I have  had my Prism for about 20 years and have never regretted getting it. When you load it down the stability increases because of what the maker calls the shallow arch design. There are faster canoes but stability is important to me. I am 190 pounds and often start a long trip with packs totaling 170 pounds, the Prism handles it fine. I also like the width of the Prism, no prying bulky packs out of a skinny canoe. >:(