Tripping/Expedition Canoes

Recent Tripping/Expedition Canoe Reviews

Nova Craft Prospector 16

Rigid construction and classic design make this the SUV of the wilderness. It makes friends on every trip. Taken my 16' Novacraft Prospector canoe down rivers and on week-long lake trips. Loaded it up and still had 6" freeboard. You will bulk out before you weight out—and we take cast iron dutch ovens, charcoal, fuel cans, watercubes etc; we camp heavy. Paddles well with two, although the Clippers pass us on flat water.  We pass them ashore on rough water because they are taking water in over… Full review

Nova Craft Prospector 16

Love the wall height, rocker 2" great, all around great canoe!!!!! Handles wonderful on running rivers, great on smooth water. The Tuff Stuff material I love because of its light weight and durability. Expect to last till I'm gone. Full review

Hemlock Eagle

If you are looking for a quality tandem canoe with moderate rocker and light weight, the Eagle might just be for you. One advantage is the narrow gunnel width at the bow paddling station which is good for smaller paddlers. Background Dave Curtis has been building canoes for almost four decades. His first design was a solo boat. He wanted a solo tripping canoe that could stay with tandems on remote river and lake trips. His first designs were drawn by legendary paddler Harold Deal. They pioneered… Full review

Esquif Canyon

Love this boat. Had an old fibreglass Clipper Explorer 17' which could not be replaced. Bought this Royalex boat to fill hole. Boy did it ever! Three inches of rocker makes this boat dance in whitewater when filled with air and it still handles great when loaded. Surfs well to boot!! This is a great boat for those who can paddle. While it tracks beautifully with attention, it does want to turn. The rocker also means that wind drift is real so open crossings are work. Puncturing the boat to install… Full review

Esquif Canyon

Esquif Canyon is a tank and a ballet dancer. It carries a lot of gear and handles well even in full load in the rapids and flat water. It also a joy to play solo in a calm evening. Canyon is a serious tripping canoe for two. I would recommend Canyon to clubs as a training canoe and even for extended big river, big lakes trips. Although it is agile enough to use in curvy creeks. Esquif Canyon took us two old guys (62 and 69 years) down the Snake River and parts of Peel River in Yukon, Canada. Snake… Full review

Old Town Penobscot 16

A rugged, sturdy, and versatile canoe. Like a brick house this little canoe is a true workhorse and the standard by which other "Expedition" canoes are judged! This canoe has become ingrained in my identity. We have been wilderness tripping in this canoe for the last 15 years. We have paddled her throughout long stretches of the Mississippi and its major tributaries, along the shores of Lake Michigan and Superior, in the salty waters of Washington's Pudget Sound, and countless trips through the… Full review

Old Town Tripper 172

Excellent tripping canoe for carrying heavy loads over over long distances. I owned an Old Town Tripper for over 20 years and paddled it over five thousand miles throughout the Rocky Mountain states, Minnesota, the Dakotas and throughout the Quetico and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I can attest to its indestructibility as I have on more than one occasion bent it in half and twisted it 90 degrees in class 4 and 5 whitewater and lived to not only tell about it, but paddle out. The canoe is well… Full review

Bell Canoe Northwoods

Magnificent paddling canoe with slight tumblehome and rocker and easy paddling. I’ve paddled plenty and this far and exceeds everything out there. I bought it after Bob Cary recommended it back in the early 2000s. I purchased it used from Puragis Outfitters in Ely, Minn., and have been thrilled ever since. Although 18.5 feet long, it doesn’t wind vane like my old Minnesota II did and obviously much lighter and does oil can like the old Royalex Old Town Tripper that I owned for decades. This… Full review

Old Town Penobscot 16

Good on flat lakes and easy to paddle, but will swamp easily due to the shallow rocker in large standing waves. We rented the canoe and were very happy until we hit some rapids with very large standing waves. The canoe quickly swamped and we were swimming. Friends in a Nova Craft had no problems.   Full review