How is this boat for general purpose recreational paddling on open lakes, ponds and slow rivers in terms of stability and handling wind or boat made waves? Also how well will it work for fly fishing out of it from the seat (not standing)? How does it compare to the Wenonah Prism for the same purposes? I notice they are both without much rocker so didn't know if one has a distinct edge over the other for general stability when waves pick up or one wants to fish from it.
…just a guess (with the Prism)
tr,
I have an Advantage…it has limited initial stability = a fast boat…of course you have to be loose in the hips to roll with waves. With a flyrod…I’ve been in tippier boats, but I think a Prism might be better boat to “sit” in = just a little more initial stability.
Just my $.01 guess…
It’s a great canoe…
for all of those things except for standing up in. I have stood up in mine a number of times, but it’s not something I would say it’s good for.
As a general use canoe it’s excellent choice if your an at all experienced paddler in my opinion, and thats how I use mine.
The Prism has more volume and is a better choice for throwing camping gear in or for wavier conditions, but it also has higher sides which catch the wind a bit more.
As to the lack of rocker, I don’t feel it is much of an issue. A lot of people seem to think a canoe needs rocker and needs to be easy to turn, but in my personal experience I spend a lot more time trying to go straight than I do turning and I prefer a strong tracking canoe. With some good paddle input I get my Advantage (and my Voyager) up and down some pretty twisty creeks on a regular basis. It’s not the best choice for that kind of use, but it’s doable. On a lake I apreciate a boat that can go fast in a straight line in deep or shallow water, and the Advantage is really good at a lot of things.
Prism v. Advantage
I have an Advantage in graphite, it ignores the wind because of lack of rocker and low sheer line and is very fast and stable underway but goosey sitting still. Loose hips are definitely needed in boat waves, sometimes I feel like I’m riding a syrofoam cup!
I used a Prism a few years ago in the Boundary Waters and liked it a lot. It also has lack of rocker to make it wind-resistant and quick but has higher sides which made me feel confident in the stormy waves of Bald Eagle Lake.
For speed the Advantage is tops but for overall comfort and capacity I’d buy the Prism.
Choose
the Advantage if paddling is you main interest when in the boat, the Prism if the most important to you is the flyfishing. I have had the Advantage and used it a lot for flyfishing (I still have the old vintage competition model and use it for flyfishing). It is a joy to paddle and I wish I did not sell mine. I fished from mine even anchored up in rivers. The big advatage with the boat is the way you can use it to go upstream. The faster the boat the better you get upstream. Steering is no problem if you learn to lean in the boat, get footstraps.
There are several Advantage boats used for flyfishing in my area, and not all the users are experienced. They like it, but had to get used to it.
Paul