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Backpacker Magazine – May 2008
Canoes: All Aboard!
Some of the country's best wilderness is accessible only by boat. To help you get there, our testers picked the top canoes in six key categories.
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Tags:
- Gear |
- Paddling |
- Kayaks |
- Gear Guide |
All-Purpose Bargain | Solo | Expedition | High-Performance Cruiser | Portable | River Runner | Bargain Boats | Canoes, Deconstructed
[River Runner]
SOAR 14' CANOE
This hybrid inflatable craft is neither canoe nor kayak nor raft, but takes a little DNA from all three. With a self-bailing hull–drainage holes make it impervious to swamping–the boat boffs through waves and rapids like a whitewater raft. The 12-inch side tubes create a very stable ride; testers cruised through Class IV rapids on Idaho's Main Salmon River. Cargo space and load capacity (875 pounds) are adequate for shorter expeditions, like our test crew's week in Utah's Canyon of Lodore, and the 14-foot model works for both solo and tandem paddlers. Like the PakCanoe, the SOAR stows conveniently for travel or storage (packed, it's 15 by 10 by 40 inches). We found the canvas/Hypalon material durable enough for low-water bashing. Caution: This is a river-running boat only; on flat water, it's slow and cumbersome. The price includes pump, repair kit, and thigh straps. $1,795; 14'; 62 lbs. Also available in 12' ($1,625) and 16' ($1,975) versions. (800) 280-7627; soar1.com.
All-Purpose Bargain | Solo | Expedition | High-Performance Cruiser | Portable | River Runner | Bargain Boats | Canoes, Deconstructed
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READERS COMMENTS
Recently, I returned from an 80 day, 1300 mile canoe trip from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay. The Wenonah Champlain was the perfect canoe for the trip! The boat tracked like a dream across Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg and was agile and maneuverable in the white water on the Hayes and God's Rivers in Northern Manitoba! Keep making a great boats, Wenonah!
Recently, I returned from an 80 day, 1300 mile canoe trip from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay. The Wenonah Champlain was the perfect canoe for the trip! The boat tracked like a dream across Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg and was agile and maneuverable in the white water on the Hayes and God's Rivers in Northern Manitoba! Keep making a great boats, Wenonah!
All the canoes reviewed are fine boats for their class, but what about a backpacking boat. Several friends and I go up to the Adirondacks a couple of times a year for some backpacking and trout fishing. The ponds we head to are miles from the trailhead and carrying a 50 lb canoe on top of a 40 pound pack is unbearable (especially for some of the older guys in our group). The solution is a lightweight solo canoe that can be packed into the woods, like a Hornbeck canoe (among others). Their bestseller only weighs 14-16 lbs and can carry up to 300 lbs.
Check them out here:
http://www.hornbeckboats.com/
Albert
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