better than a Pungo 140?
er,
is this a troll? Hell yeah. More class than a '83 Mercedes diesel station wagon with kayaks on top.
Bell RobRoy verse Pungo?
– Last Updated: Jun-19-07 1:52 PM EST –
1. The Rob Roys will be lighter: RR12 is 26#, RR15 is 31#, Pungo140 is 56#.
2. RR's are effectively narrower, allowing more efficient forward stroke.
3. Composite hulls are more efficient and faster in water because: a. They do not flex. b. They have less skin friction per unit area. c. They can be designed to minimize surface area. [Rotomolded hulls need ridges, flutes, tunnels to add stiffness - all bad for handling and forward efficiency.]
Pungo is less expensive and a better weight training device.
No, not a troll at all. Most can’t
detect my trolls because I don’t know they are trolls when I post them.I’m looking for another solo canoe and I love the looks of the Rob Roy, but price is always a factor.
Swedge has influenced me with his plastic Kruger.
I like sit and switch but am much better with a kayak paddle since I’ve done it for years.
plastic Kruger,
dang, another conversation starter. That’s what I’d call a Pamlico 145,the whole category of 13-15’ canoes is appealing on many levels. Wenona Vagabond is nice. Do you have a used one in mind or do they make them new?
Swedge has a Pamlico 145.
Yes, 14-15’ boats are appealing, and so is light weight.
Today I asked my wife if she wanted to take a road trip to Ely, Minn. so I could paddle a variety of Bell and Wenonah canoes at Piragis Outfitters. It is only 21 hours away.
As long as going so far you should go
– Last Updated: Jun-19-07 3:34 PM EST –
out to Red Rock Store and try the 15' Souris River Tranquility. Had one years ago. Great canoe, but did not turn well enough for me so sold it to a friend. He loves and still has it. Original Tranquility was a Jensen, or Jensen type, design. Later they changed it to make it better turning, etc. I had the later model.
>:^)
Mick
Great canoes, but the Souris site
goes rather beyond the bounds of proven reality in the way it puts down all builders not doing layup and design the way Souris does it.
Talking up their own positives shouldn’t mean putting misinformation in the minds of readers.
I totally agree. The importer has always
been, shall we say, over the top. The manufacturer used to be good to talk to, but later went over the top as well. Pressures of business? They both seem to be paying for that. One hardly hears of Souris anymore.
The boats are still good, very good. I would not totally ignor them because the people are strange. If that were the case we could not look at most of the boats out there. I suggested string try one as long as he is going to be so close. Can’t hurt. Besides the place and the lake it is on is beautiful!
Personally, I would probably not buy another new one. But I would buy a used one in a minute if I liked what I paddled.
:^)
Mick
Good question
something I’m curious about, too, since I’m also looking at the Rob Roy as a ADK/BWCA tripper that can also do moderate river travel up to say Class I and easy II’s.
I have a Pamlico 145 tandem and it tracks well enough, (and turns much better than the Pungo 140), but weighs 68#. The trouble with these big cockpit kayaks is the sides are so low and its tough getting a spray skirt that actually works. I bought one of the Seals T-100 spray skirts to fit the Pam145T. The skirt has three openings with little neo cockpit covers so you can paddle tandem or solo. Trouble is, the cockpit is So big the skirt just implodes even in a heavy rain. I’ve toyed with adding struts and hoops to hold it up but haven’t found a good answer yet. I wonder if the Cooke Custom Sewing cover on the Bell Rob Roy 15 has the same implosion problems? Probably not, seeing as how hundreds of open canoes are sporting the CCS spray covers successfully. Another deterrent of the Pungo 140 is turning, the darn thing won’t turn without excessive effort that kills speed and wears the paddler out. I wonder if the Rob Roy 15 turns any better? For example, how does the RR15 turn compared to the Merlin II, or the Magic? And, how about flotation? The Pungo 140 has a rear bulkhead and a front pillar so it won’t submarine when swamped. Does the Rob Roy have any flotation or is it necessary to insert air bags the way I do in the Pamlico 145T?
McWood - i said i asked her.
She said she might consider it if she could bring a sewing machine??? So she won’t be bored while I’m paddling several canoes.
Where can i try out good canoes south of Ely?
Rutabaga in Madison, WI is south of
Ely, though probably not far enough for your needs. http://www.rutabaga.com/section.asp?sid=2
They have a pretty good selection of Wenonah and Bell canoes.
Vagabond is the Voyager’s alter-ego
in the wind. I paddled a royalex version a couple weeks ago on a lake with a bit of a breeze and small chop and it handled the wind great compared to the royalex Wildfire and kevlar Mad River Slipper and Independence that I also paddled in the same conditions that day. The paddle that I liked best in the Vagabond was another paddler’s straight shaft Zaveral Medium - that was a nice combo.
Northwoods Flavor Shops
– Last Updated: Jun-20-07 7:40 AM EST –
Tell your wife there are quite a few great northwoods flavor shops and some galleries in Ely. She wouldn't get bored checking out the town. Since she is into sewing, tell her that on your way here through the UP, Wis, and northern Minnesota that fabric / quilt shops are popular - they seem to be everywhere.
If you go to Ely my suggestion is to try a few out solos, pick one out, then rent one for the rest of the day, launch on Burntside Lake, and put some miles on to really get to know the boat before you put money down. Personally I think the Prism and Magic with a single blade paddle or the Rob Roy with a double blade are solos you should look at.
And I do have a comparison to share with you concerning the Voyager and the Magic. There is one of each in the family navy at my house. With a water bottle, rain jacket, etc., I give a solo canoe a 270 lb. load. This is a light load for the Voyager and I am confident on the water with this boat with that load in winds up to 25mph using a straight shaft single blade, although rear quartering winds above 20 mph will make the Voyager skate. With this same load and same paddle in a Magic, I actually find the Voyager easier to turn than the Magic. The Magic is not overloaded at 270 lbs, but the stems are quite planted. And for us bigger bodies, the stock seat in a Magic is so tiny, you are basically sitting on the wood seat rails with no sense of cushioning. I find the big tractor seat in the Voyager much more comfortable for paddling for more than an hour.
If I get another canoe, I am leaning
toward the Rob Roy.I have a harder time convincing me that I need another boat than I have convincing my wife.
hull design in a big difference
it’s a much faster/better hull design than ANY plastic boat. you simply can’t shape plastic as well as composites. also, DY designed it. i’ve put 6,000 miles on mine, so far.
Yes, but you know that a Kevlar
Rob Roy will become a delaminated mass of soggy fabric in just a short while.
Like a couple of decades or so.
She really needs a new serger and that
elevating table to boot. That will keep her busy for a few canoe demos. ;^)
Don’t forget Carl and John’s Paddlin: http://www.paddlin.com/
:^)
Mick
Wait 'til May '08
Then go to the ADK Paddlefest in Old Forge NY. Bell & Wenonah + several others will be there for test paddles. It should be a shorter drive, 16 hours or so.
Here’s the link to the photo gallery:
http://www.mountainmanoutdoors.com/AdirondackPaddlefest/PhotoGallery/tabid/95/Default.aspx
The future of canoeing?
thanks for posting your MountainManOutdoors.com photo spread of hundreds of kayaks and like maybe three canoes. The event was held in the ADK, the very heart of eastern canoe country, and that’s all the canoes they could muster? Or were you just intentionally pointing your camera at kayaks only? This scene looks very similar to the East Coast CANOE and Kayak Festival in Charleston, SC in April. No &#$@, there we were, me and two other canoe guys, surrounded by probably 400 kayaks. That is our future, eh?