wind problem
One circumstance where you’ll be at a substantial disadvantage is in the wind. As long as the river in narrow and twisty this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but as you near the sea and it opens up, you’re likely to fall way behind the group. Thus, you may wish to avoid paddling river segments with a mostly kayaker group that include wide open areas.
If you must paddle in the wind, the best defense is to get a wind cover for your boat, as well as modifying your paddling style to respond to specific wind patterns (search for “paddling canoe in wind”, there have been some good threads on how best to cope). Even then, however, your higher sides will put you at a disadvantage to almost any kayak.
P16…
– Last Updated: Jan-23-09 11:40 PM EST –
otpack,
What everyone's said.. I think he P16 can handle many scenarios, but isn't the most efficient for flatwater and it CAN be rather BIG and barge-like for small streams/creeks...but both initial and secondary stability are good. A ww boat with nimble edges it is Not..it's lack of rocker is essentially made for leisurely paddle..but it tracks pretty well..imho. The P16 CAN DO some gnarly stuff and has the stability for mild drops...so it's nothing to rule out.
Foam floor-padding with knee/ankle-blocks.
$.01
STeveD
Have to agree with g2d
I solo my Penobscot on the local river that is mostly class 1 with short class 2 drops and fairly curvy. It is definitely not as maneuverable as my Camper or especially my Fisherman, but it does fine on that river. You have to be fairly aggressive to make it turn quickly. It would not be my first pick for anything much rougher.
fair comments guys
I have very little experience on fast or noisy water, hence the self-inflicted whitewaterweenie moniker. My limited experience includes some dumb bad experiences.
My Penobscot is long gone…it was a nice old one with mahogany trim that I got cheap. I just remember a couple of dreamy paddles on dead slow creeks where I could spin it forever with the ends bumping into the brush…once with my wife sitting in front of me as ballast and she could hardly stay centered (holding on to the rails) as I kept the rail to the water. But I do remember that it only spun on a dime at zero speed and one time tandem going down a frothy drop my buddy and I were slamming off rocks and scaring me good.
My buddy had an Old Town Camper permanently parked on a quarry pond and I remember that it spun so easily that it made me dizzy…the boat turns so easily it’s spooky.
So for fast water I can easily agree that the Penob ain’t the best and I can also agree that it’s not a boat to recommend as a creek boat…just a fine workable solo creek boat for slow water if you already own one and the creeks are at least 16 feet wide.
My opinion
I have some history with this topic in a general way and so am prompted to comment. Many paddlers want the versatility of a tandem canoe for their larger payload capacity or to include a partener, family member, etc. yet don’t want to shell out the dollars for a solo hull. Enter the skill of paddling a tandem canoe solo. This is a skill from antiquity that wilderness trippers and Les Voyagers used with great result but has been somewhat lost in the U.S. Seeing a need, I introduced a curriculum for this skill to the ACA SEIC in 2001 and it was unfortunately not adopted.
Here are a few observations: When underway in a tandem hull, the center of rotation moves to somewhere forward of abeam. The result is that being stationed in the center of the canoe which puts initial paddle placement forward of the beam is more efficient than chosing the bow seat backward or the stern seat with counterweight in the bow. Since most tandem hulls are not rigged for center stationing several solutions come to mind. One is to add a seat in the center. Seats sized for this can be hard to locate and once installed, limits space for carrying gear. One nice solution is a detached saddle. I’ve seen Kayakmedic and others use these devices quite effectively. They are unattached homemade saddles that resemble a mushroom in shape, about 6 to 8 inches in height and the same in top diameter and padded on top and bottom. One kneels in the center of the tandem canoe and inserts the smaller bottom of the saddle between the ankles and feet and rests one’s bum on the top. It’s a simple easy solution and does not get in the way. Maybe KM will comment if anyone is interested. A paddler’s quads, ankles , and butt needs be in shape for this but if you are used to kneeling it’s not a problem. Otherwise this saddle takes some getting used to. There are some differences in technique but a good solo paddler should do OK centered in a tandem hull.
My advice is to learn solo paddling techniques and station in the center.
Downriver
I seem to recall OT marketing saying it was designed after a downriver race boat. This isn’t the same as a whitewater canoe, but I think that was it’s origin. It doesn’t matter, though.
Heeled over, classic style with a solo paddler, most tandem canoes will turn pretty quick. The Jensen 17’ isn’t as fast a turner, but I am pretty sure I could get down a flatwater twisty river in one.
Rowing
FrankNC,
Thanks for the tip, I’ll check it out.