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I bought my Discovery 119 with the idea of having a lightweight solo canoe. It tracks pretty well and seems to be maneuverable even with the molded in keel. It is easily cartopped and can be carried short distances with one hand. This canoe is set up to be paddled with a double bladed paddle like a kayak, with your legs straight out in front of you. Raising the seat to try to kneel changed the center of gravity too much. I found that I need to stop and take breaks to stretch my legs more frequently than in a traditional canoe setup. If you like paddling kayaks, but want a canoe, this is the boat for you. If you want a traditional canoe it is not.

Old Town is trying to turn their canoes into kayaks in this design. The seat gives about 3 inches of floor clearance and does not allow for kneeling. Since the seat is so low it is not set up to use a single blade paddle and has no foot pegs. After removing the seat and putting a piece of plywood in its place I was able to get about 7 inches of clearance and kneel and use a canoe paddle.

The boat does not track well in flat water and requires a j-stroke every stroke. It does turn quite well and should be good once I get into moving water. If the seat were raised much more it would put the center of gravity pretty high and might be tippy. I really wanted a solo canoe to paddle like a canoe, not this. It would help if Old Town offered a real canoe seat. Perhaps the Pack would be a better option, but it costs $400 more.

I have had my Discovery 174 since 1986 and it still slips over rocks in shallow water like it was oiled. It tracks well and has good stability. It maneuvers well for such a long boat, but it is a little awkward solo. Great for tripping and fishing.