Got a Solo Canoe

[Newanderthal]

Since I'm on the road so much (long haul trucker) and my girlfriend has the summer off (tech support for the school) and my dog requires frequent adventures (spoiled brat) I snatched a solo canoe from Dick's during their boat sale so she can have some fun this summer while I'm working.

It's an Old Town Guide 119. The boat is about 11 feet long and roughly 40 lbs. The molded seat sits lower than most canoe seats and has a foldable back. The hull is very rigid like all the Guide canoes and has two ash thwarts for easy carrying. We grabbed a cheap kayak paddle (230 cm long) and hit the lake for a quick test.

I was worried about the stability after reading reviews where several people who claimed to be experienced paddlers capsized. Cruising the lake with an excited dog hopping up on the gunwales every five seconds convinced me that those people were drunk. The seat is too low for this thing to capsize in anything short of a hurricane. It barely even wobbles when caught broadside by the wake from a jet ski.

The canoe doesn't move like a sit-in kayak, but glides almost as well as the sit-on-top kayaks I've tried. Once you get moving, something that doesn't take much effort, it's easy to make a U-turn. I dipped the paddle in on one side and held fast, and the canoe turned around it. Again, not quite as well as an 11 foot yak but far batter than any tandem canoe I've ever parked my butt in.

Well worth the $400 I spent and a great solo rig for the dog owner.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


How did the kayak-type paddle compare to using a regular canoe paddle?

 

[jason]

Looks good and glad to see you are wearing a vest along with the pup.

 

[ppine]

I have never paddled a solo canoe and have been happy paddling large tandem boats. Kayak paddles work fine after you get used to them. For rough water I usually use a conventional paddle. In Feb I converted some other paddlers to kayak paddles. They were very comfortable by the second or third day.

There might be some advantages of a solo boat for a smaller person or when the wind is blowing. I never liked the narrow beam which makes them tender. Shorter wetted perimeter makes them slower also.

 

[Newanderthal]

How did the kayak-type paddle compare to using a regular canoe paddle?

The kayak paddle worked great. Since the canoe is so short (11 feet) it's difficult to keep the boat tracking straight with a canoe paddle without switching sides at every stroke. The kayak paddle solves that problem. The only drawback is that instead of water dripping on the deck of a kayak, it's dripping on my toes.

 

[Cappy]

The way ya solve that water dripping control problem is with a big bladed canoe paddle shorten ya stroke and kick out at the end of the stroke I think yall call that a J stroke. Canoe snobs often argue about the waisted energy not aplied to forward thrust but sheesh give me a break. With a shorter J type stroke and a lil practice ya can knife a short boat through the water straight and ya only swap sides when ya tired.So since its only once an hr or so ya back switch. The paddle passes behind ya and the blade tip stays over the water no dripps no soggy shoes or knees etc no worries.

 

[Theo]

Canoe strokes and control - YouTube

 

[Reed]

A man, his dog and a solo. Good stuff man. You're a good husband to buy that for your wife. And for 400 dollars, that's a smoking deal.

 

[Hirsch]

I have both the Old Town Pack (12') and the Guide 119 (11'9") and both are fine craft. The Guide gives up little to the Pack that costs twice as much. I have mostly loaned the guide to friends tripping with me, but have made a 4 day trip in it. I believe it may be the best value in the solo market.

I grew up in tandem canoes but in my mind a kayak paddle is the only way to go in a solo canoe.

These are both Guide 119. The camo is mine.