Encore: I like that boat.
More fun/more manueverable than an Impulse without a doubt. Definitely a better step in the right direction, in transition to an Outrage.
BOB
Photos of my Encore…
Encore
Outrage
Encore is a great boat, and it doesn’t seem like the transition to the Outrage should be that big a deal (only a foot shorter), but I find that I really need to pay attention to the leans as I cross eddy lines. Last time out in the Outrage I flipped in an eddy and the boat went downstream about a mile through the best rapids without me…
A great example of a stupid article written by someone that barely knows anything about canoes.
This happens all the time. The boating public has shifted from enthusiasts to beginners. They can’t really tell.
For all around tripping, on lakes and in the ocean as a day tripper and for multi day trips and expeditions, I’d pick the Clipper Tripper.
It’s a 17.5" boat and comes in a variety of styles (kevlar w/w/o gelcoat and glass). It can handle an enormous load, tracks very straight and is fast (even upwind). I love the tractor seats and stern foot bar.
It’s not a solo boat and not for anything beyond class II.
It’s much faster than a prospector on non-moving water.
I’ve paddled it extensively in the ocean along BC’s coast and on big windy lakes and deep fjords.
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that’s nice… Not the only one and very very hard to find away from the West Coast. We have been using a Wenonah Odyssey on Lake Superior ( it was replaced in the Wenonah line up by the Champlain)
Any experienced canoe person can do much better than the list above. How about these?
OT Tripper
Mad River Explorer
Prospector made by everybody
Sawyer Cruiser
Clipper Tripper
In my opinion the best canoe is the one that fits you and your needs the best. In my case I wasn’t finding what I really wanted and when I did I found it was out of my price range. Canoes are not that hard to modify and in my case what I wanted was a solo made from a tandem with a comfortable all day seat. Very stable, able to haul a lot of gear or not and could be paddled with a double blade. So I got something close and made it mine.
I strongly suggest this custom approach for several reasons but mainly because it is fun to do.
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Agree the original list is pretty darned bad.
A few boats that haven’t been mentioned but that I think would be reasonable contenders for their intended purposes:
Blackhawk Phantom - good , reasonably fast flatwater tandem cruiser for windy BWCA type paddling.
Bell Mystic - a “rocket” tandem tripper but not for really heavy loads in big waves - it’ll knife into big waves under those conditions. Fast with a great glide, turns well for its length (18.5’) if heeled. It can win races.
Dagger Prophet - I’m not as experienced a whitewater paddler as others here, but I spent a few days on the Wolf R. in one and came to love it. Dry ride, turns and stops effortlessly and predictably, and surfs like crazy.
People often end up with what they can find. I have never bought a new canoe. Learning about canoe design and your intended uses are important. Then you can figure out whether to buy that next boat or not.
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