When I posted on page 1, I cited my MR Synergy, a mainly tandem 15 footer that I use as a solo ww cruiser. I mentioned my MR Guide Solo, which I don't use much. Anyway, here's the Synergy on the Deerfield.


IMG_1539 by ezwater, on Flickr


Here's the boat I neglected to mention, a Millbrook Big Boy designed by big Bob Connolly for his run on the Grand Canyon. Large as I am, I'm kind of dwarfed by the hull, which is 17" deep at center. You won't find the Big Boy in the Millbrook catalog, because Kaz found too many leaks in the mold. I call mine the "Edsel". The boat weighed ~35 pounds empty, and it's about 50 pounds outfitted. This boat's bottom and sides are stiffened by Spheretex, glass layers full of tiny bubbles. Here I'm on the Schroon River south of the Adirondacks.


IMG_1728 by ezwater, on Flickr

I still have three decked c-1s, an '83 Phoenix Fiberlastic c-1, a late 90s Millbrook Wide Ride (another Connolly design), and my fabulous '96 Dagger Zealot, with which you are already familiar. My knees no longer allow much c-1 paddling.


slowboat by ezwater, on Flickr

"I had a 55 gallon drum cut in half lengthwise, with one half being my boat." kudos, you have my vote!

My first paddling experience was in a small swamp, in a discarded concrete mixing vat. Much more hydrodynamic than half a 55 gallon drum.

You should try paddling in1/2 of a surplus fighter plane drop tank-no that's tender!
Turtle

Or this: https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hp ... 7370_n.jpg

https://www.cboats.net/cforum3/download ... &mode=view

https://www.cboats.net/cforum3/download ... &mode=view

https://www.cboats.net/cforum3/download ... &mode=view

So, It's -2F or -19C with a stiff west wind, so, I've re-totaled our preferences up again, excluding McCrea and Blanc because the original question was favorite, not their laundry lists. Damn near excluded Taylor too, for the same reason and have not included tandems apparently used tandem. So it goes! I made no attempt to eliminate double entries. We've about 140 submissions, I'll use that number for percentages, but an interested party could ascertain a better number than that

I'm a little surprised about burgeoning numbers of WW solos, and flabbergasted by the shameless inclusion of three more kayaks.

Tandems paddled solo increased from 20 up to 34, the latter representing ~25% of total choices, surprisingly low for a Mason oriented site.

Dedicated solos from 54 up to 105, of which 25 are WW hulls, 15 RX touring and 15 Sport, with 40 Solo Trippers, Super Novas included in this group. So WW advocates are ~ 18% of our total and 57% of us prefer some variation on a solo tripper: whether RX, Sport, Sit & Switch or a kneeling solo tripper.

Who'd a thunk?

Maybe the question for those of us with too many boats should be "What is the boat you used most recently for solo tripping?"

For me it would be a Clipper Viper 12 used for a three day, two night trip on Missouri's Current river Dec 26-28, 2013:



It is a whitewater hull but roomy enough for two 60 L barrels, a soft cooler, a couple of dry bags and a little bit of additional flotation.

that would be the envy button, Pete.
Here he is in another of his wardrobe looking fine in pink.



North Fork of the White River. Ozark Rendezvous in the Spring.. in late April. All welcome.even tandem teams..though there aren't many of those.

Charlie dug up this thread. He has a fine pink boat too; though he is more discerning than I and it might be "mauve"

The Hemlock Shaman makes a pretty capable river tripping boat also, I find, and is a little more efficient than a Viper 12. But with its present saddle and thwart configuration, I can only fit one 60 L barrel in it.

My motto is 'why take just enough when you can take way too much?'

Traded out my glass Clipper Solitude for a blackgold Bell Magic.

Charlie, in the name of snowed-in survey science you can put me down for a soloized Penobscot and MR Monarch.







I have paddled only a handful of different boats this year, and 90% of my tripping time and miles have been in the Penobscot or Monarch. For my peculiar preferences in venue and hull I don’t see anything replacing them as my go-to boats in the near future.

Darned it. Have to break up a fight in the boat barn again. Only the Monarch is going for sure to Florida

The other four candidates are squabbling.. Oh no the kayak just joined...










They are a little p*oed about being stuck in the snow.. boat cabin fever!

I seem to have overlooked the important “why” part of that question.



Why the Monarch?
For open water tripping, big lakes and tidal waters, I’m absolutely sold on a semi-decked canoe with a rudder and a sail. I carry too much gear, and sometimes potable water, to fit in most sea kayaks, and loading/unloading via hatches is a size restrictive PITA. I’d much rather have two or three packs or large dry bags stuffed under the open decks than finagle a dozen 20L bags in and out of hatches.

The Monarch not only packs easily, it is the most forgiving boat I own in challenging wind and wave. It is a better boat than I am a paddler. I’ve used that boat in conditions far beyond what would have put me knock-kneed ashore in an open canoe and still feel that I’ve pushed my paddling limits more than the Monarch’s. There’s still gas in the tank.

It is not a long list of such boats; Kruger’s Loon, Monarch and Sea Wind family, Clipper Sea-1 and Superior Expedition:
http://www.madrivercanoe.com/content/ma ... e%2020.jpg

http://www.krugercanoes.com/Welcome.html

http://www.clippercanoes.com/boat_specs ... del_id=126

http://www.superiorcanoes.com/solocanoes.html

Why the Penobscot?
That older Royalex hull is tough, and I can be uncaringly hard on my boats. The RX weight doesn’t bother me; the furthest I’ve carried a boat in the past year was 440 feet. I know the distance exactly – it measures from my mailbox at the top of the drive down to my snowbound shop.

The Penobscot will haul a load and, in most conditions where I use an open boat, still paddle within my speed/stability/maneuverability/seaworthiness ratio. But I most often turn to the Penobscot because after 10 years of tweaking the outfitting for my physiology comfort and preferences it is as close to perfection as any boat I own.

The Penobscot is soloized with a positioned-for-me (and padded) contour seat on full truss drops. CCS partial spray covers with a center storage cover. Skid plates. Utility sail thwart. Four double D-rings for full or partial floatation/gear. Twist-loop webbing tiedowns on the end of every machine screw. Foot brace, back band and deeply contoured minicel knee bumpers to lock me solidly in the hull. Webbing strap yoke. Utility/sail thwart positioned to trap a 30L barrel. Minicel padding everywhere my bones touch boat.

After 10 years of post-trip tweaking it fits me like a well worn deer skin glove.

I'd add Wenonah's Canak to the list of decked canoes, if you didn't need the expedition sized volume of the Kruger & Clipper boats. Hoping to get atleast one Superior trip in mine this season and I wouldn't want any other boat for it.

I have two friends for whom the Canak filled the bill, glad to hear that you likewise enjoy yours.

I did overlook the Canak and, while I prefer a rudder and more under-way accessible storage space behind the seat, it is should have been included in that group of decked canoe choices, especially since it one of the currently manufactured choices.

The old Bell Rob Roy should be include as well, again with personal preference hesitation for lack of rudder, but it did have ample and accessible behind-seat storage. Although at 15’ a Rob Roy would be a weekender boat or day tripper for my size and gear haulage norms.

Of that growing decked-canoe list the only one I haven’t had a chance to trip with is the largest of the bunch, the Superior Expedition. I can muscle a lot of hull around, and dislike things strapped to the decks, so an extra six inches in length….

….

….sorry, I’ve tried 9 ways to finish that sentence, and I can’t think of anything to type that doesn’t sound like sexual innuendo.

That’s what she said.