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I've paddled a well used Passage for 4 years, both doubles and solo and report that it is an excellent tripping canoe. I have rigged it for solo sitting, kneeling, and standing and can paddle comfortably in all these stances. The canoe is fast and will track well in a windy lake. It does not turn well in class II WW, but it can handle some waves and holes with an able paddler -- I've even done some class 3. The canoe is light for its size, but still weighs about 70 lbs and oil cans a bit (but not when standing). It has speed close to the Royalex Wenonah Sundowner or Mad River Malecite, but has more room for gear or a third person. What luck, I just bought another 1995 Passage with a hull that is unabused so I am set for life!

I have paddled my Advantage in many different conditions -- rivers, lakes, even some WW, loaded and unloaded. It is reasonably fast and stable. I sometimes stand up in it in flat water. I have done 100 mile adventure races with 50 pounds of gear and provisions. My only complaint about the boat is that it is too narrow at the gunnels (22 inches). Since I change from sitting to kneeling or standing, I need a couple more inches of width at center to do this comfortably. I see that the newer Prism seems to have been built wider and may be an improved Advantage.

I have the Royalex Cascade with ash trim and really enjoy it. I first raced it in WW races, where it was fast, maneuverable, and dry enough. I also use it to take novice paddlers out. It was the boat of choice (I have several choices) for a 200 mile Bloodvein River trip -- lots of flat river and lakes, lots of rapids, lots of portages.

The Cascade performed well in waves, wind, and rapids. The only negative is that the thwarts were badly placed for kneeling and I moved both of them closer to the center of the boat. Now I can kneel on or behind the rear thwart and also use it as a footbrace when sitting in the standard rear seat (put it 28 inches forward of the front of that seat and 1 inch lower than the gunnels). Similarly, I moved the front thwart back so the bow paddler can kneel behind the front seat and lean on the thwart. Moreover, this relocated front thwart makes a great grab on the portages, whereas it could not be reached in the original position. Moving the front thwart back required adding a small thwart about 2ft back of the bow for gunnel stiffness (and also for constraining a bow float bag if used).

My rating is a 9 coming from Wenonah and a 10 as modified by me.

I have paddled my Dimension in WW all over the US single: if a raft has a line, then so do I. It is a great boat for taking a novice partner in big water or for standing up. I also have a Caption, which is a better boat for singles. Since others have emphasized the superior characteristics, I should add some negatives. The great freeboard and maneuverability means a bad ride on a windy lake (I once got driven upriver on the Skykomish!) or getting blown out of tight WW lines. Also, my Dimension is a heavy carry at the end of the day. I'm not parting with it anytime soon.

I like my Sundowner for both WW racing and all kinds of touring. I am over 200 lbs and I paddle it single and double. My timing shows it a minute per hour faster than the 17 ft Penobscot in flatwater. The bow stays down in shallow water and it does not slow down much, which is unusual for an ABS boat. It is a little floppy, but I like the light weight. I agree that it is NOT a match for a composite boat, however, but you can wax it a pull it like a sled over ice or boulders and not fret about it!