Has anyone paddled the Swift Cruiser 16'8? What did you think?

I went to a Swift Demo Day this past Spring specifically to try the 16'8" Cruiser. I've been shopping for a sitting canoe since kneeling is getting painful for me. I didn't like the boat. It felt like it took quite a bit of muscle to get up to speed and it didn't feel super fast to me. It also doesn't turn well and although one doesn't expect a "go fast" boat to turn well they did add a little rocker to help turning but for me it was still very stubborn. One might be able to get it to turn better with some practice.

To be fair I paddled it lightly loaded with a total load under 200 pounds. I have a Swift Shearwater with the same efficient load range (180-320 pounds) and you can also feel the skin friction of the large boat when you're at the light end of the load range. Maybe I'd like the Cruiser better with more weight in it but I'm looking for a boat that feels good both lightly loaded and also with a load in it (typically a big dog in my case). The Cruiser was stable and friendly and very well made and nice and light for such a big boat and it still felt stiff and strong.

I also don't like the Sawyer Shockwave that the Cruiser is based upon but lots of other people seem to love the Shockwave so just because I don't like the Cruiser doesn't mean you wouldn't. I used to have a Souris River Jensen Solo 16 that seemed significantly faster and more efficient than the Cruiser but then again it was a pretty low volume boat that didn't have room or capacity for a dog.

daypaddler,
Thank you for your comments.

I think I'm being fussy. My most frequent outings are day paddles with a load of under 200lb. I guess I'm looking for a high performance solo tripper with some maneuverability. I own a Colden Dragonfly, a Colden Flashfire, and a Swift Raven. Through the local club I have access to Swift's Shearwater and Osprey as well a several different marathon C-1s. I have paddled the Clipper Solitude, Wenonah Prism, Swift Kee 15 and a few others. The marathons are certainly fast but I would like something more manoeuvrable and easier to handle in wind and waves. Right now my favourite day paddlers are the Dragonfly and the Shearwater. Probably something between a marathon C-1 and tripper, maybe a slightly beamier John Winters' Barracuda would do the trick.

It sure is fun paddling different boats in various conditions.

Thanks again.

You certainly have a wide range of boats! The Raven must feel like a truck. When I had mine it certainly did. I also have a Colden Flash and a Colden Wild and a Colden Dragonfly.

I have an old Curtis Nomad which has quite a bit of maneuverability. If I didn't I would be ordering a lighter sweeter Nomad from Colden. The Nomad is extremely well behaved in wind and waves even the challenging stern quartering wind/waves. It is a quick canoe too.

I'm pretty fussy too. I've paddled all the boats you mention except the Clipper and C-1's. You might like the Hemlock Peregrine (updated Nomad) since it has significantly more speed than Shearwater or Dragonfly but more maneuverability than the Swift Cruiser or a C-1. Peregrine can handle big wind and waves for sure. But Peregrine and Nomad give up maneuverability compared to Shearwater. Another one you might like is the Northstar Trillium. It's shorter than I'd typically prefer but it paddles very nicely...exceptionally effortless. It will outrun a Shearwater or Dragonfly yet you can still turn it around in wind and waves with one or two big sweep strokes. Trillium seems to have the speed of my Bell Merlin II with maneuverability more like Shearwater. I owned a Peregrine in the past and would get another and if I were to buy another boat right now it would probably be a Trillium.

Peregrine is not an updated Nomad.. Not even close. The Peregrine has a straight keel line ( we chalk lined mine when I had it). The advertised rocker is not there as LDC says he measures rocker differently than DY ( which is understandable as there is no formal way where rocker is measured from)

Peregrine is way less maneuverable than Nomad. When I had both we ran speed trials with various paddlers. Peregrine always lost partly because it was actually a little hogged and could not round the buoys with as narrow a radius as Nomad. Peregrine was sold. Both handled Gulf of Mexico waters well and I was pleased that Peregrine spray cover fit the Nomad too.

Size matters in solos. Shearwater is in another class and for bigger paddlers with longer arms. Its swede form makes it more trim sensitive offset by its huge capacity. Sorry we had one of those too. It lost.

littleredcanoe,
The Raven certainly is a truck and this one is much heavier than the first one I owned. Although I don't personally paddle it much, I hang on to it because, in our canoe courses, it is more comfortable as an introductory solo for larger paddlers. Also it is great as a rescue boat.

How about a Bell Magic?