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 Post subject: Opinions on Pakboats?
PostPosted: August 24th, 2014, 9:39 am 
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Joined: October 21st, 2004, 7:22 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Kitchener,Ontario
Have an opportunity to buy one was wondering what everyone thought? Puffin Saco Is the model I think.

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PostPosted: August 26th, 2014, 10:18 am 
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Joined: December 2nd, 2002, 7:00 pm
Posts: 3731
Location: Grand Haven, Michigan U.S.A.
You've probably read my opinions on Pakcanoes here on CCR if you have been in the archives. I have three Pakcanoes, but I also have a Puffin 12. I bought the canoe for Laura who is 5'3" to run whitewater for a week on the San Juan River in Utah. Laura mainly paddles a canoe but had shortly before come to canoes from kayaks. We converted the Puffin 12 to a solo canoe with a kneeling thwart, and loaded the boat with her pack and 5 gallons of drinking water. The boat performed much better than we expected with one exception. The Velcro fastened deck wasn't very good at keeping water breaking over the relatively shallow hull sides out of the boat. But the boat performance was very good. I paddled the boat on several occasions during the designing of the kneeling thwart and supports as a canoe in up to 3 foot wind driven waves while empty. The Puffin like all the other Pakcanoes are just plain the best canoes I've ever paddled in a following wind.

I personally can't speak for how the Puffins paddle compared with similar sized kayaks because I never paddle kayaks.

PK


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PostPosted: August 26th, 2014, 4:45 pm 
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Joined: January 22nd, 2005, 12:16 pm
Posts: 4037
Location: Toronto
Right on, PK!
Additions:
1. Despite the lack of a keel, they track well even in a side wind.
2. They are a bit slower than a hardshell.
3. Very dry boats, even through huge rooster tails and over big ledges; they even corkscrew over wonky ledges.
Only regret: I didn't buy one five years earlier; would have saved a large fraction of the money I put into it.

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A literal mind is a little mind. If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all. Good enough isn't.  None are so blind as those who choose not to see. (AJ)



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