Well, ditto the above reviews…
Submitted by:
paddler231767
on 8/28/2006
Well, ditto the above reviews although I prefer the kayak paddle. I too use this canoe for everything. It tracks well and turns easily and will not tip. My daughter and I and our black lab all got in it for a picture and then went 2 miles down the Gasconde in Missouri without swamping. That is over 370 pounds! Try that with a 10 foot kayak! If the sides were 2 inches tall it would weigh another 5 pounds and would be a world beater! Now, if i can only make a spray skirt for winter use...
The Tupelo is a fun boat if…
The Tupelo is a fun boat if you weigh less than 150 pounds. The boat is set up to be paddled like a kayak but I find this arrangement to be unsatisfactory. For a while I just used the back rest as a kneeling thwart. It works okay but it makes your center of gravity too high and you become stern heavy. Better to straddle a dry bag stuffed with a blanket or position a kneeling thwart four inches in front of the back rest.
Despite its diminutive size, the Tupelo has tremendous secondary stability. You will ship water in over the gunnels before tipping. When swamped however it's nearly impossible to shakeout and reenter. I've glued those swimming noodles in the bow and stern and have secured an inner tube behind the thwart to function as an air bag. I've done this because I have enjoyed this boat in the Atlantic ocean and busting up ice as the lake freezes in early winter. My only complaint is that they didn't design he boat with another couple inches of depth. It's just too shallow to get really crazy with.
Small solo flatwater canoe.…
Submitted by:
paddler228418
on 1/13/2000
Small solo flatwater canoe. Length: 10' 6", center width: 27", shape: symmetrical, weight: 29 lb., maximum capacity: 180 lb. This is a great little canoe for persons of small or average stature and weight. Its short length gives it considerable manouverability, yet it tracks very well. Its small size lets you launch from put-ins and explore inlets that are inaccessible to larger canoes. Its flat cane seat and cane backrest are minimal, but comfortable for about an hour at a time (depending on what clothing, if any, you wear while paddling). The seat is at the bottom of the hull, so you sit very low in the craft with your legs stretched out in front of you, as in a kayak. The middle of the backrest is attached to the canoe's main thwart by two sturdy cane loops, which allow the backrest to rotate about the thwart (not freely, but rather with sufficient friction) to adjust to your seating position. For long paddling sessions, it's best to pull up to shore every hour or so to stretch and let the cane imprints on your butt dissipate. All in all, its a great little flatwater playboat for exploring lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and quiet streams and rivers.
