Cruiser

I have been paddling boats of all types since the 70's with the Swift Cruiser 12.8 being my latest acquisition. At 73, with an untreated hernia, it became apparent that I needed a boat with a decent seat back. I had never heard of packboats & paddled mostly kayaks but was searching for a new, light weight, boat. Enter the world of packboat canoes.

The last canoe that I had paddled was a heavy, aluminum, Grumman so the experience of paddling a solo canoe at 22 pounds was an eye opener! In Florida you don't see these boats often so I had to purchase one from a store in Connecticut & have it delivered. All of the hassle was well worth it.

The 12.8 Cruiser is light weight, has a very comfortable seat (with lumbar support) and tracks straight and true. My boat is all carbon with a carbon / Innegra weave in the hull. You sit low to the floor with your legs forward on adjustable pegs and I use a kayak paddle most of the time. For paddling in confined spaces (Mangrove Tunnels) I will switch to a canoe paddle which works just fine.

All in all, I am very satisfied with this Swift 12.8 canoe as I can easily hoist it upon me car racks. It provides more space to pack gear if so desired & the fit and finish of this boat is excellent.

With a full season of paddling on this boat, I can now say it is by far my favourite out of the countless ones I have paddled over the years. Not only is my boat unbelievably fast and able to clean house at any regatta. But it also has a surprising amount of initial stability (for a boat of its speed), along with phenomenal secondary stability. It takes bad weather like a champ, making high winds and rough seas nothing more than a bad joke!

But the one thing that impressed me the most was the quality and attention to fine details that guys at Swift put in to building my boat. I have no complaints about my boat, and in my personal opinion it is second to none. Oh, and she only weighs 36lbs!