MartinG wrote:
A few of the canoes like the MRC Guide, Millbrook Patriot, Hemlock SRT or even the Dragonfly are not ideal for my needs. Most of the time I'm paddling flatwater or hiking with a canoe on my head.
For the occasional time I need a bit more rocker and a bit more wave shedding it seems like the Yellowstone solo/Wildfire is the way to go.
Martin, I'd like to clarify some things about the SRT. You seem to think it has too much rocker to be useful in flat water. Not so at all.
I own an SRT and Bell Wildfire and have day played and overnight tripped in both. The SRT is significantly faster and more efficient on the flats than the Wildfire or Yellowstone. It's flat speed is a function of narrow waterline, rounded (more so than shallow arch) bottom, differential rocker and pinched stern. The tradeoff is that the SRT is more initially tippy than the Wildfire or Yellowstone.
The SRT is also more capable in whitewater than either the Wildfire or Yellowstone, especially with a tripping load. It is more capable because of it's greater depth and its fuller and more flared bow. The SRT laughs at class 2 rapids, but it's not a whitewater playboat.
As to turnability, the Wildfire is more turnable than the SRT when paddled with a load less than about 220 pounds. They are about equal at 220, but of course the SRT will have much more freeboard. I wouldn't trip in the Wildfire with 250 pounds of load because of the freeboard. The SRT can probably be loaded up to 400 pounds and still have good freeboard.
Dave Curtis now makes a lightweight version of the SRT, which he says comes in at about 34 pounds. If you could talk him out of gelcoat, you could probably drop another 3 or 4 pounds and probably be the first to convince him to do so.
I think the Osprey is also a boat that would satisfy your OP criteria.