New Addition

[OnAFly]

I picked up a solo canoe tonight. For $300 I couldn't pass it up.

Old Towne Discovery 119 in poly. It weighs ~40 lbs and is easy to throw in the back of the truck and head out to the little lakes around me. I paddled it for 10 minutes before getting swarmed by gnats. It's definitely less stable than my Penobscot, but it's way easier to paddle solo.

[ted4887]

Nice addition! It would definitely be hard to pass up a $300 solo like that.

I don't like the sound of the gnats... although I haven't really noticed them down here yet. The bugs were thick on the backwaters tonight though. I hope to avoid the gnat swarms for as long as possible.

[Stick in Mud]

Nice find!!! I almost picked one of them up when Sportsmen's Warehouse was going out of business....still kick myself for passing it up.

[Grum]

That is a great find. Always wanted one myself for quick solo trips on local waters. But went with a O.T. Guide 147 so there would be room for a second paddler. Now I regret it as it is as heavy as a 17ft aluminum (74lbs). I think I'd get more use out of it if it was lighter. How does it track? Did you use a single blade paddle? or would you say a double blade paddle would be better to keep it on course?

[OnAFly]

I didn't get a ton of feel for it as I literally paddled for maybe ten minutes before getting pushed off the lake by gnats. I'm not thinking it's going to track real well, as it's a 12ft canoe. But, that's ok for me. I don't plan on going on long trips with it, just tooling around the smaller lakes and rivers.

I used a kayak paddle with it and it works pretty well. I don't like paddling canoes solo without a kayak paddle. I feel like I need to switch off every stroke. That might have something to to with my stroke though.

I plan on getting it out again this weekend hopefully for a longer stint. I'll post more on it then.

PS - There was another short solo on the classified site for $500. FYI.

[Grum]

Thanks for the reply and the tip on the other 12'er. Right now I just have a small 1 stall garage so there is only room for one. Maybe I'll get lucky and find someone looking to trade so I won't have to be without a canoe for long. looking forward to what you think of it after you get more time on the water.

Happy paddling and hopefully your not trying to out run the gnats again. I can't believe how buggy it is this year already.

[OnAFly]

After a good hour with it this afternoon, I got a little better feel for it. It doesn't track the greatest, but it was what I expected from a 12ft canoe. It's not terrible, but it's not great. The stability is definitely something to get used to. After a half hour I could paddle standing up, but you really have to be paying attention.

Bottom Line: It's a great deal for what I paid. It get's me on the water when I can't bring another person to paddle my bigger canoe. It's probably not the right canoe for long paddles (10 miles+), but it should do fine with shorter trips. Stability should be OK once I get used to it more. It paddles well with a kayak paddle (240cm paddle).

Coming up: I want to put an anchor system on it. I figure I can rig something up with a small anchor, some rope and a cleat on the gunwale. I want to figure out some type of paddle storage for when I want to fish too.

[Grum]

Thanks for for the update, sounds like a fun little craft to get out on small waters for quick trips to do some fishing where access is limited to carry in only. I'm sure you'll have a blast with it and some fun making your own customizations. Thanks again for your help.