Oh my goodness, this is a fun boat! I had heard that it is squirrely with its narrow width and round bottom, but I paddle a couple of other so-called "squirrely" boats and found this was quite predictable. It isn’t a novice’s boat, but anyone with a lot of time in other solo sport boats should have little trouble adjusting. Ideal for kneeling –sitters might take issue with that statement.
The length to width ratio is 7, so this boat moves along nicely. With 2.5 inches of symmetrical rocker it turns on a dime. I paddled this boat for several days on tight, twisty streams in the NJ Pine Barrens. Even when I was going upstream I still had a smile on my face. An ideal tripping boat, it instills confidence in bad conditions. Fit and finish? It was built by Dave Curtis, one of the best detailers in the business.
Of course, there are only a few dozen of these originals around. The good news: Colden Canoe is building his Dragonfly from the same mold. I spent several days in the Colden, and it is every bit as fun and well built. Obviously, this boat isn't for everyone, but it is good at what it does – and it is fun.
