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I just recently purchased a Hornbeck Nomad New Tricks 14 pack canoe, and love it!

I am a long-time kayaker, and was looking to upgrade to something lighter as an acknowledgment of age (68 and counting). I've owned a 14.5' Wilderness Systems Tsunami for many years. That boat is super-stable and fast, not tremendously nimble but great in open water, and about 55 lbs. heavy. I was looking at lighter kayaks in the 40 lb. range when someone told me about pack canoes, which I had never heard of before. I went to Peter Hornbeck's shop and tried a few models and fell in love with this one.

I'm 6' 1", 195. The 12' and 13' models felt a little cramped for me, and the 14', though slightly heavier, is still freakishly lightweight. I appreciated the expert help and advice at Hornbeck from Peter and his knowldegable staff.

The Hornbeck is fast (I clock it at the same speed as the Tsunami), nimble, comfortable and stable. Unlike the Tsunami, the Hornbeck has a secondary stability point that allows you to tilt for a sharp turn. But when actually paddling, it gets in a firm primary stability groove.

It's super easy to enter and exit the boat -- pretty much like sitting down on and getting up from a chair. That's another of the pleasures of the boat since I love make frequent stops on islands and along the shore. The Kevlar/carbon material is very tough but also thin, so I'm much more careful about scratching it than I was with the Tsunami. (I had to drag the Tsunami quite a bit because of its weight, but the Hornbeck can so easily be picked up, placed in the water, and hopped onto without contacting hard surfaces.)

I was expecting there might be compromises in such a lightweight boat, but I haven't found anything to wish for. For me, it's a perfect boat.