This will be my fifth trip to the Q in as many years, but the first trip in a 3 person canoe.  I'm curious to see if there are any issues that I should be prepared for with three adults in one canoe (MN III).

Off the top of my head I anticipate two:

1.) Casting may get tricky given the extra set of swaying arms and the cramped space.  Trolling would have to be done using only two rods.
2.) Unlike trips with two or three tandem canoes where we occassionally switch traveling partners, this year the three of us will be in the same canoe the entire 8 days.   I don't expect this to be an issue, but there is a possibility it could get annoying.

Finally, in your experience, have all three paddled or is it easier to coordinate if the middle guy sits out.

On the plus side, I'm hoping to gain some efficiencies on the portages with only one canoe/3 people vs one canoe/2 people.

My search of this topic came up empty.  Thank you in advance!

Taken one trip in a MNIII-

All three should paddle - it is fast.
That being said the stern paddler should be ready for a surprise on that first drift into a portage landing, the momentum carried by three people and gear is tremendous.

Probably best if only two fish at a time (stern paddler is trolling motor), the third seat is relatively close to the stern seat.

the MNIII likes to go straight- the bow paddler must help in order to negotiate twisty creeks (pries, draws, bow rudders etc).

One trip portages are easy.

Thanks for the info Solus.  All good news, except the part about only two people fishing at one time.   I can see this as a potential problem.  But we'll figure it out.

By the way, love your site.

Rotate.

I have trolled three lines out of one canoe before.  It can be done.  The "sweep" rods on either side are the bow and duffer and should be the longest rods you can get without being "noodles" that bend way back on a troll.  They should also be as near horizontal as possible.  The stern man holds his pole straight up by cocking the butt of the rod behind a foot or ankle and the rod rests against his shoulder.  The side rods run somewhat shorter lines and the rear rod runs furthest back.  Try to avoid sharp turns.

When you get a fish, try to reel in as little as possible while still retaining a tight line to the fish until the other two lures are mostly reeled in.

I've used a 3 man a few times........

Middle person MUST know how to cast.........and be AWARE all the time of how they are casting..........

AND the stern person should "watch out" for the middle person.

I put MadNat in the middle, and I was in the back, and she only came close a couple times............I didn't fish nearly as much last year as I normally do, but I still fished and caught plenty of smallies.

I was more worried about the bow paddler, who nearly stuck MadNat on 3 or 4 occasions.........

Later,

Geo

Solus wrote on May 6^th, 2009 at 7:51pm:

All three should paddle - it is fast. That being said the stern paddler should be ready for a surprise on that first drift into a portage landing, the momentum carried by three people and gear is tremendous.

I'd agree with Solus.  With all 3 paddling, you can cruise, even in a headwind.  Use that momentum once you get going, and have everyone change to a hut stroke/half stroke.  You will probably go too fast to troll, but you can get to camp a few hours earlier.  Sometimes I've found that the Duffer (middle person) is more comfortable paddling while sitting on a pack, as there is no middle seat, or it is too low.

Also, experiment with the paddling sides.  Bow & Duffer on one side while Stern paddles on the other would be typical, and you may not have to j-stroke much at all.  You may find Bow & Stern paddling on same side with Duffer on the other will keep you straight in a quartering wind.

If all three are avid fishermen, then you can expect quick adaptation to the circumstances. Productivity will be higher once you find what's working, and you'll find what's working quicker if you keep everyone trying different stuff. Be careful while casting.

Anticipate more time maneuvering the canoe to release snags.

Canoeing with three paddles can get wobbly during hard pulls. You'll have smooth and fast sailing if stern paddler establishes a moderate, even pace and the other two keep time with him. Put stern and middle on opposite sides, then bow chooses side based on wind, current and relative strength of two front paddlers. You'll notice a BIG difference when the middle paddler stops to check bearings on map.

We like to rotate seat positions after every portage, although you should be careful of creating awkward distribution of weight. All three of us weigh about the same.

wrote on May 13^th, 2009 at 7:16pm:

Anticipate more time maneuvering the canoe to release snags.

Our 'snags' fillet out nicely, and don't create extra drag on the water. ;)

When we use a 3 person canoe we have the front person use a kayak paddle.  For us it works better than a regular paddle.  Fast and straight.

As far as fishing goes, I am trying to remember the configuration, but all 3 use Rod Sentry's   (You need to Login or Register.

I think the bow paddler and the stern paddler were on the same side, with the bow paddler straight out and the stearn paddler straight back.  The middle paddler is on the opposite side.

It's not to bad, no crossed lines to speak of.

We used a MNIII a few years ago for a party of three men (total weight about 550). We didn't have any problem with the fishing. We did realize very quickly that care must be taken in loading the canoe. We had to keep all of our packs as low as possible or else the center of gravity became too high and the canoe was only marginally stable.  A few times we paddled from a kneeling position to lower the CG. And we encountered a few bends in narrow streams that were too sharp for the canoe's length, so one or two of us had to get out and help it around.