I've paddled a Mad River Freedom Solo for the last three years. It's a great canoe. It seems to know where I want to go. I did raise the seat and move it back (a seat width) 8.5" to center my weight when kneeling. This helps reduce the amount of water entering the canoe when playing in haystacks. I'm about 160 lbs. I don't find the Freedom Solo slow. If I'm in a group of tandem canoes, I'm out front. For someone my size, the Mad River Freedom Solo has better primary stability than the NovaCraft Supernova Solo and is better in wind than the Esquif Pocket Canyon. I've owned and paddled all three. I prefer the Freedom Solo for the shallow, rocky, Class II rivers we have here in New Brunswick.
