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Purchased a Adirondack Canoe Co. Boreas about 3 months ago. My boat is set up as a pack canoe with the lower seat height, and use with a kayak paddle.

The boat is attractive, with cherry rails, and a kevlar-carbon matrix outer layer and kevlar interior. Due to personal preferences I added a different (bucket) seat vs. the canoe style one supplied with the boat, and a bit softer backrest.I also added Palm 32" flotation bags, as the boat as supplied will float, but with very little reserve buoyancy. I am 6' 2" x 180 lbs. with 60+ years paddling experience in higher performance Kayas, surf skis, etc. My other pack canoe is a Placid Boatworks Shadow.

The Boreas has excellent stability and does not feel "twitchy" as is often the case with a light weight narrow hull canoe. With the lower pack boat style freeboard, control in winds up to 15 MPH is good. Speed is very good for the boat's lengthened it is very easy to control when maneuvering. these comments are based on flat water experience.

For its price I feel construction quality is very good, but not to the level of the Shadow, this is not unexpected as the boat's price is only 53% of the Shadow or Placid Boatworks Rapidfire. It is an excellent boat relative to its cost.

Recently received my Placid Shadow in the Ultra Lightweight construction. The hull finish inside and out is the best I've seen on a canoe. The boat is very fast with excellent glide, runs straight yet turns smoothly. Coming from a surf ski/OC-1 background I plan on replacing the foot pegs with a foot bar and foot board as I like paddling with my feet together, but this is personal taste. The above comments are based on using a 230 cm. kayak paddle. I run the "high" seat which is about 4" above the bottom of the hull, with no issues with stability. I am 6'2" and 190 lbs. I feel this is a great high-performance exercise boat.

I have used the Power Surge Pro paddle on my ARES OC-1 and racing solo canoe for 6 months and am pleased with the paddle in both services. Entry and exit are nearly silent, and power is excellent and the light weight is wonderful for minimizing fatigue. Well with the price in my opinion.

I have used ZRE paddles for my racing SUP for years, and recently for my high performance canoe and OC-1 outrigger. The PRO is about 7 oz. and has very clean entry when planting and close to silent exit. Despite the relatively small size (107 sq. inches) it provided excellent power for my canoe and OC-1. Highly recommend despite the price.