Solo 13

I purchased this Mohawk Solo 13 canoe from the Mohawk dealer in Chattanooga a couple of years ago, and just realized that I never turned in a review. Living in upper east Tenn. I wanted a light weight, short canoe to use on the multitude of rivers, lakes, and small streams, which we call creeks in this part of the country.

This canoe is made of their R84 material which is a couple of pounds lighter than the Royalex. Weighing only 40 pounds I can carry it and all my fishing gear 3/4 of a mile up stream past some rapids with ease. I weigh about 215 pounds 5 ft 10 inches tall, and I have no problems with this small craft.

The Solo 13 tracks well for such a short boat, handles bass and pleasure boat wakes with ease, and is very manuverable. This Solo 13 is not the white water edition, but is agile enough for class 2 and lower class 3 water. So if you want a light short canoe that is at home on most waters, than you can't go wrong with the Mohawk Solo Canoes. I am very pleased with mine.

I have owned a solo 13 for two years and have been pleased with it. I put in an extra thwart and have a minicell pedestal for the seat. The royalite is nice when taking on and off the truck. This boat turns nicely and does fine on class 2 and less. I also use it when I go brim fishing in the spring, just right for one person.

Bought this little gem in Spokane, #4 in the canoe stable. This for lightness (35#) and durability. As a nature photographer I am frequently cached in gnarly places and this boat gets me to them. Rode like a cork in 2 foot swells, but I have added too much tallow and it is a bit shaky with 215# reaching around for cameras and lenses. It would be a 10 but I had to add Cliff Jacobson cutwater loops for tracking in hypershallow water. But few canoes are properly outfitted for tracking anyhow.

The Mohawk Solo 13 is a very well-designed canoe. I also own two Bell Flashfires and an American Traders Twister. I'm in love with athletic boats and these really perform. I bought the Solo 13 for the river because I don't want my other boats near the rocks.
The Solo 13, too, is a real performer. It accelerates quickly and will turn on a dime. Off the river on quiet water it's delightful. It turns smartly and predictably, will side-pass elegantly, and has amazing glide for its length. When paddling it instead of my other "performance" canoes I don't feel I'm sacraficing anything. This is a good boat.
I won't comment on tracking because this is not important to me. I can paddle a canoe straight. My interest is in controlled turns.
I will comment on the manufacturer, though. The people at Mohawk are wonderful. I've toured their facilities and found them tidy and well-organized. Quality control is top-notch.
For my intended purpose the Solo 13 suits me perfectly.

The solo 13 is well made and priced right.I weigh 220 lbs. and had no stability problems on class I and II rivers. On lakes it is slow. But its not a tripping or touring canoe its a good "poking around" going nowhere having fun kind of a canoe.