Similar to many of you I spend way too much time and money researching and buying new gear. Strangely, I haven't ever really put a lot of thought into the canoe that I use for tripping. And, up until last year I had always used an aluminum canoe. It was loud and heavy but it worked and always got me to where I wanted to be. But, seeing all of the light kevlar canoes on the water and wanting to cut portage weight I started to get some serious gear envy.

So, last year I rented a Minnesota II for a trip just to see how I liked it. Based on the reviews I had read it seemed to be considered a good all around canoe. Unfortunately, even before the trip was over I started to develop a deep hatred for the canoe. I am hoping that some of you can help me understand why. And, ultimately, point me in the direction of a canoe that I will enjoy.

First, the Minnesota II was noticeably lighter. But, it was incredibly uncomfortable to carry. The entire canoe was off balance and as a result it caused far more pain and fatigue than the heavier aluminum canoe ever did. My niece is roughly the same weight as the Minnesota II and I could carry her on my shoulders all day long. Unfortunately, the canoe felt more like carrying an elephant than carrying my niece. I would imagine that this is fixable, but how? And, is this common?

Second, in the water the canoe just seem slow; it dragged. It felt as though I was pushing it through the water while the old aluminum canoe felt like it was gliding through the water. It was almost effortless in the old canoe. Also, I noticed this dragging with and without a heavy load. Physically, I didn't see much of a difference in the shape or size of the two canoes. But, there was a huge difference in the performance.

Putting these two things together made me dread going near that damn canoe. And, that certainly isn't something that I am looking for. So, what am I looking for?

• Light and Easy to Portage: With the old canoe I could put it on my shoulders and let it go. It would just sit an balance. Doing this with the Minnesota II that I had rented was impossible. The old canoe was certainly heavy and I do want to move away from this. However, as stated above the lighter canoe was actually more difficult.
  
• Tandem with Solo Possible: I need an extra seat for a partner but it would be nice to be able to reverse the canoe for a solo trip.
  
• Smooth Glide: I don't particularly care how fast it is I just want it to glide in the water. If it feels like a chore to paddle I will not want to paddle.
  
• Carry a decent load: I tend to travel fairly light but I cannot always say the same for my traveling partners. It needs to be able to carry at least enough for a typical week long trip.
  
• Stable: It needs to be stable enough to fish from. I didn't have any problems fishing from the Minnesota II but any other canoes that I would consider would also have to meet this criteria.
  

So, is there something out there that fits this bill? Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated.