Malecite KX

I bought a fiberglass Malecite in 1976. Traded it for a kevlar in 1985.

I was given the shell of a Malecite a few years ago for a project boat. After replacing the wood gunnels, seats and decks, I have discovered one of the best boats I've ever been in. I trimmed the bow seat back a little so I can paddle it backward when solo. There is a little flex with each stroke that concerned me a bit at first but I've come to love it so much I had to upgrade my paddle to a bent-shaft. When I paddle my Malecite now, it feels like an extension of myself. It is the pride of my boat barn. Rather loaded with gear and a buddy or out of a quick solo trip, the Malecite has good initial and secondary stability, tracks well but can turn pretty easily for 16'. It's also one of my lightest boats, so it's easy on this old man's back and shoulders.

I give it a 9 for South Florida. It has the low freeboard, which works great for coastal tandem paddling and poling in the sawgrasses in the Everglades. It's a very comfortable boat. I have the expedition Kevlar. Just redid gunnels, added yoke instead of center seat, etc. Speaking of the center seat I found it to be off balance, at least for me. Probably would have felt pretty nice it if had been back 6 or 8 inches.

I only rate it a 8 for South Florida. Can't say it's attributes would be good or bad in other locations. Probably wouldn't be my first choice of tandems for Tennessee, where I grew up paddling aluminum tanks. Having the shorter length 16'4 allows for pretty sold maneuvering when I kneel in the stern. We have lots of twisty creeks, and I rarely paddled with a second paddler who can/wants to paddle 20 miles a day for a week.

It does oil can, which isn't that big a deal when loaded or paddling solo from center positions. It does lose efficiency when fast cruising for race training. It's certainly no Wenonah MN II. It also feels a bit weird have more rocker in the stern than the bow. Does seem loose into 600 cfs or so, but that can be a good thing if you adapt to it and not make the boat adapt to you and your style.

It's OK solo -- very comfortable for poling, standing, fishing and short distance paddles on flat water with little to no breeze. I'll do an update in a year or so to see what else I've learned/experienced.

I've owned a kevlar Malecite since I bought it new in '96. Incredible canoe. I paddle it solo 80% of the time using the optional 3rd seat. I've taken it to the BWCA numerous times with 2 people and a week's worth of gear. Everyone who has accompanied me is blown away by the handling and performance. Our last trip was a 3 man trip which included a kayak with my canoe carrying 2 guys and the bulk of the gear. The friend paddling the kayak could not believe how fast the Malecite was, especially in the windy conditions we encountered.

I believe this canoe is the perfect blend of capacity and performance for day paddling and short back country trips that don't require a huge amount of gear. It is an incredibly fast and beautiful boat for average sized paddlers with a weeks worth of gear; my 12 year old daughter and I can really make this thing dance when we're out together.

For a canoe that has been around as long as the Malecite has, I'm surprised there aren't more reviews here. Maybe that's because this boat is already so well known and loved.

We bought a used fiberglass Malecite last year - a '97 model, I believe. Ours has the third (solo) seat option and "eggplant" color finish. For a couple our size (165lbs and 120lbs) it seems the perfect fit for light cruising. My wife and I had only been seriously paddling canoes for a little more than two years when we got the Malecite, and we immediately found it to be very easy to manage and confidence-inspiring, in spite of it's apparent (from the reviews here) reputation of "tippiness".

This boat tracks easily, yet it also turns easily when paddled tandem. I find it to track well, once you get it moving, when used as a solo too - and although it takes a little more effort and some edging to do so, it turns well enough when paddled solo so long as you don't have to make quick maneuvers. At 35" wide and 65lbs, it is definitely best used as a tandem, but it makes a passable solo if you are fairly limber and not in a hurry.

I have also poled the Malecite upstream on class one streams. It is very easy to stand in and goes against the current with ease compared to my royalex Nova craft Prospector. But it is not as easy to turn nor as dry as the NC Prospector, nor is it quite as steady when edged to the gunn'l to spin it around. But if the water is relatively flat, not very twisty, and not too shallow and boney - the Malecite is a much nicer upstream ride than the Prospector, or even our Old Town Penobscot.

I like that the Malecite has a low profile - especially when I'm fishing on a breezy lake - and I find the shallow profile to be much less of a problem than one would expect, even when the wind kicks up fast rollers of a foot or so or when taking on big boat wakes. I like it's efficiency and glide (it easily beats our Penobscot), although I am aware that similar boats of newer design may be a little faster. I like the classic lines and wood features (ours has wood seat frames, gunn'ls, and decks).
Everyone who's paddled it likes the stability - even those who weren't used to canoes.

The fiberglass lay-up with gel-coat finish seems tougher than I expected. While there are plenty of surface scratches on the bottom after 13 years of use, the gel-coat does not seem to chip or gouge easily. The seats are hung on truss-style hangers and since the hull is fairly shallow, there isn't much drop to them. I would say that this adds to the strength and stiffness of the boat - which there seems to be plenty of. All the woodwork and fasteners seem to be holding up very well, with routine yearly maintenance of the finish.

The floor does "oil can" slightly when paddled tandem on moderately choppy water. I don't know if it's enough to have any significant effect on efficiency, and it is very slight - but noticeable. I suspect that is due to the flattish areas in the shallow "vee" hull. The hull doesn't flex at all at the keel line - only in a small part of the flat areas on either side.

It would be interesting to compare the Malecite side-by-side to, say, a Bell Northstar. I suspect the Bell might be more efficient and maybe more maneuverable. But I doubt the difference could be great. We have clocked our tandem speed by GPS on a flat windless lake and find it pretty easy to maintain about 4.5 mph with a light load, even with our sloppy technique.

At ~65lbs, this Malecite isn't overly heavy and certainly not too much weight for me to deal with for the foreseeable future - even when loading/unloading it by myself. But as I approach retirement age, it would be better if this boat weighed about 20lbs less. And that is the only reason I would seek to replace it with something else. While I might go for something like a Black-Gold Northstar - if I found another used Malecite in kevlar, I wouldn't hesitate to grab it and probably hang onto it until we wear it out.

In short - while maybe no longer the cutting edge in canoe design, the Malecite is one sweet ride that isn't likely to get boring. It's a great all-around design for anyone not looking to haul a big load or to tackle more than class 1 water (although I'm sure that more advanced paddlers could take it far beyond that).

A bit slow as a solo, this would make a good, stable solo for a bigger person to paddle and fish from. I have a Kevlar Malecite, and it's very nice as a tandem, though I believe the composite Explorers (16'4") are a better choice. The Malecite's a GREAT choice as a tandem/solo for a family, but I think it would take on water in bigger rivers. The bow and freeboards seem somewhat low for big water.

My first canoe: a real charmer in 1976 and badly missed after I got the high performance bug and sold it. I picked up another one last Fall and it's still the best paddling light tripper out there. My latest is in Kevlar (no such thing in '76) so it's easy to carry as well. It's quick, dry, and has that firming action as it rolls that inspires confidence. I'm never selling this one!

I bought to kevlar layup in 94. Six years of use and I have beat the heck out of it having worn through the first layer of kevlar into the foam core. A little glass and filler and get this, a coat of paint and it looks great. I use this boat solo for mostly fishing and hunting. I get a huge kick out of standing up in the boat while I go down small trout streams. You can stand and cast a dry fly rather well too. The boat did not survive being dragged over beaver dams and such, but I am hard on it. Truth be told, I own five canoes and this is my nostalgic favorite.

I first tried out a Malecite in 1974 and loved the boat at first paddle. Recently ran into a good used one at a bargain price and snapped it up. Although I haven't put on many miles yet, I am very pleased with the boat's performance. She tracks straight as a dime and yet turns very quickly - especially if you lean her over. While not "fast" by today's standards, the Malecite is certainly a good deal quicker than the average flat bottom recreational canoe, and she moves very easily though the water with a minimum of paddler effort. Although I remembered thinking of her as being a bit "tender" when I paddled her in the 70s, I would not call her that today. In fact, once you get used to the liveliness caused by her v bottom she feels quite stable. Her sides, however, are quite low and when I first hopped in there was a feeling of vulnerablity to splash caused by powerboat wakes etc. Haven't done enough paddling yet to access this. All in all a lovely boat, well put together and a joy to paddle!

What a sweetheart of a canoe!! Does almost everything well. Not much for III plus whitewater, but on slow rivers and big water it really shines. I paddle solo most of the time and with a slight J to your stroke or a relaxed hit-and swith style it covers the miles effortlessly. With a low sheer line it is hardly affected by wind on larger more open water. It has enough flare in the ends that wind driven waves and speedboat wakes rarely splash in. The semi-vee shape hull handles waves from the side without feeling unstable like so many flat bottom boats I've paddled. And lean it over a little and it turns rather amazingly quick for exploring flooded backwaters and swamps. I have the optional center seat with the "karri-yoke" system which works very well even on the 65lb fiberglass model.

I owned a Malecite and am still kicking myself for ever having sold it. A beautiful finished boat and responsive - price is a little high, especially in kevlar.

Jim Henry's 1'st canoe, this one is still hard to beat. Fast and responsive, it is a good boat for solo or tandem paddling. It is also over priced.