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The Discovery is an excellent canoe. I purchased mine in 1986 and had it for 20 years before selling it.

The canoe is exceptionally stable. I often stood in the canoe to cast when fishing. It is an awesome tripping canoe, capable of carrying 1,100 lbs. It was, however, heavy, which made portaging the canoe tiring.

My canoe had the bench seat, which allowed me to solo paddle the canoe backwards by sitting in the bow seat. Contrary to what has been written, the newer model is not a good solo canoe. The contoured seats and backrests prevent solo paddlers from paddling the canoe backwards. Paddling solo from the stern seat is doable, but it raises the bow high out of the water, which on windy days will turn the bow into a sail.

If you need a great family canoe, this is the ideal canoe to get. It's very stable, something you want in a family canoe, especially if you have little tikes along. If, however, most of your canoeing will be done solo, look at an Old Town model with webbed seats instead.