Old town Camper-Pathfinder?
D.Grabowski
Experienced people,
My wife and I have begged , borrowed ,owned and rented several canoes
through the years . We have run the list of materials canoes are made
of except kevlar . We are people that like to fish and do nature-
wildlife photography and arn't into the white water thing , though we
do river paddling as well as lakes. We key to the eddies and very mild
but slow to faster flows only . Our primary haunt is the Moosehead
Lake area of Maine . If anyone is familliar with that area then I
don't have to tell you that a fiberglass canoe is of little use there
because of the extremely rocky structure. The mere act of slipping a
glass canoe into the water can be a wrecking experience.
That stated , on a recent trip to northern Maine we rented an Old town
Camper and fell in love with it's stability for photographic purposes.
It's a reasonable paddling canoe , maybe a little draggy but a real
steady platform to work from. The Pathfinder seems to be of a similar
design and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with it and could
report on it's performance. I would expect it to be a bit more nimble
but am wondering about it's platform steadiness.
While I'm at it , can anyone recommend another canoe manufacturer that
offers the Royalex type outer skin or other relatively light canoe
with an inherantly stable design that's not too draggy or is
slightly more nimble handling than the Camper but tough skinned?
Thank's,
David+ Dawn Grabowski
JHldrman
>design and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with it and could
>report on it's performance. I would expect it to be a bit more nimble
>but am wondering about it's platform steadiness.
Dear David and Dawn
I have owned a Pathfinder for about ten years and it is still going strong..
I have paddled hundreds of miles in it and treated it pretty roughly. It is
very steady and easy to control. I have hauled three people and gear (approx.
700 lbs.) with little trouble on a class II river. I would highly
recommend it. happy canoeing.
John Helderman
D.Grabowski
John,
It seems you are the only respondent and for that I thank you . I am
glad to hear that you are pleased with the Pathfinders performance.
David
>
>
Garry Rennels
dgra...@capeSPcod.net says...
>
> Experienced people,
>
> My wife and I have begged , borrowed ,owned and rented several canoes
> through the years . We have run the list of materials canoes are made
> of except kevlar . We are people that like to fish and do nature-
> wildlife photography and arn't into the white water thing , though we
> do river paddling as well as lakes. We key to the eddies and very mild
> but slow to faster flows only . Our primary haunt is the Moosehead
> Lake area of Maine . If anyone is familliar with that area then I
> don't have to tell you that a fiberglass canoe is of little use there
> because of the extremely rocky structure. The mere act of slipping a
> glass canoe into the water can be a wrecking experience.
>
> That stated , on a recent trip to northern Maine we rented an Old town
> Camper and fell in love with it's stability for photographic purposes.
> It's a reasonable paddling canoe , maybe a little draggy but a real
> design and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with it and could
> report on it's performance. I would expect it to be a bit more nimble
> but am wondering about it's platform steadiness.
>
> offers the Royalex type outer skin or other relatively light canoe
> with an inherantly stable design that's not too draggy or is
> slightly more nimble handling than the Camper but tough skinned?
>
> Thank's,
>
> David+ Dawn Grabowski
>
>
>
>
SplinterGr
paddles well, take a look at WeNoNah's "Adirondack". Specs and price are about
the same as for a Camper, but the bottom is slightly arched, which improves
speed and tracking signifigantly over the Old Town.
Matt
D.Grabowski
We are leaving for Maine this coming Saturday , will be there a week
and will be renting again. I may try one or two of the Discovery
Series but we want to keep the weight down and I have a feeling @ 85
lb the 169 will not fit our needs.
Thank's
David
D.Grabowski
Matt,
You are the second person to suggest this canoe , Kittery Trading post
has one and I will check it out .Do you happen to know if WeNoNah has
a webb site? Or do you know the weight of the Adirondack?
Thank's,
David
D.Grabowski
wrote:
I found the site thanks anyway,
David
si...@mindspring.com
>If you want a Royalex boat that has decent initial stability and actually
>paddles well, take a look at WeNoNah's "Adirondack". Specs and price are about
>the same as for a Camper, but the bottom is slightly arched, which improves
>speed and tracking signifigantly over the Old Town.
>
>Matt
I've been looking at the Penobscot from Old Town and the Adirondack.
Both are about the same weight (65-69lbs), length and material. I
think the Adirondack is about $100 more.
Any comments on the two boats? I believe the Adirondack has a bit
more rocker which I like. I'm looking for a boat for lakes and
class I and II rivers.
SplinterGr
more rocker which I like. I'm looking for a boat for lakes and
class I and II rivers.
The Penob 16 has relatively little rocker, but's short enough to be
maneuverable on fast water. It's also a little narrower than the Adirondack,
hence a little more efficient.
The Adirondack does have 1.5 to 2" inches of rocker, which make it nicely
maneuverable, even for a less-experienced solo paddler, and it's well suited
for those who find initial stability more important than longer glide. As far
as price? Adirondacks in Royalex are usually in the $850-895 range (you can buy
them in tuf-weave for about $100 less). Penobs list a little higher, but are
easier to find at big box retailers.
Matt
Chicago Paddling-Fishing
: splin...@aol.com (SplinterGr) wrote:
: >If you want a Royalex boat that has decent initial stability and actually
: >paddles well, take a look at WeNoNah's "Adirondack". Specs and price are about
: >the same as for a Camper, but the bottom is slightly arched, which improves
: >speed and tracking signifigantly over the Old Town.
: >
: >Matt
: I've been looking at the Penobscot from Old Town and the Adirondack.
: Both are about the same weight (65-69lbs), length and material. I
: think the Adirondack is about $100 more.
: Any comments on the two boats? I believe the Adirondack has a bit
: more rocker which I like. I'm looking for a boat for lakes and
: class I and II rivers.
You might also want to consider the Old Town Cascade. A 15'10" boat made
of the same material as the Camper. It's slightly heavier and has rounded
bow/stern as it's designed as a mild whitewater canoe.
John Nelson
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