My absolute highest reccomendations.
My MacKenzie 20 was built for me and for a specific expedition. I did a 'Powell'. I began in Green River, Wyoming, and finished at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. 1,200 plus map miles,, 1300 plus gps miles. Flaming Gorge at high water, Desolation/ Gray, Cataract Canyon, the Grand Canyon until the cover failed.
This MacKenzie 20 was built extra tough to withstand the rocks and thunks along the way, seat and thwart were positioned for me.. It survived the entire way. Including my ineptitude in Big Drop 3 and quite a few in the Grand Canyon. Big Drop 3, I blew my entrance entirely and dropped straight into the big hole at the top. That hole can eat a school bus. Yes, it rolled me quite a few times, hammered body, paddle, (the paddle was snapped in my hand) and boat, but we floated out eventually and though damaged, she was bailed out and headed down the Colorado 20 minutes later. There is not another canoe that I know that could have withstood my error and paddled away. Most, or all, would have been cracked in half or wadded up like an old newspaper.,,I've paddled many, and many manufacturers, and for that hole, on that day,, the MacKenzie came through.
There were failures,, the cover finally surrendered and I could not keep the water out,, but the boat made it all the way through.
Clipper's kevlar boat, with additional layers of S-glass inside and out. It is a tank, that paddles easily and fast, I could paddle Mead and Powell at a steady easy 3+ mph, and for short stretches at up to 5mph, and I am considering using the same boat for the Yukon, or the Yellowstone.
My absolute highest regard for Clipper Canoe.
