Solitude

52
Weight (lb)
$1,395
MSRP

Solitude Description

The Solitude is a canoe brought to you by Clipper Canoes. Read Solitude reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other canoe recommendations below or explore all canoes to find the perfect one for you!

Clipper Canoes
Solitude Reviews

Read reviews for the Solitude by Clipper Canoes as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

I own a Clipper Solitude in…

Submitted by: rpkellyoutdoors on 7/21/2021

I own a Clipper Solitude in the Fiberglass lay up. Bought the canoe as a calm weather coastal solo boat. I am a big guy and with no extra weight in the bought it is a little squirrely in rough wind/waves. On flat water it is an absolute rocket ship and a joy to paddle. Can comfortably paddle single or double blade with it. I haven't packed it out for a camping trip yet, but I imagine that is where this canoe will shine. Nicest fiberglass constructed canoe I have ever seen and it feels much lighter than it's advertised weight. Really nice solo boat.

4

I own the fiberglass layup of…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 9/4/2008
I own the fiberglass layup of this boat bought it last season and spent due to the fact that most of the time I could not convince my family to come canoeing with me in my tripper which tended to be a little hard to handle on my own especially in a wind. I spent the summer doing solo back country trips with it logged just over 600km of paddling and portages according to the gps most of it lake travel.

It's certainly a gear hauler and prefers a full load especially in the wind tracks well and and the speed is good turning however seems to be a small issue leaning it certainly helps but secondary stability feels a little loose especially in the wind and waves definitely not a white water boat but handles Class 2 without feeling like a loose canon. took me a while to get used to the hull shape for packing soft sided packs work much better than barrels in this boat. the tripper seems to be almost designed to hall 5 gallon pails and barrels, not so much with the solitude.

The layup, at first I thought felt a little flimsy and have always hated the ribs in the clipper's fiberglass layup but after a year of use and a few (well maybe more than a few) hard knocks and undeserved abuse the hull has stood up exceptionally well.

4

I really enjoy this canoe but…

Submitted by: paddler232732 on 7/9/2008
I really enjoy this canoe but have lost it to my wife I am afraid. I let her use it once and now can't get it back. It is the fiberglass version at 52 pounds but feels lighter.

The tractor seat is comfortable an adjustable and the canoe handles very well in waves and wind. Lots of volume for gear and makes a fantastic tripper. I find that it tracks outstandingly well and is very fast. It's easy to keep up with tandem canoes. It turns well, but it wouldn't be a good choice for a designated whitewater fun boat.

Good all round boat. Stuffed with 200 pounds of gear and my own 250+ pounds it handles well and is a very good tripper for non-technical trips

4

Nothing is perfect, so I…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 10/16/2006
Nothing is perfect, so I can't give it a 10. But, it is a pleasure to paddle. Mostly class 1 and 2, w/o supplemental floatation. Handles much better when loaded w/ gear for overnight trips. Unladen (dry bag, bicycle, and me at 145 lbs) it does not track or respond as well as it does w/ stove, cooler, gear box, tent, sleeping bags, fod, etc. With all the gear, it tracks, turns, and responds wonderfully. This affirms a review I have seen on the web: it is a bigger person, or a tripper, boat. Load it up, go, and smile!
4

Thought I would update my…

Submitted by: PEACE on 8/20/2004
Thought I would update my review of the Solitude as I now have three years of use in all kinds of water; lakes, rivers and streams. I have spent over 100 days paddling this canoe. I have come to really appreciate the versatility of this canoe. It is fast enough that I use it to go upstream in a large river and maneuverable enough that I can catch eddies. Initially the secondary stability felt tender to me, but as I get more experienced that is no longer a concern. In fact I now paddle most of the time with the seat at the highest level, which is 11 inches off the bottom. In fact my butt is almost level with the gunwhale. The solitude I have is the ultralight kevlar version and is starting to show some wear on the hull but that is to be expected as I have maneuvered through some very rocky rivers. Not what I would recommend for the boat, but so far only the outer S glass has been scraped with nothing coming through to the kevlar.

I still would prefer a slightly narrower distance at the gunwhales for more efficient paddling. I am almost 100% bent shaft user and sit and switch. Also use a two bladed paddle (220cm) when going upriver. The boat will fly. The seat also slides and this is a great feature when handling wind and wave action. I do find the seat slides much too easily, maybe because I use a lot of leg push when I paddle. I have purchased clamps that I put on the slide rail, they are easy to adjust and prevent the seat from moving back further than I want while paddling.

All in all a real good canoe. Great for day trips and playing around, Great for fishing as it is very stable and I find that since I have become a much better paddler that I have no problem keeping up with my friends in 14-15 foot kayaks.

4

I purchased the ultralight…

Submitted by: PEACE on 7/1/2002
I purchased the ultralight Solitude with sliding bucket seat, which can also be set at three heights. I have used it on large lakes, with considerable wave action due to wind and boat traffic and in these circumstances the canoe was great. This canoe has very high initial stability and fair secondary. I would prefer to be able to get it closer to the rails before it gets so tender. Wind doesn't bother this canoe very much at all, due to the low bow and stern height (16" and 14"), no rocker. I have taken on some water over the back when going with heavy waves. Great canoe for fishing and touring. It weighs 42 lbs. which is pretty heavy for an ultralight. I mainly use a sit and switch style of paddling and it is plenty wide for that type of paddling (28 1/2 inch gunwale width). I would prefer it about two inches narrower. All in all a good canoe, very well made, very comfortable.