Solo Tripper compared to production boats

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jcfawcett
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Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:08 pm

Solo Tripper compared to production boats

Post by jcfawcett »

I'm very seriously considering building a Bear Mountain Solo Tripper. I've never built a canoe before, but I have most of the tools required, and I'm pretty handy, so that's not a major concern to me. I'm more concerned with choosing the right design for me. I'm looking for a fast canoe. I'll mostly paddle on smaller, calm lakes and on rivers with nothing more than class I or sometimes class II (maybe) water. I prefer a boat to track straight easily, and to work harder to make it turn, rather than the opposite. I won't likely do much camping with it, mostly workouts and training. I'd also like to use this boat for some recreational racing.

I've looked at the Wenonah Advantage and the Prism, as well as the Bell Magic, and I was wondering if anyone here could compare the Solo Tripper with any of those production boats.

There seems to be a lot of wisdom on this board, so any input is much appreciated!
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

JC..Welcome to the BBS and if I might ask, where are you located? My suggestion is that you give some of the BearMountain designs a spin!! IMHO..the cedar canoes do handle quite a bit different from the production models...and in a pleasant way. I'm sure that if you are located near some of the members of the board, you might get the opportunity to try some designs.

My personal experience with production models has been with the Coleman green plastic models (or equivalent). That doesn't say much but, I think most production models are great for either around a lake or a river, and they are quite durable with minimal amounts of maintenance. The Bob's Special I currently use is a much quicker canoe, is more demanding in technique, and a lot more rewarding to paddle. Most important to me is the pride of paddling something you built (priceless).
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Bryan Hansel
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Post by Bryan Hansel »

I have a Magic and can tell you, as you probably already know, it's a fast canoe with all the qualities that you named plus it is an excellent long distance tripper. I'd go as far as to call the Magic, the best solo canoe for tripping in the BWCA.

Since, I haven't paddled a Solo Tripper, but I sure would like to, I can't really speak to that design. It's 17' long, so just make sure that that length will be accepted in the races that you decide to enter. The description states that it can be paddled leaned Canadian style, so for the fast water you plan to paddle, turning should'nt be an issue. But even the Magic isn't the most fun of a canoe to take down light whitewater. Back Ferry Back Ferry Back Ferry.

As a side, I sure wish more designers and providers of plans would use KAPER to figure out resistance and provide us with stability curves, so we as buyers, could compare canoes and kayaks more objectively. Or, at least, provide us with the numbers required to figure out KAPER on our own.

Once you build your first canoe, look to build more boats. It's addictive.
Rick
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Post by Rick »

JC, the Solo Tripper should be a good choice for most of your intended uses. I agree with Bryan that running whitewater and rivers might not be all that easy with this design.

I've thought of building this one myself since there are large lakes near where I live and the fast day-tripping function would be perfect there. The main drawback is the low upper limit to the carrying capacity, which IIRC, is 250 pounds... so I'm not sure how the hull would perform if overloaded on a canoe trip. The other potential problem is that the center depth is only 11 inches and tumblehomed, which would most likely allow waves to wash over the gunnels in windy weather and rough water, making it a wet boat.

In spite of this there is a letter on one of the pages here that states that the Solo Tripper was used on a a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters/Quetico area, but I don't believe the load exceeded the 250 pound carrying capacity. There might be a contact address here somewhere where you could find out more from the builders.

Good luck!
jcfawcett
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Post by jcfawcett »

Thanks for the replies so far. I think this design is the closest thing I've seen to a Bell Magic or a Wenonah Advantage, etc. It's slightly larger than either of those, and I'm not entirely sure how to decipher the USCA regulations for a solo compeition cruiser, but I think this one's pretty close.

I don't mind so much that there's a low carrying capacity in this boat, as I'm only 170lb or so, and I'm very used to packing light for backpacking, etc.

So. . . it seems like I have a winner, I just hate to commit lots of time and money based on a hasty decision! The only other option I'm considering is the 38 Special from Northwest Canoe.

Decisions, decisions. :thinking
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Bud
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Post by Bud »

Hey JC,
Erik, Belgium from this forum has built a 38 Special, and I think maybe a couple other builders have also. Erik will be able to give you info on the 38.

Here is his website: http://users.telenet.be/kano-kayak/

Bud
"Canoes don't tip. People just fall out of them!" Omer Stringer
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