First Impressions: Old Town Penobscot Canoe

Got the new canoe out for the first trip on the Huron River yesterday afternoon. It's an Old Town Penobscot 16RX that I picked up lightly used on Craigslist. Although I'd considered several similar canoes from other manufacturers the Penobscot won out for two reasons. The first was weight - at only 58 pounds, the Penobscot was dramatically lighter than the 75-80 pound alternatives I was considering. I plan to paddle this both solo and tandem and wanted a boat I could easily get on my roof alone. Second, I was looking for a manueverable, responsive river boat. I have no delusions of a week-long camping trip in the Boundary Waters. I want to take 1-2 people, and some modest gear and still retain great turning performance. Modest rocker and a narrower profile were key.

The new boat delivers all of this in spades. The light weight made it super-easy to get on and off the roof racks. This also makes shuffling the boat and gear from truck to river simpler, too.

Best of all was the Penobscot's performance in the water. "Zippy" would be the best word I could use to describe it. The boat turns readily with minimal input. And just a moderate current had us moving at a nice pace. Despite this manueverability, the Penobscot tracks arrow-straight very easily. I've learned this lesson the hard way. My first kayak was a Necky that was super-responsive. Unfortunately that made it so twitchy I couldn't paddle a straight line to save my life! Even when paddling solo from the stern, a modest J-stroke kept things right on track.

My only compliant with this boat is completely silly -- no cupholders. Would be nice to be able to have a beer without having to balance it between your feet! I'm sure I'll find an aftermarket unit that mounts conveniently.

So, if you're considering a canoe and have needs like mine, I highly recommend the Old Town Penobscot 16RX.

-Sean-