Might have an odd # people for BW trip and considering a 3-person canoe. Among the Wenonah MN3 and Seneca and the Souris River Quetico 18.5, I know the MN3 would be the fastest, most efficient. But for our purposes I’m leaning toward stability as a higher factor than speed. And we’ll be fishing too.
My question is regarding the paddleability from the middle seat. The middle and stern seats on the Q18.5 seem pretty close together, and I wonder how feasible/productive it is for the middle person to paddle. Any opinions on this or the Seneca would be appreciated. Not a fan of the middle person being a duffer.
Well
From what I’ve seen of larger canoes w/3 people is that the middle paddler is not all that effective. Looks to be a bit difficult to get the paddle over the side efficiently. Mind you I’ve only “observed” and have never done it.
should be fine
I don’t see that there should be any difficulty paddling from that third seat - in any canoe
middle paddler paddles on same side as bow paddler, in synch with bow’s stroke - all 3 paddlers in synch should be fastest and call for the least amount of correction from the stern
if needed, stern paddler could just tell the center guy to pause for a few strokes
third paddler could shift a bit towards the side he’s paddling on - maybe have a pack that could be easily shifted a bit to oposite side for better balance if needed.
only issue I see is less room for gear, but if you have other boats along, that can be compensated for