As many of you know, or at least I hope I have been transparent enough to convey, that I am no expert when it comes to canoes. I have not studied their designs and am not privy to strengths and weaknesses inherent in production methods. I have not experienced a wide variety of water conditions as well, being almost exclusively a flat water paddler. So with that caveat in mind I shall still try and endeavor to give my impressions of the Superior Expedition canoe.
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The first thing that struck me was how fast the boat was. After 10 days of paddling I decided to see how quickly I could do Moose lake. A Boy Scout troop had left just before me via water taxi. When I arrived at the landing Tad (Guide) and his troop was spread out on the grass having lunch. "You made good time" he said. I think they were quite surprised to see me.

Even though the boat seems fast I did not get the feeling that stability was compromised to achieve speed, even in the rough.

Speaking of rough.......I had it out in weather that was reasonably rough. The "you can hear the wind in the trees" rough. I never felt vulnerable or unstable and probably wasn't close to ascertaining its true capabilities. The only water that got my attention was strong following seas. The other thing I loved was that the wind never seemed to grab hold of her. That is logical since it is a decked boat shaped like a torpedo.

I disliked portaging through the woods with it. The rudder, even when up, had a distinct propensity to grab hold of branches. Other than that the boat is not so hard to portage coming in at about 65lbs.

I loved the seat. My first encounter with a tractor style seat and I like it quite a bit. The seat set-up is adjustable as well. Sit higher in calm conditions and lower when it is rough. The yoke is built into the seat, just flip it upside down. Works perfectly. I picked up a yoga mat of thin closed cell foam to spread out under my feet. That was certainly an upgrade.

The whole rudder type steering deal was all brand new to me. Awesome. I liked being able to paddle on one side for an hour and then switching. The other thing I noticed is being able to brace my feet, even if just slightly, helped me to transfer power to the stroke. It also helped stretch my tight legs out. One of the first trips where I didn't feel like I needed a backrest of some sort. As for fishing the advantages couldn't be more positive. Very nimble for a big boat. Plus I liked being able to change the boats drift by adjusting the rudder. Want to drift a shoreline.....the rudder is a big help. Want to turn the boat into the waves while fighting a nice fish.......bingo!

Large canoe packs will not stow under the decks even though this is a very large capacity boat. There is room for one upright pack behind you in the cockpit however. I opted for waterproof duffels. Watershed makes one that is quite long and fit perfectly in the stern section (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
The smaller duffels filled out the rest of my kit.

Upon my return I decided to get ready for my proposed next trip......the Wilderness Waterway in the everglades in December. I had to shelve the duffel idea since the raccoons would likely tear them to shreds to get at my water and food. Instead I opted for 5 gallon buckets with screw top lids and rubbermaid totes (1 ten gallon and 1 14gallon). I could fit 3 5gallon buckets, 1 bear canister and 2 totes. So as you can see the boat can carry quite a bit. Scott Smith, the manufacturer, said he wanted to be able to stuff a deer in the hold.

My only question is just how tough is the boat. I am suspicious. I do know that I will have to have keel guards as her fine entry points are already showing signs of wear and I am not particularly abusive when it comes to landings (what's the rush?). How she would do in rapids under load and coming in on a pile of rock is a question I would be hesitant to find out about. I know the Sea Wind, which the Expedition is modeled after, has a reputation for toughness but I am less certain about this boat. But since I am no hotshot it will likely suit my needs perfectly.

Anyway, it is a very fun craft to paddle and I am very pleased with it. The price is right as well when one considers that a Sea Wind is over 6K and would be out of my price bracket. The Expedition comes in at 3.5K and well worth the money IMO. I will be curious just how long it takes before the price on these boats goes up. As I gain experience I will relate them be they good or bad. We'll see how she does on the Ocean which is the main reason I bought the boat in the first place.......but when one considers Lakes Superior and Georgian Bay all sorts of new possibilities open up.

I use a Single blade Oldie, or would that be Moldy ........(Sorry, I just can't seem to resist being a wise guy).........

I really liked, no make that loved, the rudder, especially in the rough stuff.........

Yup, I am a fan of Bending Branches paddles myself. My backup paddle is a BB Expedition straight shaft. It is also my fishing paddle as I got sick of my Zav being blown around when I set it on the gunnels......

Hey.......this thread gives new meaning to the term "bottoms up"