance to meet them myself. They are great people, honest and open. They have way too much experience in the business world and too much invested to play childish games. Sawyer is too good of a product and the owners are far above stooping to such low antics.
Hope this has eased your mind. I do think what you are seeing is a lot of enthusiasm the older Sawyer canoes paddlers already own and for the return of the whole line of great canoes!
Didn’t see him questioning the canoes just those reviews, which I also viewed with a grain of salt. I confess to feeling a real nostalgia tug, because when I started paddling, I thought Sawyer had some designs that were way out in front. Of course, I thought the same about my pushrod, carburated Vette then, and the current version would kick its butt. But this field is becoming oligopolistic, so I wish all the independents well.
That's MY review of MY Summersong. I also own an Autumn Mist, Oscoda Loon, and sold my Cruiser (wife doesn't paddle too much - buddy's head is too big to balance him).
I was not promoting the Summersong. It is just that I've been looking for the hottest flatwater canoe out there which can be paddled kneeling or sitting...
I found it. A Summersong in Kevlar in great condition. I love it as much as I love my Bell Wildfire and Grasse River XL...
I'm a canoe/kayak dealer. I get to paddle a lot of boats. Where I am (Coldwater, MI), the locals don't buy a lot of high-dollar canoes/kayaks, so I get "stuck" with demoing them to my friends.
Come on...the Summersong is 27 1/2" wide and 15'6" long. It is a Yost design. It is FAST and stable. How can I not "wow" at its performance...
The only salting of P.net that I've ever done was trying to pour salt into political zealots...
Any thoughts on the Oscoda 13 Solo? I test paddled an old model for about 10 minutes on Sugar Creek in Indiana Sunday and I liked it. It belonged to another paddler (Elaine) who looked like she was around 70 years old. She’d owned the boat for several years. When I expressed interest in the boat, she offered to let me test paddle it and I accepted gleefully. Her paddling companions were surprised that I was interested in her boat that they teased her about all the time. I was confused because I thought that the Oscoda 13 was well respected and liked.
I used her feathered kayak paddle and it took a while to get used to it (I usually use an unfeathered kayak paddle for all my paddling), but I liked the experience. It felt twitchy (similar to the Sawyer 190 that I sold last fall), yet secure at the same time. I liked the seat and think it would be a great river boat with the addition of foot braces. It seemed pretty quick. When I started to get into the boat, a couple of the people asked if they should get their cameras - if I was planning to “go turtle” for them. Apparently “going turtle” wasn’t uncommon for other people who’d test paddled Eilene’s Oscoda 13. This is a model that I’d strongly consider buying if I found a used one. It felt fun on that fast moving water.
The 13' Sawyer solo listed is the StarLight at 13'4". Then AutumnMist at 14'10" and SummerSong at 15'4". Then it goes into the Specialty Solos: the ShockWave and D.Y. Special, both at 16'8". And the Loon at 17', which is actually 17'2"
I do believe that all the Oscoda line of canoes by the Sawyer Canoe Company were spray ups, glass mat, chopper gun, etc lay ups. Sawyer canoes on the other hand were always hand laid up cloth. So it should be very easy to tell which brand it actually is just by looking.
I don’t think it was chopper gun. I didn’t look at the lay up very closely, but my first canoe was a 12’ American Fiberlite chopper gun lay up and I would have noticed immediately if this was chopper gun.
The appearance and handling reminded me of a solo version Sawyer 190 that I sold last year. Relatively wide and twitchy. The seat was a comfortable feeling large white “tractor” seat. The boat turned easier than my Mad River Slipper. It had the original red paint. I didn’t check the serial # for the year of manufacture. I’ve only seen one of these advertised in the last three or four years and it was at the Appomattox outfitters in Virginia a couple years ago. The guy I talked to there and a couple other guys that worked there owned the boats and liked them quite a bit.
I have read the four reviews, but they’re pretty old and I was wondering if anyone more experienced than me had any more recent experience and thoughts on the boat.
The Loon was in the Sawyer line in 1985, but could not find it in the Oscoda line.
My 1987 Loon has an Oscoda name on it and seems to the GoldenGlass layup or possibly a straight fiberglass layup. Hard to tell as the outside is gel coated and the inside is painted so can not see the color of the cloth. The inside weave is course, more like what I am used to being called Kevlar or fiberglass roving at the Kruger shop. The kind of heavy weave we pulled woven strands from to get what we called "rope". We used this rope to strengthen areas like the bow, stern, seat mount attachment to the hull, seat supports to the seat, cat pole tubes to the deck, and so fourth. I plan to weigh Loon when it is available again to better determine which layup and therefor line it might be. I would not be surprised of when they needed an Oscoda Loon they would just slap "Oscoda" on what had been laid up as a Sawyer Loon. It would be a treasure found if was a Sawyer instead of an Oscoda! We'll see what is indicated.
I went out in the rain and pulled the Loon off the shuttle van.
Grabbed my camp gear and light boat scale. Weighted each end. Wow 23# + 23-1/2# = 46-1/2# Ya-Hoo! ... Wham-Bam ... thinking, something's not right ... sure feels heavier than that! Then I remembered ... Do not use any scale within 10% of either end of the rated weight. (For explosives work we used to reject any reading that fell within 20% of either end of the scale's rating.) Checked the scale rating. Darn! Rated for 21# and a few ounces. Probably went past the end margin and against the stop.
Grabbed the big scale and did it again, then three times more. Average of 31# stern + 32# bow = 63# total. Subtract out the metal rudder and rest of rudder system, carry yoke, seat, seat supports, painters, and rope handles gets it down into GoldenGlass weight range. Sawyer stated their average weights were with hull trimed out with anodized gunwales and thwarts so must other items not weighed. A good guess then is my Loon is likely a GoldenGlass layup. It could be either a Sawyer or a Oscoda. Will have to go with Oscoda for now as that is what the decal says.
Cutting it down to a 14' to 15' hull is still a good possibility! It would be a Rob Roy on steroids!!!
Don’t Do It Why cut down the Oscoda Loon. Why not go purchase an Old Town Loon, instead. It’d be about the same weight and would perform about the same…
My Oscoda Loon weighs about 55 or so pounds. I’m sure it’s goldenglass. 1988. Nice canoe…
Tried to fit the Oscoda Loon into it's new home under the deck. Darn, it just so happens it is two feet too long. You understand, connivances and all ;^) Hummm ... Let me see ... Maybe I can cut 2' off the stern instead of sectioning 2' out of the middle. ;^) Just kidding! Take it easy. I'm really just kidding about having to cut it to store it that is.
BUT on the other hand. I'm not kidding about shortening it 2' plus or minus ... Hummmm ... Stern shortening would maintain maximum buoyancy in the stern, an area where the Loon has always had a big problem anyway. And I probably would not have to reposition the seat as the out of balance condition would be corrected! As Dick, a local Naval ship designer pointed out: how would I keep the fair and continuos lines if I cut the center out. Steve's Loon that was lengthened 2' did look strange in the middle as they kept the same max width. So now, back to cutting off the stern: There are several ways I could finish the new stern off that would keep it slippery and give it a unique shape: "Y" shaped, knife edge ended (much harder), A stern the lifts gradually out of the water like a sail boat. Make a rudder shaped like stern and therefor continue the lines and "lengthen the effective length (WOW A few stiff double Irish Creams in the evening do seen to help one think ;^). It would be non retractable, but left in the neutral position it would just add length to the hull length and not effect steering or tracking any different than a normal hull. Not enough rudder area in the articulating hull? Inclose a retractable skeg inside the articulating portion ... Hummmm ... Think I will have to actively pursue this one! What other shapes, configurations, ? Maybe post a question here on the net searching for other best solutions, a contest of sorts? How to improve this hull? Or How to complicate it beyond belief? Hee, hee, hee ... Pour me another double!
Ok, nuf fun for the nite. Need to get the kid off to bed. Nighty-nite all.
