Superior to most, light…
Submitted by:
paddler235692
on 7/3/2014
Superior to most, light weight for fiberglass, stable and easy to maintain. Durable and was the perfect choice for a 7 day Bowron Lake, British Columbia. 116 km with approximately 11km of portages. Handled well in open water with minimal drag and navigating Class III was not an issue other than a little water entry over the gunwale due the shallow freeboard due to overload... my bad. 4 out of 5 stars.
I've had a 17' glass Ranger…
Submitted by:
paddler234637
on 7/5/2012
I've had a 17' glass Ranger for about 15 years. It's been on loads of BC lakes and several ocean trips in the Pacific Northwest, including the Broken Group, Nootka Sound, and San Josef River in Cape Scott. It's been portaged, bashed into rocks, and ridden in rough chop and whitecaps - all while loaded with a hundred pounds of gear. It has a few battle scars now but it has not failed us once.
Don't let the price tag fool you - this canoe is bombproof and can do it all. I'd give it a 10 if the weight was a bit lower. It's not ideal for hand portaging.
Review Update:
Just wanted to update. This Ranger 17 is proving to be…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 9/30/2008
Review Update:
Just wanted to update. This Ranger 17 is proving to be a very tough boat for fiberglass. I recently had it in some class 2+ water in Arkansas in some rock gardens with frequent bashing with no problems. This boat takes a lick and keeps ticking. I have bent the gunnels somehow.
Nice boat. Had mine shipped…
Submitted by:
paddler232011
on 5/1/2007
Nice boat. Had mine shipped to Louisiana from BC Canada. People at Western Canoeing and Kayaking were very easy to work with and concerned about providing me with a high quality boat in a custom order. Had the middle (3rd) seat installed for solo use. I am 6'0" and 300 lbs so I can solo this boat fairly well. This is my first canoe though and have nothing but rental boats to compare it to. Less stable initially than a Mad River explorer 16 but it MUCH faster than the explorer. I took this boat to Arkansas and got on a rock sideways in heavy current and in cracked the chine on the right and left side as the current "wrapped" the boat around the rock. I repaired it easily with very little deformity of the hull. Get a Royalex boat for the rocky streams or go with clippers more expensive Kevlar Duraflex. My boat is the standard ribless fiberglass layup witch is strong but rocks and heavy current still prevail. Overall I like the boat well. The finish on the Gel Coat was Grade-A and the boat was well done, I think. Great company to deal with.
I ordered the 17' Clipper…
Submitted by:
Marlin
on 4/14/2004
I ordered the 17' Clipper Ranger in fiber glass.IT is alitte heavy but this lay up is what makes this canoe so strong.It is a great all purpose canoe that can do it all,and it comes with bucket seats"slidding bow",and a footbrace. At a price to let people just starting out to get a good canoe they can afford.
We bought a Ranger that has…
Submitted by:
paddler229114
on 2/14/2001
We bought a Ranger that has the Kevlar-reinforced lay-up in bow and stern. Also opted for sculpted carrying center thwart, and adjustable seats fore and aft. Very good performer, turns well, tracks well, and moves right along. Only complaint is it's a tank...weighs too much for my old body. The center thwart carrying yoke is almost a joke...but if you know you have short lugs from car to put in or take out, and no portages, I have no reservations in high recommendations. My 10 yr old daughter, in bow, can really move the boat around the river! Western knows their stuff.
Our family uses this canoe…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 1/14/2001
Our family uses this canoe for recreation class races and family trips. I can only say good things about the fiberglass Ranger we have. The canoe is very stable, but also glides through the water easily. For a recreational/tripping canoe the Ranger is a good choice.
