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For me this is the ultimate canoe it's fast stable and turns like a dream. I paddle mostly on narrow winding rivers with lots of turns. Does what I want it too whether sitting or kneeling.

Where has the Encounter been all of my life. I've paddled and owned a lot of different solo canoes searching for the perfect boat for me. I have some ww experience but mostly paddle slow moving rivers up and downstream. I especially like paddling flooded streams with lots of turns and obstacles. Of course you must be able to handle boat well to survive in these situations.

I probably won't use the Encounter much for its intended purpose of loading it down with lots weight for expedition work. I haven't paddled it in much wind but noticed that the wind would push the bow down and make it more difficult to control. I'm sure a cover would take care of this problem for most paddlers. For me the seat is in the right spot no trouble manuvering this fine craft.

Yes it is a big boat and incredibly stable so its not as exciting as a narrower hull. This boat turns incredibly well if you know how to lean the boat on the opposite side of the turn and use the right strokes. I usually kneel in a canoe but I can make this one turn sitting almost as easily. She is effected very little by the current even when going upstream around tight turns.

If I only had one boat for wilderness travel this would be my pick. Its too bad its only listed as just an expedition canoe, paddled light shes a gem in my opinion.

I recently purchased a kevlar light and find it to be fantastic for day outings and narrow rivers which is what it was designed for. Both the bow and the stern are very responsive to strokes yet tracks well. No problems with stability and leans well. Cruises easily at 4.5 mph and is capable up to 6 mph. Best tandem I’ve paddled for narrow waterways Id give it a 10 for its purpose.

This boat cooks right along very effeciently for larger lakes and rivers. I find it to be too hard to turn on narrow rivers though. It will turn with two experienced paddlers but I find only with a stationary draw or prys from the bow. The stern will respond to draws and sweeps but the lack of responsiveness in the bow puts a lot of stress on the person in the front.

I’m adding this to my last review on this boat. This is a great boat if you want to take a dog with you but only if you put them behind you. The boat is steady enough and actually handles better with the dog placed behind the paddler. In the bow makes the stern way to light and to hard to control the boat. I have also found that it’s easier to keep the boat under control with stern strokes rather than bow.

I recently bought a royalex rendevous and what a fun boat to paddle it is. In the beginning I to thought the seat was in the wrong place because occasionaly I would have trouble betting the front end to respond to bow strokes. I moved the seat back an inch and that didnt seem to help because while it made the front end lighter I lost some reach while doing bow strokes. So then I moved the seat an inch forward of the stock position and the front responded better but that made the stern to light and harder to control. I think the boat could use a little less rocker in the back to make it more controlable. I moved the seat back to the original position and now that ive gotten more used to it she does fine.However this boat is a blast to paddle once you get used to it Ive found that if you do vertical strokes or use a c-stroke it will track very nicely you just have to be aware of how much your leaning it. She moves along easily turns on a dime when you want it too and has the best speed of any royalex boat that ive paddled so far. If I was going to have only one boat this would be it for paddling rivers although I would go Kevlar because I'm spoiled.

This is one of my all time favorites to paddle. Mines made of Kevlar and has a light feel on the water. I judge a boat by how well they go upstream and this one moves easily and is very responsive to every lean and paddle stroke. Its a shame that this wonderful craft is no longer made.

When I say freestyle I mean exhibition freestyle. The boat responds to well to freestyle strokes in fact it carves turns on a river with current more precisly than any other boat that Ive paddled. It is a little tippy when leaned but I enjoy the lively feeling.

Fast responsive and pretty darn comfy. I dont know how it is in high wind or choppy water because I mostly paddle narrow streams. It has good leg room and decent outfitting I had too glue some insulite on the backrest to custom fit me. Yes its a little tippy if your not used too paddling a high performance boat. But I find it to be very stable and a blast to turn you just lean it over and she turns as pretty as you please.

I'm changing my review of this boat when I first paddled it I was used too paddling flatwater C1s that do track better. However now I am paddling more solo touring boats which turn much easier than c1s. The boat is incredibly stable even when leaned over to turn. It does indeed track rather well, I ve taken my 25 lb dog in it and it handles the extra unstable weight just fine. As a tandem it has pretty good glide and stern is quite responsive. The bow however takes a bit of effort to move it around. It probably makes a great solo for a larger paddler.