Advocate III
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Hey Steve - didn't know you'd replied. Helps if you either quote the post or use @name so the person gets an alert.
Just to be clear, my Nomad is not a whitewater canoe. I would not take it down streams I know have hard rapids. More of a flatwater and slow stream boat. The skin on mine is a matrix of Kevlar and Carbon, which gives it the green cast. They have it in just Kevlar or just Carbon, too. Plenty tough for what I do, and because I travel solo all the time, I rarely ever put in one place and get out miles away.
Mine has about a 30" beam, so not a wide canoe, though not tippy either, as far as I'm concerned. Not beamy enough to stand up in, though.
Also, if you prefer canoe paddling, you may be disappointed as this craft is best paddled with a double ended kayak paddle. One sits rather low, not raised like a lot of canoes. I also have it fitted with oarlocks and have a great pair of handmade oars (one of the guys in the Hornbeck shop makes them). The oars are great for fishing, though I rarely take them with me on my longer adventures.
It tracks nicely, glides across the surface almost like it's skating, and can be easily converted from solo to tandem. I can bring a friend, or carry a dog, and still have room for overnight gear.
I love my canoe and use it a lot. In fact, I've been out on the water more in the almost two years I've owned it than all the rest of the times in my life combined.
Here's their site:
Hornbeck Boats | Ultralight canoes | 131 Trout Brook Road, Olmstedville, NY, USA
"Welcome to Hornbeck Boats. We design, build and sell double-paddle ultralight custom pack canoes. Our boats are ideal for a wide range of paddling, whether pond-hopping in the Adirondack wilderness, river-tripping in the wilds of Maine, cruising the Boundary Waters of the Midwest or exploring...
www.hornbeckboats.com
and the page for the 14' Nomad Solo/Tandem:
Hornbeck Nomad Solo/Tandem
They're expensive, but like any worthwhile piece of gear, I expect it to be around for my kid to enjoy and for her kid to use and enjoy, too.
Canoe Camp, New Hampshire
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A little better view of the interior layout. It is symmetrical end to end, so the thwarts with the seat backs can be turned around for tandem use. You can also get a yoke with shoulder padding that wingnuts to the gunnels for carrying overhead, though I've found it light enough to just carry on one shoulder unless a longer portage is necessary.
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Better view of the "cheek" construction that allows for more of a keel effect fore and aft but a flatter bottom amidship.
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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE
Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.
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