That is AMAZING (on both counts)!!!!! I'd wager you're going to love the canoe, and we have plenty enough summer and warm days of fall left to enjoy it. I absolutely have to know how the sail works out - PLEASE keep me in the loop on that. More than once I've pondered it quite seriously. My Grandfather had a small sailboat, and remember his stories of him whipping around the lake with ease... Always look at the hole in the canoe for the sail and wonder what the experience would be; other than a blurry clip on TH-cam from an old promotional video, I've never seen it in use, so now I'm super curious!!! 😀 ⛵🛶
It's never dumb to get out on the water by yourself for that's when you have the most peace and quiet and serenity from this crazy world we live in for I say it's a visit to heaven for awhile !!!
@@jeffreyelliott622 couldn't agree with you more. Especially when the temps are perfect and the water is glass - but anytime is wonderful to be honest. 🛶
I have a 24lb Watersnake on a 14ft Hornbeck and it definitely does not like weeds. Thanks for your post. 7.2 mph is impressive, I only manage about 4.3.
Thanks for watching! I don't know if Watersnake props would be interchangeable with Minn Kota (or if you can jerry-rig), but if so then by all means consider that weedless wedge. If not, hope they do have something similar... couldn't believe the difference it made!
I was impressed by several things. 1) That canoe looks to be extremely stable 2) I didn't think that 30# thrust minnkota would push that canoe that well. Especially with a strong headwind and against the current. 3) I thought that wind would push the canoe all over the place and it didn't 4) That weedless prop was able to cut through some thick stuff. 5) It looked like you were able to move this canoe with ease while using the paddle. I figured it would be tough to do considering how flat and wide the bottom is. I'm considering buying this canoe (American version) and outfitting it with a 2.5 Suzuki outboard and a 45 pound thrust minnkota electric motor.
Thanks Doug! Love, love, love this canoe. It is super stable - we paddle it, fish and duck hunt out of it (and stand quite often). The sponsons add a load of stability as do the bars within the canoe. Have had two adults, a couple of kids and a dog in it, and never once feared for tipping The only thing I'd outfit (and likely will) is a yoke, because while she's not an overly heavy canoe - around 50lbs, portaging does get old rather quickly. Is the American version the Radisson? From what I understand, they're pretty identical; both being aircraft aluminum and designed/manufactured near (if not totally) identical. It's a really all around jack-of-all-trades craft, and I've had her in chop on bigger lakes and she fares okay. Glides on glass (even faster with two of us), and we've even had her down the occasional light rapids.. that gets a little hairy as I worry about the aluminum getting dinged up too too bad... A Quetico it is not, but it's tough nonetheless. Large, comfortable and light enough for us. I have a 2.5 hp Evinrude I use on lakes that's pretty wild, and can only imagine how much fun you'd have with a 45 lb thrust in a canoe like this. But definitely invest in the weedless prop - it was a total game changer... Swear they should sell these motors with them 😁
@Simple Woods Life The American version is called Sportspal by Myers. They are made with thicker aluminum, which makes them weigh more than the Radisson. And they don't offer as many size variations as you get up north with the Radisson. How long is your canoe? And if you had it to do over again, would you have bought a different length or one of the square sterns?? Or does the 2.5 motor you have work fine off to the side like the minnkota?
Ours is 14' - and love the traditional design. The bracket that came with it to hook up the motors works well, obviously square stern would be more stable if it's always going to have a motor on it, but we wanted the flexibility to swap out motors or just have a canoe for basic paddling... and the classic silhouette of a canoe pointed on both ends is lovely.
I was thinking about putting a trolling motor on my canoe for a trip on the Mississippi river (ending in Texas). This just may have convinced me to do that.
That sounds like an amazing trip - Hope you have a blast! When the weather isn't the best (or I'm feeling a little sluggish), I'll load it on the canoe as even a just-in-case. Paddle a few hours, then drop the motor in when I want a break. Good deep cycle battery and you'll go forever. Happy paddling!
Great video I really enjoyed it. Thinking of getting one of these little canoes never thought I would they seemed like toys but I will go going solo 90% of the time not to fish just canoe what is it like with a side wind and just paddling and is it hard to keep it straight with such a flatter bottom and being so wide? Thanks for the vid the one I am looking at tomorrow is very similar to yours and is the Canadian one. Another bonus is the weight I am getting up in years haha
Hi Linda, thanks for the comment, I feel like I can't answer you without writing an novel, so apologies for the big read lol. The Sportspal is most definitely not a toy, so you're worry free on that front! 🙂 It is a jack of all trades though, and with that has advantages and disadvantages over other brands/models. I'm no canoe expert, but I can say with certainty it's all about what you're going to do with it, how many people or gear you're going to be loading in and obviously where you're going to take it. The Sportspal for instance is aluminum which is great for lightweight, but when my buddy and I took our canoes together up near Buckhorn and hit some rapids, he was fine and dandy in his plastic Old Town and I was cringing with every rock that came near. If you're not dealing with rapids, then you're not worried about it (Sportspal is strong, sturdy and super durable - don't get me wrong, but you could bend his canoe around a boulder and it'd snap back in place). Your concern about weight though for sure, ours is 14' and around 40lbs, his is 16' and pushing 100lbs. On that note, we use ours for everything - canoeing, fishing, tripping, solo, stacked with peeps and the pup, hunting and even sometimes with a gas motor or electric; and it handles ALL of that with ease👌 Now I've had it on lakes for just a paddle, and it's lovely - but when the wind does get clipping and I'm out in the middle it does become substantially tougher to paddle. That's the same of any canoe if the gusts are doing their thing, but the Sportspal is light, is wide and is flat(ish), which I'm sure doesn't help. But, if you're looking for using it more on calm days, inlets, rivers and shore paddling it's a breeze to use. The sponsons give it a lot of stability, and if you upgrade the seats to the mesh look, it's quite a comfy tripper. With decent weather, it's totally fine for keeping her straight and true. I met the fella virtually who's posted below (Gettenany Outdoors), and he seems to work for or on Sportspal and I've followed him on here and socials - I would think if you shot him a note (www.youtube.com/@GettenanyOutdoorsSportspal), he seems like the super expert to give you some peace of mind. I hope this helps?!
@@simplewoodslife Hey thanks for the reply and all the advice and descriptions. Just picked up my 12 ft sportspal 1 hour ago !! It is so cute and I think it will be perfect. I just popped it in the back of my pickupbed tied her down and all was a breeze. I will be mainly going solo not across any lake in the 12 ft if it is windy but along the shoreline and down some rivers..No white water just a lazy river oh and when I went to pick it up she remembered the motor mount ! Bonus so I came back here to check you out again and now I know how and where to mount it. I have the foam seats but will be looking to mount the ones you have. She is an oldie but goody now to test it for leaks. I grew up canoeing was going to buy a 16 ft cedar canvas the other day but the guy lied through his teeth and had a picture he stole from the internet looked great and when I saw it was a pure junker cracked ribs and dry rot gunnels and just old and ignored looked like it was sitting outside on it's back for 40 years. Anyhow things worked out better for me with this handy dandy 12 ft sportspal ! Not for him he has a broken nose now. ;-) Can't wait to test it out and see if there are leaks hahaha. Happy days ahead for sure throw it in the back, tie it down and good to go. Will get lots of time on the water and explore some neat places
@@lindamorgan2678 that's AWESOME! Hope you enjoy it for years and years to come!!! Super news on the motor mount too! You can find a Minn Kota Endura C2 at Canadian Tire pretty cheap - and they really do get you zipping along if that's something you're interested in at the end of a lonnnnnnnggggg paddle down a river and realizing your car is at least a few hours back the other way 🤣 Those foam seats aren't too bad at all, so wouldn't worry! The only thing I think we're going to do in ours is toss a yoke in down the line, as it does get a little awkward to carry on my shoulders during a portage. HAVE A BLAST AND HAPPY PADDLING!!!!
Is that a 12 ft canoe? Looks like you just reverse the canoe and sit in the front seat with your legs over the center bar. Any discomfort with that at all? I just got a used 12 ft. Radisson and I'm curious how things will go! Thanks kindly.
@@infie it is indeed! It's not so bad kneeling or putting my legs over the bar. I've also knelt just in front of it and rested my backside on it. Works well with a soft underlayer beneath the knees if you by any chance blew yours out younger skateboarding too lol. I've also had times with so much gear that I've tossed it in the front of the canoe and sat in the regular backseat. Suppose all in and around, the answer is yes to legs over the bar, and no real discomfort..... and I'm not a long legged fellow. I'm going to be dollars to donuts you'll love that Radisson! Congrats on the purchase, and let me know how it goes!
@@simplewoodslife Thanks for your reply. I just picked up a used (actually not used at all, but the boat sat for a few years under a tarp outside) 12ft Radisson today! I drove 7 hours roundtrip to get it because it was a great deal. It came with no seats (except for those weird foam ones) so I had to buy a webbed seat and I'm going to install that behind the crossbar so then I won't even be paddling backwards that way. Haha. It's so light! 34 pounds!? That's so crazy to me when I thought my fishing kayak didn't weigh much at 60 pounds. Then I have a 16ft transom Radisson as well that I use a Minn Kota on (thinking about a smaller gas motor in the future). That boat is great for fishing trips with my father and friends. Caught many fish out of that boat! It's kind of a barge to paddle though. Best!
@@infie barge is a great term lol. But also tank - I've had that think packed to the gills and its never let me down. Whitecaps, some rapids - not many, but some - and she's a beast. I have a little 2.5 evinrude that I need to use on mine, might be a fun experiment once I get the little bugger reliable. I think your trek to pick that boat up was totally worth the time. They are not the sleek water cutters like other canoes, but I've never had them let me down once. Always solid and reliable, even when I've had no business being out. Plus I'd warrant as stable than my jon boat. And yeah, those foam seats are ridiculous eh? I'm going to install a yoke on ours next. Long portages on the cross bar hurt.
@@simplewoodslife Yoke is a good move. This new 12ft for me will be absolutely perfect for the backwater fishing trips. I love going where big boats can't. It's the best. Quiet. Big fish. Perfect.
No life jacket in a canoe??? First thing you should have put on!! How many people gotta drown because of a lack of a $50. safety device! You are no kid and ought to know better! Otherwise informative!
Awesome job showing the sportspal. It's like watching myself trip around in one of mine.
Thanks so much! Love that canoe - glad to meet like minded folks 😃
Enjoyed the video. Took delivery of a Radisson 14 footer earlier in the week. I was crazy enough to order the sail kit with it, lol.
That is AMAZING (on both counts)!!!!! I'd wager you're going to love the canoe, and we have plenty enough summer and warm days of fall left to enjoy it. I absolutely have to know how the sail works out - PLEASE keep me in the loop on that. More than once I've pondered it quite seriously. My Grandfather had a small sailboat, and remember his stories of him whipping around the lake with ease... Always look at the hole in the canoe for the sail and wonder what the experience would be; other than a blurry clip on TH-cam from an old promotional video, I've never seen it in use, so now I'm super curious!!! 😀 ⛵🛶
It's never dumb to get out on the water by yourself for that's when you have the most peace and quiet and serenity from this crazy world we live in for I say it's a visit to heaven for awhile !!!
@@jeffreyelliott622 couldn't agree with you more. Especially when the temps are perfect and the water is glass - but anytime is wonderful to be honest. 🛶
I have a 24lb Watersnake on a 14ft Hornbeck and it definitely does not like weeds. Thanks for your post. 7.2 mph is impressive, I only manage about 4.3.
Thanks for watching! I don't know if Watersnake props would be interchangeable with Minn Kota (or if you can jerry-rig), but if so then by all means consider that weedless wedge. If not, hope they do have something similar... couldn't believe the difference it made!
I was impressed by several things.
1) That canoe looks to be extremely stable
2) I didn't think that 30# thrust minnkota would push that canoe that well. Especially with a strong headwind and against the current.
3) I thought that wind would push the canoe all over the place and it didn't
4) That weedless prop was able to cut through some thick stuff.
5) It looked like you were able to move this canoe with ease while using the paddle. I figured it would be tough to do considering how flat and wide the bottom is.
I'm considering buying this canoe (American version) and outfitting it with a 2.5 Suzuki outboard and a 45 pound thrust minnkota electric motor.
Thanks Doug! Love, love, love this canoe. It is super stable - we paddle it, fish and duck hunt out of it (and stand quite often). The sponsons add a load of stability as do the bars within the canoe. Have had two adults, a couple of kids and a dog in it, and never once feared for tipping
The only thing I'd outfit (and likely will) is a yoke, because while she's not an overly heavy canoe - around 50lbs, portaging does get old rather quickly. Is the American version the Radisson? From what I understand, they're pretty identical; both being aircraft aluminum and designed/manufactured near (if not totally) identical.
It's a really all around jack-of-all-trades craft, and I've had her in chop on bigger lakes and she fares okay. Glides on glass (even faster with two of us), and we've even had her down the occasional light rapids.. that gets a little hairy as I worry about the aluminum getting dinged up too too bad... A Quetico it is not, but it's tough nonetheless.
Large, comfortable and light enough for us. I have a 2.5 hp Evinrude I use on lakes that's pretty wild, and can only imagine how much fun you'd have with a 45 lb thrust in a canoe like this. But definitely invest in the weedless prop - it was a total game changer... Swear they should sell these motors with them 😁
@Simple Woods Life The American version is called Sportspal by Myers. They are made with thicker aluminum, which makes them weigh more than the Radisson. And they don't offer as many size variations as you get up north with the Radisson. How long is your canoe? And if you had it to do over again, would you have bought a different length or one of the square sterns?? Or does the 2.5 motor you have work fine off to the side like the minnkota?
Ours is 14' - and love the traditional design. The bracket that came with it to hook up the motors works well, obviously square stern would be more stable if it's always going to have a motor on it, but we wanted the flexibility to swap out motors or just have a canoe for basic paddling... and the classic silhouette of a canoe pointed on both ends is lovely.
@Simple Woods Life Thank you for all the helpful information. You've truly been a blessing to me and I'm glad I found your channel.
Thank you so much Doug! Great to meet you :)
I was thinking about putting a trolling motor on my canoe for a trip on the Mississippi river (ending in Texas). This just may have convinced me to do that.
That sounds like an amazing trip - Hope you have a blast! When the weather isn't the best (or I'm feeling a little sluggish), I'll load it on the canoe as even a just-in-case. Paddle a few hours, then drop the motor in when I want a break. Good deep cycle battery and you'll go forever. Happy paddling!
Great video I really enjoyed it. Thinking of getting one of these little canoes never thought I would they seemed like toys but I will go going solo 90% of the time not to fish just canoe what is it like with a side wind and just paddling and is it hard to keep it straight with such a flatter bottom and being so wide? Thanks for the vid the one I am looking at tomorrow is very similar to yours and is the Canadian one. Another bonus is the weight I am getting up in years haha
Hi Linda, thanks for the comment, I feel like I can't answer you without writing an novel, so apologies for the big read lol. The Sportspal is most definitely not a toy, so you're worry free on that front! 🙂 It is a jack of all trades though, and with that has advantages and disadvantages over other brands/models. I'm no canoe expert, but I can say with certainty it's all about what you're going to do with it, how many people or gear you're going to be loading in and obviously where you're going to take it. The Sportspal for instance is aluminum which is great for lightweight, but when my buddy and I took our canoes together up near Buckhorn and hit some rapids, he was fine and dandy in his plastic Old Town and I was cringing with every rock that came near. If you're not dealing with rapids, then you're not worried about it (Sportspal is strong, sturdy and super durable - don't get me wrong, but you could bend his canoe around a boulder and it'd snap back in place). Your concern about weight though for sure, ours is 14' and around 40lbs, his is 16' and pushing 100lbs.
On that note, we use ours for everything - canoeing, fishing, tripping, solo, stacked with peeps and the pup, hunting and even sometimes with a gas motor or electric; and it handles ALL of that with ease👌
Now I've had it on lakes for just a paddle, and it's lovely - but when the wind does get clipping and I'm out in the middle it does become substantially tougher to paddle. That's the same of any canoe if the gusts are doing their thing, but the Sportspal is light, is wide and is flat(ish), which I'm sure doesn't help. But, if you're looking for using it more on calm days, inlets, rivers and shore paddling it's a breeze to use. The sponsons give it a lot of stability, and if you upgrade the seats to the mesh look, it's quite a comfy tripper. With decent weather, it's totally fine for keeping her straight and true.
I met the fella virtually who's posted below (Gettenany Outdoors), and he seems to work for or on Sportspal and I've followed him on here and socials - I would think if you shot him a note (www.youtube.com/@GettenanyOutdoorsSportspal), he seems like the super expert to give you some peace of mind.
I hope this helps?!
@@simplewoodslife Hey thanks for the reply and all the advice and descriptions. Just picked up my 12 ft sportspal 1 hour ago !! It is so cute and I think it will be perfect. I just popped it in the back of my pickupbed tied her down and all was a breeze. I will be mainly going solo not across any lake in the 12 ft if it is windy but along the shoreline and down some rivers..No white water just a lazy river oh and when I went to pick it up she remembered the motor mount ! Bonus so I came back here to check you out again and now I know how and where to mount it. I have the foam seats but will be looking to mount the ones you have. She is an oldie but goody now to test it for leaks. I grew up canoeing was going to buy a 16 ft cedar canvas the other day but the guy lied through his teeth and had a picture he stole from the internet looked great and when I saw it was a pure junker cracked ribs and dry rot gunnels and just old and ignored looked like it was sitting outside on it's back for 40 years. Anyhow things worked out better for me with this handy dandy 12 ft sportspal ! Not for him he has a broken nose now. ;-) Can't wait to test it out and see if there are leaks hahaha. Happy days ahead for sure throw it in the back, tie it down and good to go. Will get lots of time on the water and explore some neat places
@@lindamorgan2678 that's AWESOME! Hope you enjoy it for years and years to come!!! Super news on the motor mount too! You can find a Minn Kota Endura C2 at Canadian Tire pretty cheap - and they really do get you zipping along if that's something you're interested in at the end of a lonnnnnnnggggg paddle down a river and realizing your car is at least a few hours back the other way 🤣 Those foam seats aren't too bad at all, so wouldn't worry! The only thing I think we're going to do in ours is toss a yoke in down the line, as it does get a little awkward to carry on my shoulders during a portage.
HAVE A BLAST AND HAPPY PADDLING!!!!
Best how not to do video I have ever watched
Thanks Loyd - it's all about bone-head moves until I get the knack for something, or hurt myself in the process 😂Glad you enjoyed it!
It was real life and great. I learned ALOT and I would of done the same put the motor on the bow just natural if you solo alot
Is that a 12 ft canoe? Looks like you just reverse the canoe and sit in the front seat with your legs over the center bar. Any discomfort with that at all? I just got a used 12 ft. Radisson and I'm curious how things will go! Thanks kindly.
@@infie it is indeed! It's not so bad kneeling or putting my legs over the bar. I've also knelt just in front of it and rested my backside on it. Works well with a soft underlayer beneath the knees if you by any chance blew yours out younger skateboarding too lol.
I've also had times with so much gear that I've tossed it in the front of the canoe and sat in the regular backseat. Suppose all in and around, the answer is yes to legs over the bar, and no real discomfort..... and I'm not a long legged fellow.
I'm going to be dollars to donuts you'll love that Radisson! Congrats on the purchase, and let me know how it goes!
@@simplewoodslife Thanks for your reply. I just picked up a used (actually not used at all, but the boat sat for a few years under a tarp outside) 12ft Radisson today! I drove 7 hours roundtrip to get it because it was a great deal. It came with no seats (except for those weird foam ones) so I had to buy a webbed seat and I'm going to install that behind the crossbar so then I won't even be paddling backwards that way. Haha. It's so light! 34 pounds!? That's so crazy to me when I thought my fishing kayak didn't weigh much at 60 pounds. Then I have a 16ft transom Radisson as well that I use a Minn Kota on (thinking about a smaller gas motor in the future). That boat is great for fishing trips with my father and friends. Caught many fish out of that boat! It's kind of a barge to paddle though. Best!
@@infie barge is a great term lol. But also tank - I've had that think packed to the gills and its never let me down. Whitecaps, some rapids - not many, but some - and she's a beast. I have a little 2.5 evinrude that I need to use on mine, might be a fun experiment once I get the little bugger reliable. I think your trek to pick that boat up was totally worth the time. They are not the sleek water cutters like other canoes, but I've never had them let me down once. Always solid and reliable, even when I've had no business being out. Plus I'd warrant as stable than my jon boat.
And yeah, those foam seats are ridiculous eh?
I'm going to install a yoke on ours next. Long portages on the cross bar hurt.
@@simplewoodslife Yoke is a good move. This new 12ft for me will be absolutely perfect for the backwater fishing trips. I love going where big boats can't. It's the best. Quiet. Big fish. Perfect.
Oar locks
😂
😂
No life jacket in a canoe??? First thing you should have put on!! How many people gotta drown because of a lack of a $50. safety device! You are no kid and ought to know better! Otherwise informative!
Life jacket right under my knees, would've put it on if the weather picked up. Thanks for your comment!