Tripping Canoe vs. 2 Pack Boats

Good luck. As you are choosing a C2 to start, I’d recommend definitely going with a 17’ boat. Let her learn bow rudder assist osiide and offside, along with draws onside and offside to help with gentle steering and obstacle avoidance. 3rd party teaching is a good idea. Keep in mind that an alternate name for a tandem canoe is a “divorce boat”.

They have cut down shear of about an inch so there is less windage. It seems be sufficient to make a difference. As in all things canoe or kayak the boat has to fit the person. It would be foolish to put a 200 lb person in a ten foot pack canoe and expect to ride out ocean swells. Put the same in a 15 foot pack canoe and it is just fine. And they handle quite well ; even in the dreaded stern quartering wind. After all these years Archimedes still rules

No problem on big lakes in reasonable wind. Anything above 20 knots is probably something you would think about in any boat.

Have had no problems with my RapidFire on the Gulf of Mexico ( usually short period choppy waves of two feet or less) or ocean rollers in Maine… again weather dependent.

Handling can vary depending on pack canoe model. Some are not quick to turn: ie the shorter old Hornbecks where they pinched the stems to aid in tracking. Some may be too quick to turn( I believe Swift has a Prospector model pack canoe which I think is an oxymoron but no matter!)

Hi SFB. I used to own a Bell Northwind which I believe is identical to the NW17. I did not like it with less than 500 pounds in it…when lightly loaded it felt a bit sluggish like you could feel the skin friction of the large boat. It’s a pretty big boat at 17.5 feet with 650 pound capacity so it might not be the best choice for you two especially for day trips. I have a Northstar Polaris which I love. You might try a NW16…it has plenty of capacity and a bit more stability (width) than my Polaris and may well feel more effortless and sporty to you than the NW17…especially if it handles your weight difference well (you’re really not extraordinarily heavy).

It would be good if your wife could experience a boat with a sliding seat if you think you might end up with one. The rails can restrict where you put your legs a little bit. It shouldn’t be a problem especially given that she’d have the seat in a forward position but I’d hate to see you order a $3500+ Kee17 and then learn that she has any concern with the front slider.

You might take a light pack with you when test paddling…like a day pack with 20 pounds of stuff to simulate what you might have on day trips. Even a light pack up by your wife may make a difference in how the boat feels since the trim will be closer to level or slightly bow light which is good for safe handling. Maybe you won’t need a sliding front seat.

All of your choices are fine boats so you really can’t go wrong with whichever one you like best after test paddling.

If she is an experienced paddler, go for two! If she isn’t she may be frustrated during the learning curve. It took me like a week of paddling every day to get the hang of paddling on one side. And then it took a full season of paddling every few days to feel like I had full control. Get one, see how she likes it, then if she’s committed you can get two. If you take care of the two person, you could always resell and upgrade to two later.