There are two boats in the video, a Mad River Guide and a Venture Ranger 14 (now the 149). The guide is a great boat, but it's a dedicated solo, a bit twitchy and eager to turn if you haven't paddled one before. I can do 4-5 days with reasonably light weight camping kit, but they're very weight sensitive. Me and my kit come in at about 14 stone and I'll happily throw it at grade 3, but somewhere between 15 and 16 stone (220lbs or 100kg) they get unstable, and a bit scarey. They've been out of production for years so not the easiest boat to find, although the Freedom Solo is almost identical and they occasionally crop up on Ebay. The Ranger 149 is a bathtub with a seat and a weight problem. They're so slow it feels like it would be quicker to get out and swim. But you can fill them with every cast iron cook pot, fire pit and canvas tent you can find and still have capacity for a spare paddler. I don't generally recommend them, but if your fit and strong, know how to bully a boat and understand how to use a flat bottom hull, they're suprisingly good fun to paddle and they're so stable I don't think I swam once in the 12 years I paddled one. I bought the Guide because I'm no longer fit and strong enough for the Ranger, but now I have to put up with the occasional swim!
Brilliant explanation, thanks... learnt loads from this.
Cannit wait for the rest :)
Thanks Graham, glad it's been some use. I've just just uploaded part 2, hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge!!!
Excellent video. Loved the way you presented the info and I took away some new knowledge from this. Thank-you for sharing!
One of the best vids on youtube. Briliantly done! Sir.
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent reminders.
Just found your channel John, finding it really useful. Thanks for sharing, atb
Thanks for watching.
This is great! Thanks for sharing.
Great explanation!
Thank you!
Clear. Well explained. 👍
Thanks for the tips buddy!
Great job brother 👍🇨🇦
Great Vid John :) what model canoe are you using and is it any good for an over night camp?
There are two boats in the video, a Mad River Guide and a Venture Ranger 14 (now the 149).
The guide is a great boat, but it's a dedicated solo, a bit twitchy and eager to turn if you haven't paddled one before. I can do 4-5 days with reasonably light weight camping kit, but they're very weight sensitive. Me and my kit come in at about 14 stone and I'll happily throw it at grade 3, but somewhere between 15 and 16 stone (220lbs or 100kg) they get unstable, and a bit scarey. They've been out of production for years so not the easiest boat to find, although the Freedom Solo is almost identical and they occasionally crop up on Ebay.
The Ranger 149 is a bathtub with a seat and a weight problem. They're so slow it feels like it would be quicker to get out and swim. But you can fill them with every cast iron cook pot, fire pit and canvas tent you can find and still have capacity for a spare paddler. I don't generally recommend them, but if your fit and strong, know how to bully a boat and understand how to use a flat bottom hull, they're suprisingly good fun to paddle and they're so stable I don't think I swam once in the 12 years I paddled one.
I bought the Guide because I'm no longer fit and strong enough for the Ranger, but now I have to put up with the occasional swim!
@@johnw1850 John thanks very much for that in-depth explaination. That's really useful 👍😃