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I sold my Penobscot 16 after my divorce. The canoe was beat up a bit as was I. It was time to move on. With my two kids, living on the Saco River, I decided to get them going with a stable platform that I could live with as an experienced paddler. I liked the looks of the OT Camper 16 so found one used on CL and bought it.

It is light, pretty, and can take a beating. The trade off is that it just doesn't meet my expectations of performance. Mind you, this is not necessarily a fault with the boat. But my expectations may have been too high. The hull is light and flat on the bottom giving it wonderful stability. But the result is that it oil cans too much. I really can't stand hulls that oil can! I also found that for my kids to learn to paddle, the width made it difficult for them to do a good paddle stroke.

The boat is very maneuverable and I like that a lot. Wind definitely makes tracking on a heading difficult with the flat bottom, naturally. My plan is to go back to the Penobscot 16. It is a stiffer hull, about the same weight, and only a little less in capacity. It will be a better all around canoe and stable enough for me.

If stability with family is the #1, I would get the Camper. But if you expect some performance, I'd look at the Penobscot. I still like the Camper for what it is, and in fact may keep it for lake picnics and float parties. It is a pretty canoe and I like that too.