Profile

With the exception of my wood canoes, all my boats are Royalex, I love the lighter weight and the durability. At 14' the Hunter is too short for a tandem canoe for full size humans. My 16' Campers fit that niche. I have 2 Packs and each time I paddled one I commented that it needed to be 2' longer. (note - move the seats on them 9" closer to center) Solution - I picked up a 14' Hunter last year and converted it to a solo boat. I removed both seats and installed a webbed seat - placed 9" closer to center than the front seat was (reused 2 holes). I moved the thwart and added one lightweight thwart for each seat, more for a point to fasten gear than for support. It weighs 51# now vs. 53 stock, 33 for the 12' Pack and 59 for the 16' Camper.

The boat is slow - similar to the Pack, but will be great for a solo canoe trip. As a solo boat she is very stable. I wish it was 2 or 3" narrower and had a keel like the Pack or the Carleton (fiberglass), but for what it is I am happy - and since I have different boats for different needs, the solo Hunter has a place in my small fleet.

For what it is, it is a great canoe. It is a lightweight solo canoe for a leisurely paddle. She is NOT a tandem canoe, and I can't picture using this short boat as such. I scored a nice used one lately and added her to my fleet (5 other Old Town canoes - each different). As with my other boats, I lowered the seat 2" - not sure I won't raise it back up.

Today was the first time on the water, and after a short time getting used to a rhythmic j-stroke, she performed well. With one of my kayak paddles, she handled well. I'm glad to have her in the fleet - along with 2 other Royalex canoes and 3 classic wood canoes (1 restored, 1 in process and another in queue).

She won't be my "daily driver," or the one I take on trips, but on the days I just want a slow paddle - she fits the bill