Hello Hans,

I've soloed on my last four trips( 8 days-2 weeks) in the Quetico with a Wenonah Advantage (see their website for details). It weighs 33#, is fast, and I find it reasonably stable. The downside is that it has relatively low freeboard and I've found myself sitting out days with winds in excess of 18-20 mph. I weigh 175# and my food/gear for 2 weeks comes in at around 70# or so. The canoe does well with this load and I'm quite satified with it. Additionally, I folded it in two places over my roof rack (let's not dwell upon the particulars) drove it to Wenonah and it was completely repaired in an hour and one-half; I even got to meet Dave Krueger who designed it...good people/good service.

I initially used a bent-shaft paddle and averaged 2.5-3mph at a pace that I could maintain all day. I switched to a 240mm double-bladed paddle and my average increased to 4 mph on flat water. Additionally, the double is much better in heavy wind when trying to keep the bow into the waves.

I've heard good things about "Bell Magics" though I've never paddled one. If they paddle as well as they appear to be built, they may be "magic".

Best of luck in your search,

jay stoeckel
jstoecke@vt.edu

Posted by Jay Stoeckel on February 19, 2002 at 18:55
From IP address 209.208.5.234