Northstar Northwind Solo

[gnwatts]

I am getting old. My car is old, my canoe is old. So I needed something new. I decided to act on 4 years of research and indecision and spend a lot of money and risk divorce to buy a new canoe. I have had our Wenonah 17'Adirondack for 13 years, a great big beautiful tandem boat that carries a ton of weight, so stable I can and have done the mambo in it. But it's heavy - 65lbs. And it sucks in the wind, I mean really sucks. Especially if you paddle it solo, even with added weight, or turning it around and paddling it backwards.

I have been enjoying solo trips more and more, so this boat was not working for me. So I bought a Northstar Northwind Solo BlackLite, consisting of Aramid, which is kind of their proprietary Kevlar, and carbon fiber. The finish is beautiful, inside and out. It weighs 29 lbs., which is fine with me, and is 15'-6" long. I had it out yesterday for the first time on Ruedi Reservoir near Basalt, gorgeous and no wind. Primary stability is not good, which I knew about and will get used to. But I found secondary stability really good, verging on spectacular, IMIO. It is a pleasure to paddle, is fast and responsive. I will have to wait to see how it does in the wind however. My next paddle I will load it up, maybe on a windy day. I have a solo trip planned in the Fall, looking forward to that.

At Ruedi reservoir, had the place to myself:

With my 17' Wenonah Adirondack:

Cheers.

 

[scatman]

Beautiful canoe @gnwatts. Happy paddling.

 

[gnwatts]

Thanks @scatman

 

[Jackson]

That is a very good looking boat. Looking forward to seeing your future trips with it.

 

[b.stark]

That's a fine looking canoe. I keep thinking about upgrading from my Old Town Pack... but I don't get on the water enough these days to justify it.

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

If she divorces you over it, you just weren't meant to be together.

 

[Rockskipper]

Any vid of that Mambo?

 

[gnwatts]

That is a very good looking boat. Looking forward to seeing your future trips with it.

Thanks @Jackson

That's a fine looking canoe. I keep thinking about upgrading from my Old Town Pack... but I don't get on the water enough these days to justify it.

Thanks @b.stark . Canoe expense is hard to justify, I agree.

If she divorces you over it, you just weren't meant to be together.

Well, it will be 40 years married in 6 days. We threaten each other all the time.

Any vid of that Mambo?

Sadly, no.

 

[Curt]

I've been wondering about your canoe. Any updates? I'm a couple years out from retirement and I've been thinking about (epic) things I might do in retirement. I've been married almost as long as you have been and I think I might risking divorce too if I bought a canoe, but a guy can dream right? Anyway, I live in Nebraska and we've got the Platte River which goes from the border of Iowa to central Wyoming and the Missouri River which goes from Montana to St. Louis, and the Niobrara River which goes the width of Nebraska. The possibilities are endless just staying kind of close to home. But it's windy here and the ability of any water craft to perform in wind is critical. So, I've been really curious about your new canoe.

 

[gnwatts]

I took it out this once. The boat weighs 19lbs. BTW, not 29 like I said at the top.
I need a boat that can carry a little weight, was fast and good in the wind, and light. Compare it to my Wenonah you can see how low it is, so I am assuming it will be great in the wind, if I load it right. According to the Northwind Rep it would handle class II water, but that's not my scene. You can also see how it bulges out at the rail, it is supposed to deflect the water away from the boat. We shall see on October 22nd, A friend and I are going down the Colorado (again!) and are catching Tex's last boat of the season. Something I have always wanted to do.

You sound like you are in a good paddling spot! We only have a few options for flat water out here, it sucks I know.

 

[wsp_scott]

I took it out this once. The boat weighs 19lbs. BTW, not 29 like I said at the top.
I need a boat that can carry a little weight, was fast and good in the wind, and light. Compare it to my Wenonah you can see how low it is, so I am assuming it will be great in the wind, if I load it right. According to the Northwind Rep it would handle class II water, but that's not my scene. You can also see how it bulges out at the rail, it is supposed to deflect the water away from the boat. We shall see on October 22nd, A friend and I are going down the Colorado (again!) and are catching Tex's last boat of the season. Something I have always wanted to do.

You sound like you are in a good paddling spot! We only have a few options for flat water out here, it sucks I know.

Definitely want to see that trip report