I have a Mad River Guide and a Swift Raven, the Guide has a proper spray deck so that's what I use for extended tripping.

For short trips in tamer water I sometimes paddle the Raven but it's mostly a loaner for people who say "I'd come with you if I had a solo boat".

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

I have a Swift Shearwater carbon fibre canoe.

I love it. It is the canoe equivalent to a water bug it is so responsive.

My only complaint is that has a little bit too much capacity so I get a little too much freeboard.

-?-

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 Killarney Campsites - check it out... http://sites.google.com/site/killarneycampsites/Home

All in the Swift family. I started out with a Swift Dumoine in Kevlar (a tandem boat) that I frequently used to paddle solo with my dog up front.

Then I bought my first solo dedicated boat a Swift Raven in royalex. Love the boat. Hate the weight for extended trips.

And just last fall I found a Swift Shearwater in Kevlar Fusion. Banged up, and obviously had been wrapped up. But it still has it's shape. So i am hoping I can "fix 'er up" myself with some fibreglassing this spring. It won't be pretty I am sure, but it'll be light, less than 40lbs I would think by the time I am done? And it only cost me $500 plus $200 or so in repairs. A good deal I think? I hope.

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"That's all I have to say about that..." (Forest Gump)

I don't have a solo tripping boat, but that is definitely something to consider in the future. I do have an Esquif L'Edge whitewater solo playboat and a Mad River Caption tandem that is outfitted to allow paddling solo. The L'Edge would be pretty tight for carrying much gear for more than a night or so. I have used the Caption for trips extending to about 4 days no problem. Both boats are very slow on flat water and subject to weathervaning if the wind is blowing; but they are awfully fun when the water gets bumpy.

regards
dave

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Dave W
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing" - Henry David Thoreau

For spring white water trips (3 - 6 days) I use an Esquif Vertige. Lots of room means easy to pack. It's a friendly hull shape for paddling white water with gear as well as an easy canoe to control on the flatwater sections.

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Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

Mine's a 16' Blue Steel Nova Craft Prospector tandem canoe. I remove the stern seat and sit in the bow seat. I reversed the yoke as well. My gear goes far forward, sometimes with a big bag of water right in the bow to ballast it down. This all works well loaded, but it's not really paddle-able solo and completely empty. The brown dog sits right in front of me to get in my way most effectively.

I used to use my 16 foot evergreen prospector for solo tripping before I got my Swift Raven. I agree with Ted that the swift raven is a little cumbersome, but once you get a hang of it you can make it do a lot while carrying a lot! I've run many CIII's and a couple CIV's with it, also surfed it a bunch. I'm planning on building a skirt for it with an open cockpit for this season of paddling. Hopefully the skirt helps reduce air resistance when paddling strong headwinds too, she can be a real pain on big open flat-water sections.

For tripping I’ve used the same Rocky Mountain Crusier 25+years
Fast little boat. Holds me and my gear just nicely.
Last year I replaced it with another RMC that was unfinished and taking up
space in a garage. Got it for a steal.
My newest paddle is the one I found in the river 15 years ago.
WW I use my Impulse.

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Keep your paddle in the water and lean downstream!

My primary solo is a Swift Raven. I got a lot of open water time in with it last summer on Long Island Sound (NY side) and did the Maine Moose River Bow Trip in fine style. I have an Old Town Penobscot 16 and a Madriver Malachite that are just hulls at this point. I plan on setting them up as solos with new wood gunnels and furniture.

My big solo kayak is a Boreal Saguenay- good for upadded to 8 weeks or so. I've just recently a Boreal Labrador for the shorter day trips on up to about 5 days as it is lower volume, but a little speed daemon
Melissa

I still have a kevlar Bell Magic & a royalex Bell Wildfire. I also have a Wenonah 16' royalex Prospector, that I expected to use for a long solo trip. I've got a dog now. But I've gotten older too, and I can't imagine trying to portage all our gear and a 68# boat. And I expect to be doing a lot more flatwater than whitewater now. So, if anyone wants to trade a nice smallish featherweight tandem for my royalex boat, let me know.

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Steve Boal

Most of the world's political, social, and environmental problems have the same root cause: human overpopulation. By 2050 or so, the world population is expected to reach nine billion.

I'm drooling at the types of boats you guys are listing!
Nobody laugh but I'm using a 15' Upper Canada poly tandem... Canadian tire used to sell it. It weighs a ton, handles almost as bad as a Coleman but at least it gets me out.

I'm working on a stripper to replace it. A stretched Wildreness Express (16.5) - tandem again. I wanted a simple design for the first build that can serve many roles.
Already I'm thinking of building a large capacity solo for tripping and only small WW so please keep the list going.

For open water bays and large lakes I have most often been using a Mad River Monarch

http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a59 ... c43d02.jpg

http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a59 ... 7fa825.jpg

For downriver tripping a soloized Old Town Penobscot

http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a59 ... a88763.jpg

http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a59 ... 5a4750.jpg

When boat weight counts I have a Mad River Malecite Ultralight Kevlar, but it has become my designated reservoir day paddling canoe.

All of those boats have been customized with utility sail thwarts and other comfort outfitting.

I like my Pakboats Puffin 12' and my Pakboats Puffin Swift 14'. Both are referred to as kayaks because, like the Hornbeck, they require a double paddle. But really, the hull design is basically a pack canoe. As folding boats they are very light and can be stored easily. Surprisingly, they are tougher than you would think, because when you bash them into hard objects, they 'give' a little. I've had to do some frame repairs over the decade that I've had them, and probably in another 10 years the'll be done, but for the modest cost I think I have done well.

Loon Works Nakoma. 13 feet . Its hence really too small for tripping

Loon Works Aria. 14 feet. Too many thwarts to make for easy packing of one or two canoe packs.

Swift Heron 15 feet. Still going strong after 20 years but it seems to be getting heavier with each patch.

Placid Boatworks RapidFire. For sit on the bottom paddling in ocean or ocean like areas

Swift Raven. For only when I don't have to portage and the dog wants to go.

Hemlock Peregrine. My standard tripping lightweight boat 15 feet

Curtis Nomad. Got for ridiculously low price . 22 year old new boat. Had never been in the water. Its the precurser to the Peregrine and Heron but showed up after I had the others.

Colden DragonFly.. for running rivers. A little heavy for Algonquin portaging for me. Its got some extra layers of carbon and comes in at 38 lbs.

Wenonah Argosy...bounce around boulder garden boat.

None of the above are foam cored boats unless you consider ABS a foam core..it is partly foam. But no stiffener panels on the bottom.