Pathfinder

I finally had to retire my Old Town Pathfinder after about 23 years of service. The first couple of years, I paddled eastern NC slow-moving rivers and creeks and this boat’s flat keelless bottom made maneuvering between cypress trees and flooded timber very easy. Then I moved to north Texas and found the Pathfinder perfect for chasing bass and sunfish around shallow rocky creeks and rivers like the Brazos where I would occasionally have to hop out and drag it during the dry spells. I raised two sons taking them out on day trips with their mom, and while they were little, they could fit easily. The Royalex handled many abrasions and thumps upon rocks and stumps, but eventually UV radiation and attempts at repair turned it brittle. I filled it with soil and now grow tomatoes out of it. I’ve rented an Old Town Saranac but the comparison motivated me to go try a new T-Formex boat instead. My new boat is heavier than the Pathfinder, and has a higher profile to catch the wind, but Is much faster and tracks better than the Pathfinder. If you find a pathfinder in someone’s garage sale, I highly recommend it as great solo recreational canoe.

Just picked up this boat this morning after coming across it on Craigslist. Paid: $600 with 2 Grey Owl and one Bending Branches paddles. It;s got the usual dings and scratches but for the most part is in very good shape. One 2-3 inch repair done with Kevlar; outside layer of Royalex cracked when the boat was dropped but the inside layer was not damaged. It's green, aluminum gunwales, webbed seats, all in good condition.

Took it out on Monksville Reservoir in New Jersey. It was extremely windy but the skies were clear. I started off paddling solo with the boat turned around, It tracked fine until I had to go against the wind. I kept it turned around and kneeled so I was a bit more forward and it tracked much better; not great. I also haven't been in a canoe in probably 10 years. So, there's that too.

When the wind died down; it was smooth paddling. The boat is stable enough for me but a little wobbly. Tracked much better when I went back to the landing to pick up my girlfriend. Very happy with the purchase.

Will be back to write another review when I try it under other circumstances. Hopefully, Pine Barrens in NJ.

My Royalex 14'10" Pathfinder has been part of our family for about 25 years. Bought used from a livery during an end-of-season clearance. Over the decades I have added one coat of paint, filled some scratches and reinforced the stems with Old Town's Kevlar skid plates, painted green to match. I've replaced old cane seats with new, sanded and varnished thwarts and trim, and attached a foam carrying yoke. 1-2 times a year it gets a good scrubbing and coat of protectant.

What a workhorse it has been! Not great secondary stability for much whitewater, but it has suited our family fine as long as we pay attention to inherent limitations. It's been dragged over beaver dams, paddled on high mountain ponds and lakes while deer hunting and fishing, in tidal canals and coastal rivers, class 1-2 whitewater and held mountains of gear paddling solo and checking trap lines and waterfowl during most of my game warden career.

At 64 I can still hoist it overhead and enjoy paddling with grandkids and my wife. More than one of our 43 anniversary dates has included at least a few hours of relaxation in this canoe. As with any piece of equipment, take care of it and there's no reason it won't be a hand-me-down to the next generation of paddlers!

I fished lakes and played in 4ft class 4 haystacks with a center air bag in my pathfinder. Took friends and family, including a golden & lab for many a river trip on the James, Appomattox and Shenandoah. Perfect for class 1 & 2, and low water, easily slips over shallow rocks.

Excellent initial and secondary stability, and very maneuverable. Tough solo in wind with little gear or weight. Perfect for cartop at 57 lbs. I miss it a lot, stolen. I do my homework and was rewarded for it with the pathfinder. Replaced it with a Camper to fit 3 for family, but have been disappointed with tippy, flatbottom, unmaneuverable 16ft 90lb. Boat that dumps easy on low shelfs. Thinking of trading for another pathfinder. A kayak works great fir our 3rd person.

We had a Old Town Pathfinder 15' Royalex canoe. It was a bit too shallow and tippy for us, but would be a great fishing canoe for one person though.

We bought the pre-Royalex Pathfinder USED from a canoe outfitter in Ely in 1981 (30 years ago). And it is still one of my favorite canoes in a stable full of 9 canoes and kayaks. It is not fast, nor track straight as an arrow like a good tripping canoe. I like it because it is very comfortable, stable, great for fishing and tough as nails (compared to any fiber composite).

This past summer it was my go-to canoe for a trip to some islands in Lake Superior. It is safe, secure and plenty seaworthy in an ice cold lake.

This is my favorite canoe when I don't have to cover lots of miles quickly. It is a joy to take down twisty rivers and handles nasty weather nicely. The wide flat bottom gives it great initial stability for fly fishing, photography and friends that don't canoe. Don't try to use an electric trolling motor for the same reason, the flat bottom will just get you spinning in circles.

I don't use it for Boundary Waters canoe tripping, but love it for every day use. This is a great canoe to have around the cabin for everyday use, for kids to use, bouncing down a rocky river (not serious rapids) or someone looking for a stable fishing canoe.

Unfortunately the old canoe made Oltonar (sp? - plastic predecessor to Royalex) weighs over 70 pounds, or I would use it even more. On the other hand, it still has at least another 30 years of hard use left in it without any need for repairs. No kevlar canoe could take the abuse this canoe has seen over the past 30+ years and still be floating without patches and a few major repairs.

I have had the Pathfinder for 8yrs. I continually take it out on Puget Sound (in protected waters) in the northwest. I have used this canoe for overnighters, hunting, lake fishing, wildlife viewing, setting/retrieving crab pots, and salmon fishing in protected waters. It's true it does not track well in the wind, but when I am out in waves it does well as long as you're not side ways with the waves too long. With this canoe being my first I don't know how I have ever lived without one.

Just traveled 350 miles round trip to pick up a used one. Been out on a small lake and a winding creek. Canoe handled very well tandem especially since I'm a beginner. Was able to get into and out of tight areas of a shallow creek and able to track well enough to go across a small lake. At 57 pounds, it's a piece of cake for my wife and I to throw it up on the roof of our minivan. Ours is green and in excellent shape with cane seats that are surprisingly comfortable. All in all I am extremely pleased with this canoe as my hours & hours of research really paid off. If you are looking for a versatile canoe, this is probably as close as you are going to get. Lightweight, good stability, large enough for trips, small enough to solo, wide open or tight places and very nice looking too.

My first canoe. I owned this boat for 3 years. I fished out of it and you can consider doing overnight trips but keep the weight down as you loose manuverability. It is lightweight and durable. Easy to paddle even for one person and tracks pretty well but is also rather agile. I used it with a 50# trolling motor with an aluminum motor mount on the back. Performed pretty well. Decided it was too small to take two anglers our regularly. Traded for an OT Camper.

I've had a Pathfinder for many years; regularly paddle grade 4 water in it and have run grade 5+ with full buoyancy and thigh braces. Great boat, but being flat it tend to slide off big haystacks into the trough and swamp. I might change it for a 15' Legend if it was still available in the UK, but otherwise I guess it will see me out!

I've had my Royalex Pathfinder for nearly 15 years. I use it for fishing, camping trips, some mild whitewater and lake paddling. I've even had it out on the ocean on a very calm day. I can take my wife, daughter and dog on a flat water paddle, and I've soloed it full of camping gear across a whitecapped river. Sure, with that flat bottom it tracks like a drunk, but if you're in a hurry you should be paddling something else. A high quality all-rounder - now if I could only find a kayak that does all this.....

I have paddled my Pathfinder for 5 years throughout the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill plateau. I have been very pleased with it's performance as an ideal all around boat. It handles well as a solo boat and as a boat for my wife and myself with gear for short trips. It does not perform as well on large lakes with strong winds, especially solo.(But of course that's not what it is designed for!) For someone looking for a nice, high quality all around performer, I definitely recommend the Pathfinder.

I think a description is better than a rating in this case. This canoe does much more than I thought it would. I have had it 10 years and used it on lakes for shore fishing, open rivers for float trips and on the South Branch and GreenBrier in WV and Slippery Rock and Casselman in PA. I load it down for 5 days of canoe camping. It is very good in shallow water conditions, moves well enough to keep me out of trouble and dodges rocks too. It is very stable and I can fly fish from it. I am 5'10" 160 lbs and it it a perfect size solo. When I bring the nephew along, I have to cut back on some luxuries (chair, cold beverages, but we still have a great time. On a lake it is not too much fun in a wind and it does not have much glide.

I love my Pathfinder. I can manage it solo both on land and onthe water, and yet when I want to bring a friend along, no problem. It is a great small water boat, light enough to be paddled for hours without tiring, manouverable for coves, fast or slow creeks, canals, and all the great places for seeing wildlife up close. I use a long shafted paddle with a long thin rectangular blade. I do not like it as well for big water such as large lakes because the wind quickly becomes a factor in handling (at least when soloing). But I think it is great for float trips, fishing, and wildlife watching.

I was looking for a canoe that will take me on three day river trips through class I whitewater, and this is not the one. It rides low to the water and gets completely swamped in the waves.

Just returned from a solo camping trip along Lake Superior, the Pictured Rocks area. The canoe was stable in some heavy water in the the big lake. It was also large enough to hold all the camping gear I needed for five-days out. It was stable enough to allow me to use it for fly-fishing at the mouths of rivers in Superior. I'm now planning to take it to Isle Royle National Park in Lake Superior for a week of camping and fishing. It's a sable canoe that holds plenty of gear and is easy to handle.