Nahanni

I paddled a 16'5" kevlar Nahanni on a 45km paddle/portage trip through Algonquin and loved it. Feather light on portages, holds a great line on flat water and great handling in a few class I/II rapids we shot. I would highly recommend this boat as a tandem tripping canoe.

I paddled a Nahanni for about a week. The boat I used had all wood trim with a two tone paint job, and it was quite a head turner.
On the water the Nahanni is a rocket. Definitely faster then some tripping canoes a foot longer. It was also possible to turn it, although I would say tracking was this boats strong point. Paddled tandem, it's initial stability can make it feel tippy at first, but I found the feeling to be short lived. Take solace in the fact that you're probably not going for a swim, as it's secondary stability is very good. I was able to paddle (solo) with the gunnel skimming the water, And could easily dip it under the water and still pull back up.

Paddled solo, the Nahanni performed nicely. The canoe I was using had a kneeling thwart and pads, which were very comfortable. The boat retained the same characteristics as when paddled tandem, and with a little bit of a heel, becomes more maneuverable. It's not a pure sit and switch solo, so you do need to reach a bit on your stoke, and outside of leaning it way over, you won't get a perfectly vertical paddle. But you can't very well fit two people in a Prism, and as a combo tandem/solo flatwater boat the Nahanni seems like a strong option.

Rating: 9/10 - because my girlfriend says it's real pretty

I purchased a carbon fiber Prosperter two years ago. I love the way the boat flys and handles. But this summer a little mar in the gel coat turned into big chips of coating coming off, leaving the carbon fiber material exposed. I met another person coming off the water who had the exact same problem. And it happened in the stern so it wasn't from running the boat up onto shore which I am very careful not to do. It looks like the gel coat did not adhere to the material. I haven't attempted to get it repaired yet but I am concerned from what I hear about Langford's lack of service. The other person with the same problem met a stone wall from Langford and repaired it herself. I paid $3500 for the canoe, wanting to go top of the line and least weight!!! Also the thing with the false weight claims is true as I weighted mine when I got it home and it was about 5 or 6 lbs. over what they told me it would be. Any advice as to how to get them to repair it or replace it, I would love to hear from you.....

We purchased this boat in standard kevlar layup. It's an asymmetrical hull with 3.5 inches of rocker bow and stern, ash/cherry trim, sliding bow seat and substantial outwalls for big water. We have a Mad River Freedom for ww up to Class III but the Nahanni is our choice for milder ww and expedition tripping. It will handle Class II with sufficient maneuverability and quickness and it has the quick acceleration and amazing tracking associated with boats of this hull design. It will handle 950 lbs and still have 6 inches of freeboard and it weighs 50 lbs. The only draw back is of course the price .... $2150 CDN in the Fall of 1999. But this boat is from Canada's oldest Canoe Company and they have an excellent reputation for quality. I would NOT hesitate to recommend this boat to anyone.