They had some problems changing hands after the business was sold and moved from Florida, but they landed in Chattanooga, TN and are going strong now, producing boats and reportedly coming up with new designs.
The Odyssey 14 is the Challenger 14 with the sides folded in to create tumblehome.
I can't help but put another plug in. My Challenger (Odyssey's kissing cousin predecessor) met the exact same criteria the stated, except I'm just a hair lighter. I learned to solo canoe in it and got my whitewater feet wet in it. It's not quick handling like a real WW boat (Rival, Viper, Ocoee), but is very forgiving, rides high and dry and *certainly* grows one's ability to master turning strokes. You have to plan to catch eddies, but with the right technique, you can get it high and tight in surprisingly small spots.
No. The SN is round all over. The MR Guide (Freedom Solo ) is straighter tracking with significant tumble home and a lot of bow flare.
But the SN has an annoying to me seat too far aft for the precise control us soloists need.
Of course its fixable. You can always move a seat.
The SN was designed for solo tripping (AKA camping) where you might need to access all of your gear in front of you. Its a better Barren Lands boat than the Guide( aka you might die if you dont find your shelter now).
My take on the Supernova I have a Supernova and I love it. However, I wouldn’t normally recommend it for the kind of rivers the original poster will be paddling. I find it to be a little “too much of a good thing” whenever there is little need for maneuverability and wave-crashing ability. I also find that it “wears me out” quicker than a more “normal” canoe during normal paddling, just because a fairly large exertion is needed to keep it from having its way, since all that maneuverability is the result of directional instability. It does have somewhat nicer manners when heeled sharply, and I suspect it would behave better with a good load of gear on board, but so far I haven’t even done an overnight with it so I’ve been paddling light.
The seat IS too far back for normal paddling, and since I always bring two gear bags to make it possible to properly trim any boat, I’ll never have one big pack stowed in front of me in that boat. I moved the seat forward quite a bit before even putting it in the water. I paddled it that way for about three years, and then moved it even farther forward. I think I’ve got it in the right spot now.