2007 Canoe Review

Old Town Koru, $2,999
(http://www.oldtowncanoe.com)
Length: 17 ft., 5 in.
Beam: 33.75 in.
Depth (bow, center, stern): 21.5 in., 14.75 in., 21.5 in.
Rocker: slight
Weight: 50 lbs.
Capacity: 1,000 lbs.
Material: Advanced Composite

Old Town Koru

“What a beautiful canoe!” Reaching back to reinterpret classic canoe lines and looking ahead to reenter the realm of composite construction, Old Town brings old Maine craftsmanship to the stunning Koru. Even at a distance the Koru’s lines make a paddler’s heart beat faster. The sweeping charcoal and black carbon fiber lines evoke an understated refinement and promised speed, glide, and performance.

Our test paddlers are admittedly spoiled, accustomed to boats built for review. But the attention to construction detail was evident in every aspect of the Koru—from the slotted wood gunwales and deck plates to the brass end caps and the shaped carry thwarts. Right down to having every slotted brass screw head aligned in parallel. The Koru strikes the traditional canoeist with a sense of historic familiarity and the stem lines hint of something elegant and time-tested; vestigial memories of birch bark hunting canoe designs? The Koru paddles as sweet as it looks, the fine entry provides ample speed and glide, while the 30-inch bow slider seat allows functional windage trim.

Kudos: Stunning craftsmanship.
Gripe: Dowel-style hangers on the stern seat wobble; a truss hanger would provide more rigidity.

Wenonah Northfork, $849
(http://www.wenonah.com)
Length: 16 ft., 9 in.
Beam: 37.5 in.
Depth (bow, center, stern): 20 in., 13.5 in., 20 in.
Rocker: 1 in., 1 in.
Weight: 87 lbs.
Material: Rotomolded polyethylene

Offering new performance in rotomolded construction, Wenonah enters the polyethylene field with the rugged and responsive Northfork. Our test paddlers felt at home from the first paddle stroke. Maybe it was the familiar raked stems. Maybe it was the typical Wenonah construction, accentuating the “fit” in outfitting. Maybe it was the pleasantly surprised, “Hey, it’s plenty fast!” exclamations from our grinning reviewers.

The Northfork, despite its nearly flat bottom and 36-inch waterline, was agreeable efficient, a rarity in polyethylene canoes. The beam and bottom afford ample primary stability and make the Northfork suitable for sporting use. The brightwork is rugged and solid, if economically inelegant. Wenonah’s aluminum plate seat hangers allow easy height or cant adjustment with DIY spacers. Or not; the seat placement and comfort was universally praised by our differentially sized crew. The bottom oil canned when empty, as expected from a long poly canoe, but didn’t detract noticeably from the Northfork’s overall speed and glide.

Wenonah Northfork

Kudos: Durable three-phase rotomolded polyethylene construction make it attractive to budget-minded families and outfitters. Gripe: A touch more arch to the bottom would make the Northfork a polyethylene star.

Nova Craft Pal, $2,250
(http://www.novacraft.com)
Length: 16 ft.
Beam: 34 in.
Depth (bow, center, stern): 20 in., 13 in., 20 in.
Rocker: slight
Weight: 50 lbs.
Capacity: 900 lbs.
Material: Kevlar/Spectra

Nova Craft Pal

Much to the delight of tradition-minded single stickers, Nova Craft resurrected the all-purpose Pal design from the Chestnut Canoe Company’s Pleasure canoe line. More than one paddler commented “that was fun” getting out of the Pal, which faithfully recaptures the performance that made the original one of Bill Mason’s favorite choices for quietwater paddling and play.

Equally pleasant when paddled tandem or solo, the Pal responded precisely to paddling strokes. Thwart placement on the symmetrical hull allows the Pal to be paddled bow backwards and our test canoe came equipped with a kneeling thwart, tempting Canadian-style paddlers to heel the gunwale to the water’s edge. The boat shows the superb work we’ve come to expect from Nova Craft, from thoughtfully curved end thwarts, deeply sculpted ash yoke, and remarkably comfortable nylon laced seats. The beveled edges of the ash gunwales were forgiving of knees and knuckles and the bow seat laced a generous 21 inches wide to facilitate bow-backwards soloing.

Kudos: Responsive and fun
Gripe: The kneeling thwart was nicely curved and canted, but with only 6.5 inches of clearance, big paddlers will need to trim the hangers to suit.

Placid RapidFire, $2,495
(http://www.placidboatworks.com)
Length: 15 ft.
Beam: 27.5 in.
Depth (bow, center, stern): 17 in., 11 in., 16 in.
Rocker: 1.5 in., 1 in.
Weight: 28 lbs.
Capacity: 540 lbs.
Material: Vacuum-infused kevlar carbon

Placid RapidFire

Placid Boatworks approaches canoe construction with a tradition of fine boatcrafting and a pronounced bent for adapting new materials and technology. Mr. Wizard meets Dave Yost, and the results are spectacular. The technology-savvy design crew brings speed to pack canoes with the catch-me-if-you-can RapidFire. Our test paddlers tended toward the monosyllabic after paddling the RapidFire: “wow.” Paddled with a 230-centimeter double blade, this is a water rocket. A 28-pound water rocket with plenty of room for gear. Let the campsite races begin—quick to cruising speed, easy to keep there, and long on glide, the RapidFire will run with sea kayaks. It’s light enough to keep a good pace on the trail too; thanks to a complex lamination schedule of over 30 carbon and kevlar pieces coupled with an emission-reducing vacuum infusion process.

Cherry gunwales with rabbeted inwale, proprietary Dymondwood laminate thwarts and end caps set off by gleaming clear gel carbon over scratch-hiding waterline cream coat make the RapidFire eye candy as it flashes past.

Kudos: Wow.
Gripe: Our big boy testers would have selected the optional wood frame seat for their XL derrieres.

Mohawk Solo 14, $760
(http://www.mohawkcanoes.com)
Length: 14 ft.
Beam: 30.25 in.
Depth (bow, center, stern): 18 in., 12.5 in., 18 in.
Rocker: 1 in., 1 in.
Weight: 39 lbs.
Capacity: 375 lbs.
Material: R-84, a foam-core material like Royalex with a thinner coating

Mohawk Solo 14

Mohawk Canoe, having ceased production at their Florida facility last year, reemerges in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under new ownership with an extensive line of boats, including the nimble Solo 14. Sometimes plain Jane looks belie a heart of gold. The Solo 14’s uncomplicated appearance disguised such a pleasing demeanor that prompted several of our test paddlers to ask “How much for this boat?” Under eight bills. Mohawk is back. Back with more than a dozen solo canoes and nearly a dozen tandems. Back with factory direct prices and custom outfitting options to satisfy the typical paddler’s desired bang for their hard earned buck. Back with so many hull choices available we dithered before selecting the versatile Solo 14. Lightweight and equally suitable for a variety of paddling styles, the Solo 14 is at home on lakes and small streams, fishing or freestyle, single or double bladed. For our 200-plus-pound testers to the clamoring kids, the Solo 14 remained agile and easily manageable, a solo boat for almost anyone in the family. Standard outfitting was sparse but functional with oversized deck plates molded for drain holes and stem lines; aluminum plate seat hangers and webbed seat keep the weight under 40 pounds, so anyone can carry and load this multipurpose genie.

Kudos: Super light and versatile.
Gripe: R-84 construction, with a slightly thinner substrate layer than Royalex, reduces the weight by 5 pounds but is less dent resistant.

—Special thanks to Blue Mountain Outfitters in Marysville, Pennsylvania for receiving the test canoes.