On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:26:14 GMT, Don White
wrote:

Yes, that looks like the bargain basement type I was thinking of.

We have a local dealer who sells them. I ended up buying one, but not
the cheapest one; I settled for a 14-ft one that cost 20% more but was
made with a better, lighter, stiffer hull material. Of course, buying
new costs more, but at least I extracted a lot of very useful info
from the dealer.

Immediately after buying, I took her out on the water, and was very
happy with the way she handled. So much more relaxing and stable than
my kayak, and now I can take an extra person and loads of camping
gear. After about 30 minutes of getting used to the boat, I made the
half-mile crossing to the other side of the estuary. Dead easy!

Anyway, I had more fun yesterday out on the water than I have for
years. So, despite having to shell out more cash than I had banked on,
I feel it was money well spent. This canoe does seem well-suited to my
needs, and besides that, it just feels right for me somehow. So may I
thank you all for the advice you all gave which led me to this
decision!

Yesterday, I couldn't get enough of it, actually, and remained
paddling for about 5 hours, exploring the shoeline on the other side
of the water - places that are near impossible to access by road and
on foot. There was a slight wind: force 3, I guess. Getting the canoe
to point in the right direction proved a challenge at times when the
tide and the wind was not in my favour, but once the boat was going in
the right direction, it was possible to keep it that way. It tracks
well - so much better my kayak - even with a skeg fitted..

Unfortunately most of the beaches in this estuary are shingle,
composed largely of sea shells. I noticed the bottom of the canoe was
fairly well scratched up after beaching her a few times on that
shingle. But I guess there's not a lot one can do about that... I hope
she lasts a good few years anyway...

I tried hard to get the hang of the J-stroke, but ended up finding it
a lot easier to paddle kayak-style with my double-ended kayak paddle,
sitting on the most central seat with legs crossed underneath, rather
than kneeling and using a single-ended paddle. I could build up quite
a good rate of knots using kayak-style paddling. What I want is a
slight longer double-ended paddle. Perhaps I can modify the existing
one.

So thanks again, everyone!

Al D