Odyssey 14

While light and relatively stable, contrary to advertisement, it did not have much rocker at all. It also had closer to a flat bottom than a rounded hull. This resulted in less than expected maneuverability, a bad tradeoff for a royalex hull that was not particularly fast. Also, I am not particularly hard on canoes, and never ran the Odyssey in anything over moderate class II but quickly the surface layer of vinyl on the bottom was scraping away, exposing ABS.

For a boat that gets such great reviews, I was disappointed. Even worse, buying it new (something I never do) I had to sell it at a loss.
Lesson learned: try first, buy used.

Initially, when paddled with the cheap-o plastic Carlisle paddle, I liked the boat, but wasn't really in love with its performance. I felt it tracked a bit loosely and could have been a little faster. Recently, I have switched to an otter tail-type paddle and discovered I really love the combination of paddle and boat. The new paddle, with more surface area, allows for easier course correction at the end of the stroke and better application of power (analogous to using a higher gear on a bicycle after previously being limited to lower gears). It also makes paddling much more silent.

I use the boat under varied conditions: alone (I weigh 165lbs), carrying a small child (50lbs) or with a 70lb black lab in the bow, paddling on flat water and slow moving streams. A couple of times I have been caught out in squall-like conditions with whitecaps and the boat performed very well – even being broadsided with waves as I turned the boat wasn’t too much cause for concern. As a platform for fishing it is great – it has enough stability when you need it for standing and casting (if you have good balance). It also has enough stability to pole it in shallow water, though you will realize very quickly it is not as stable as a tandem canoe. No boat is perfect, but this is a great canoe that does a lot of different things sufficiently well. I recently learned Mohawk will be also be making these in yellow and blue, which might convince me to buy a new one for myself and keep the other as a loaner.

A couple things to keep in mind when evaluating any canoe: use the right paddle for the job (cheap-o plastic for bumping down a rocky stream, a nice ottertail for deep water) and learn the correct stroke (I spent half my life paddling "goon style" before I understood the mechanics of the J and Northwoods strokes – you can stream many of the Bill Mason films from the National Film Board of Canada to learn the proper technique).

I pulled the gunwales in almost two inches, moved my seat forward about 2 inches and up 1". This stiffened up the boat considerably, increased the tumblehome for an easier reach to the water, and added some speed and tracking although with some sacrifice to turning and side slipping. It did wonders for ridding the boat of excessive oil-canning. The modification does give the boat a slight "rolling" affect which you will get used to as the secondary stability is still there.

Pulling in the gunwales (try one inch at first) can be done by simply moving the two thwarts to the center about 2 - 3 inches, and re-drilling the seat holes. Use your own judgement with these modifications please.

It is now a different boat. Although the R84 is not as durable as it's heavier cousin, the lightness when paddling empty on grade ii and iii rivers is too much fun. I installed a foot brace and use in sit & switch style with a 54" bent shaft in quiet water (it is significantly more efficient using sit & switch). I installed contoured knee pads and paddle kneeling with a 56" straight shaft for white water. I can go back and forth with these two styles when touring. With these modifications, this is the most comfortable boat I have.

I installed a gear strap down system for portage packs fore and aft. When empty, I install 36" bow and stern flotation bags for white water (could go bigger). I would hate to wrap this boat around a rock, it would not recover. I plan on installing a cover/deck which will give me more confidence in those big grade iii swampers and cut windage on long flat stretches.

All in all, this is the only boat around with this design. Most other Royalex rec solo hulls are a bit too straight with sharp stems for my needs as a WW tripping boat. I use it mostly to tour the rivers in the UP and Wisconsin, and best of all, rivers emptying into the north shore of Lake Superior and in middle/upper Ontario.

The boat allows me to stop on a dime, reverse course, and back ferry to an eddy or alternate chute. It is great fun. For what I use it for, it rates a 9, which is high. It would be a 9.5 if the gunwales and deck plates were a little beefier, but that would add weight.