If you own the boat already why not test paddle it first at home. Approximate your load and try it.

Acipenser wrote on Jul 17^th, 2019 at 11:33am:


I think any tandem solo/unloaded is going to be hard to handle in even a light wind.

Weight the bow, add a double paddle and it's a whole different beast. It will never be as responsive as a true solo BUT I've made it work and for me the pluses outweigh the minuses.

I used to have a Spirit II in Kevlar and I found it difficult to solo. I was paddling from the bow seat, turned around. It was hard to turn and caught the wind a lot. Hard work.

That said, keep in mind i’m not a big guy, and the canoe was unloaded. I was paddling on Superior for an afternoon, and another time in Toronto harbour, of all places ( don’t ask).

With two paddlers and a load, it’s a good boat for big water. For one light guy and no load, it was a pain in the butt.

My wife and I have paddled our Spirit II approximately 4,000 miles and love I.  I only paddle it solo when I am fishing.  The fact that it is asymmetrical bothers me when I paddle from the stern seat.  It is probably just mental but it still bothers me.  I actually wish it was a symmetrical canoe.

Thanks, I have paddled it solo while fishing with rocks in the bow and really like the stability. But is it too much canoe? Paddling behind the center thwart seems to work the best. I'd rather not rent a solo. Since I am not looking to cover a ton of miles I will probably go with it.

I have a Bell NorthStar (16'6" x 34") that's been used as a solo BW tripper twice.  It works great.  I mounted a seat about 18" behind the center thwart and removed the bow and stern seats.  When paddling, I shift my weight to the side I'm paddling on, which heels the boat and makes it more responsive to control strokes, something I do in my solo boats all the time.

The Spirit II has a little rocker - not much - and leaning it will greatly improve its maneuverability.  The more you lean, the more responsive it will be.

DentonDoc wrote on Jul 9^th, 2019 at 9:20pm:


This is what I love about the QJ and these discussions that often get off track.
  I never thought of this but will the next time I buy a dry sack.

  I see the Spirit has a bucket seat option which makes my suggestion mute. If it has web seats, try it both ways with ballast in the bow to see which feels better to you.

I did that with the Souris River tandem. The first couple of trips I paddled from the stern. Hard to turn. Wanted to get closer to the center so I switched to bow seat.

Again it's a matter of what works for YOU.

I too solo a tandem all the time. It's a 16 ft. Wenonah Boundary Waters.  I use a center seat yoke from Spring Creek and paddle from the middle of the boat.  I use a seat back for support. I too like the stability and roominess.  As stated above just trim accordingly.   
Safe travels......Mike

solotripper wrote on Jul 9^th, 2019 at 12:30pm:

If you get one of those with an air-bleed/purge valve, it serves as a handy spigot for camp water dispersement.  Been using one of those for that purpose for years.  If you hang it from a tree (I use a length of rope and a carabiner to make attachment/positioning easier), it also makes a reasonably good backwoods shower.

dd

I used to use a kayak paddle from the stern of my Royalex Spirit II with a young child in the bow seat. The Spirit is a wide canoe so  paddling it backwards will be a little tougher. Unless its windy, paddling a properly trimmed Spirit from the stern would be my advice.