Comments wanted on Oldtown Pack canoe
I have one that is 15 or so years old and still paddle it
occasionally, althought I've more-or-less passed it on to my kids.
Paddled with a double blade (a 270-280cm or so Mohawk works well) it's
a fine little canoe. 15 years ago, when I packed more like a
backpacker, I canoe camped out of mine on weeklong trips on the Rio
Grande and Colorado.
The Pack has gobs of primary stability and not much secondary
stability; if you lean it over too far, or get your head out over the
gunwales without a good brace, you'll be very wet very suddenly. BTW,
I'm a fairly big guy, on the wide side up top and am undoubtedly
beyond the ideal weight range for ther Pack and, again, still paddle
it occasionally.
It's not a fast canoe (no duh), but it is easy to get it up to hull
speed, and it's not much affected by the wind. The Pack is a good
choice for poking around in the watery cracks and crevices, small
sloughs, narrowing side channels and in places where multiple portages
may be necessary (it is still my duckhunting boat of choice when I
plan to haul back through the marsh to some basin pothole).
(If you want to add more stability to the Pack you can always lower
the seat another inch or so).
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