sigh I really, really regret…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 10/2/2018
sigh
I really, really regret selling this boat. For a solo canoe, this is almost the perfect craft. Excellent secondary stability due to the huge amount of tumblehome. Carries a load well, tracks straight & turns on a dime. It's low enough to not catch the wind, but there's enough freeboard that you don't feel like you're paddling a submarine. Straight line tracking, I'd honestly give it an 8/10 but that's plenty for river or lake trips. It's not the best, but the immediate turn response more than compensates. I traded mine for a Reflection 15 for the extra payload space & as great as the Reflection is, I utterly regret it. The reflection feels slow & sluggish by comparison. It's no more stable either alone or loaded, it's heavier, slower to turn & catches more wind.
If I ever find another sojourn (unlikely) I'll buy it no matter the cost.
Yeah, the Sojourn really is…
Yeah, the Sojourn really is all that and a bag of chips. Not much heavier than a comparable kevlar canoe. Not much different in performance (in some ways better, in others almost the same). Great secondary stability. Good glide. Tracks like on rails, but can be made to turn well if given enough room or time. Full buoyant ends above the water line. Low profile, but not too low for some rough water.
The seat could be nicer and it benefits from a footrest, but those things are easily added - and who doesn't modify a used canoe? I actually do use the water bottle carrier - gimmick or not.
Nice composite canoes tempt me, but what a great solo canoe this is!
I bought a Sojourn a couple…
I bought a Sojourn a couple years ago and I really love this canoe. I have owned many canoes and paddled all over America and this canoe paddles and handles like a high-end kevlar boat but has the durability of royalex. With a kayak paddle, I can fly UP rivers against strong currents like they were not existent. It has opened up a whole new method of running rivers where I don't have to concern myself with shuttles. I am going to install a Wenonah type footbrace like I have in my Argosy and then I can probably enter this boat in races!
If you have a use for this…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 9/28/2005
If you have a use for this kind of boat then it will not disappoint. It is as light and paddles almost as well as my other flat water solo (in kevlar and at 3X the cost). I've used it on class 1 moving water with due care and kept dry, but you have to select the line. Quite good training really, makes you think and apply skills rather than just blasting down.
A real pity theses are not available new. The sharp and vulnerable stems will wear at a relatively fast rate. Pity the gunwales are so meaty, they are a miss-match to the hull. Would have been better with the light weight gunwales that are on my Dagger Impulse OC1. Go figure why Dagger put the wrong gunwales on two of their canoes!!
The sliding seat is something I make use of, and have fitted kayak foot rests to make the most of the fast hull. Just loves to motor with a bent shaft sit and switch.
The Sojourn is surprisingly…
Submitted by:
tncook
on 4/15/2005
The Sojourn is surprisingly fast for a royalex hull. With a bent shaft it can fly, but I prefer to paddle it with a 'c' stroke. The stability is great. I usually paddle it tipped to the side in the Canadian style. Great boat at a great price. Dagger doesn't make canoes anymore, but you can probably find a Sojourn for 5-6 hundred.
Yes the stems will crack in…
Submitted by:
paddler230508
on 4/9/2004
Yes the stems will crack in winter if left outside. Also yes this boat is not for cl 2 or novice boaters. But, for someone looking for a fast solo crusier without the worry about cost or cracked gelcoat of a kevlar boat, this is an excellenct choice. I have used on week trips sols on flatwater. A fine choice.
As a new canoeist, I found…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 3/1/2002
As a new canoeist, I found the Sojourn a bit tippy when I first used it, as have other reviewers. But after 15 minutes it was fine. You just "go with the flow" by letting the boat move underneath you. When a large boat went by and threw me a 2-foot gentle swell on the beam, I learned how the canoe just glided over the waves under perfect control--no need to worry about flipping! Much better than my flat-bottom beginner kayak I used to have. In sharper chop, the bow sliced through very cleanly. A fine boat that I recommend! Who needs kevlar?
A great flatwater tripper its…
A great flatwater tripper its the best canoe that Ive paddled in windy conditions. It turns with ease if you know how to lean. Shes reasonably fast at 14'9" and handles without a glitch. It might feel a bit tippy to the begining paddler but its a good boat to grow into. I rate it at a 8 out of 10 mine was an older boat that was made out of R-light which I do not recomend for it was not very durable.
The first reviewer said, the…
Submitted by:
paddler229367
on 10/31/2001
The first reviewer said, the Sojourn is a terrific flatwater tripper. It is all that and as another reviewer said built to reward an experienced paddler. I am not an experienced paddler but I'm learning and the Sojourn is just the boat to do it in. I use both single and twin paddles and have replaced the seat with a kneeling pylon. The initail stability when kneeling is very good, yet I can reach out forward lean to the gunnels and turn real nice. With the double paddle I can move up wind with real speed. This my second boat, first solo, and I love it. the effortless glide is intoxicating, sometimes I don't want to stop.
Fun, fun, fun, run run run beep beep get out the way.
The Sojourn is a great boat…
Submitted by:
paddler233909
on 7/10/2001
The Sojourn is a great boat for the flat water solo paddler. It tracks well, but also responds well to sweep and draw strokes when navigating tight places. The low profile minimizes wind resistance, and the durability of Royalex is nice.
My only significant criticism is that the weight of my boat is really 49 pounds - not the 43 pounds advertised when I bought it, or the revised weight of 46 that Dagger has been advertising more recently, which is very odd since Royalex boats should have very little variability in their weights. Also, the plastic end-caps and handle-hold are not up to the quality found in some other manufacturer's boats. The water bottle is a gimmick that is easily removed.
I've been paddling my Sojourn for about one year on mostly quiet rivers and am pleased with the Sojourn. The paddler accustomed to tandem paddling will need to learn to replace rudder strokes with draws, prys and sweeps to really make this boat respond at its best. Overall, a good boat for the solo paddler on mostly flat water.
Sojourn is a great boat! Sure…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 3/30/2001
Sojourn is a great boat! Sure the initial stability is not great, but that is what makes it what it is--a fast efficient solo tripper that you can grow into. I have three royalex solos and like the sojourn the best! Kevlar boats should be judged differently. It is the first boat I would consider on a longer trip with class 1 or lower. The only, somewhat significant problem I had was that the royalex cracked at the stems in winter (No, I did not loosen the gunnels like the mfg requires in winter, but who does.)
As a novice canoer I found…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 1/14/2001
As a novice canoer I found this canoe extremely difficult to use. This canoe is geared more towards the more advanced paddlers. I felt uneasy in choppy or still water due to the lack of initial stabiliy, however secondary stability was good. I also found the canoe hard to steer. In smaller rivers or creeks where I canoe, the sojourn was a dissaster. It's lack of stability and manuverablity made me shy away from using this canoe very often.
The Sojourn is a terrific…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 6/12/2000
The Sojourn is a terrific flatwater tripper. It's very fast and tracks well. If you paddle it "sit and switch" it really moves. It also has a low profile, so it handles wind very well. Great secondary stability, but a beginner will probably find it a bit tippy. Flare in the bow and stern, but above the waterline, helps it ride over waves without sacrificing speed. At only 45 lbs or so it's also quite light for a Royalex boat. Maybe not as light as kevlar, but lots cheaper and tougher.
All together, this makes a great canoe for tripping in big open water. During a trip in the everglades, I paddled through 25 knot headwinds and crosswinds, 2-foot breaking waves, even ocean swells, all while loaded with a weeks worth of gear, and I never even had to bail. The Sojourn is definitely not a whitewater boat (it just doesn't turn quick enough), but it will easily handle non-technical class 2 water. If you're looking for a fast cruising canoe, or a solo boat for week-long trips in the Boundary waters, Everglades, etc., this canoe will not disapoint you.
