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  • #31
    Have owned a Hornbeck 10.5 kevlar for around ten years. Great for carries & loading/unloading. Has done well in waves & wind. Faster than you might think and by packing light I've carried enough gear & food in it for 5 to 7 day solo outings. It's taken some abuse and has held up.

    As others have said, great people to work with.

    I do miss using a single blade paddle.

    The seating is not the most comfortable for my lower back, especially early in the season when I'm not in paddling shape, but every hour or so I stop, stretch out in it as best I can for several minutes, and then feel fine when I continue; now and then I go to shore to walk around a little before continuing.

    Glad I bought it.

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    • #32
      When I paddled my Hornbeck to Plattsburgh in one hot July i did a bit of damage, even crushed the cheeks between a couple of rocks in the nearly dry rocky Saranac River in the miles below the Saranac Lake and around Redford and below before Plattsburgh. I later took it to Peter and he patched it to strengthen the damaged spots as good as new. All for free. He said he would do that for any customer. i can live with the remaining scratches on the bottom of the hull, doesn't hurt bushwhacking one bit. That's the way to do business. On the other hand, I don't use my Rapidfire in such rough rocky paddling conditions but I know Joe at PB will do extras for you as well.
      "Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman

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      • #33
        Originally posted by bigkevkayaker View Post
        I bought a 16 ft Carbon Hornbeck from Peter 11 years ago and I can not say enough good about it. 24lbs and I can keep up with everyone, despite weighing 300lbs. I was a kayaker for the most part, canoe as well, so this boat was the best of both worlds. plenty of room for gear and has float bags when I want to hit Champlain. The low center of gravity is a real. By no means throwing shade at the other boats, but the Hornbeck will be traveling out to Lows this weekend for our annual Ice Out
        Is Lows iced out? Would appreciate a trip report, as I am planning a trip there soon.
        "Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing."
        - Henry David Thoreau

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        • #34
          Originally posted by Devorse View Post
          Have you looked at: http://slipstreamwatercraft.com/Slip...2/Welcome.html
          Stan has been around for a long time......
          I recently bought a Slipstream Impulse 13, with a hung seat, and I LOVE the boat. Stan and Cathy were so nice and the price was reasonable. I wanted a lightweight canoe that would track if I wanted to do the 90-miler some day, but would also allow me to camp and pond hop. The boat handles great in wind, waves, and is just fantastic! I only use a single bladed paddle because if I wanted to use a kayak paddle, I'd have bought a kayak. Finally put my years of canoe lessons from Camp Chingachgook to good use.

          Weighs about 20lbs.
          Solo 46R, Solo 46W
          Catskill 35R & SSW
          NE 111 (113/115)

          If I survive, I'll be back.

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          • #35
            I have a Betula 13 simulated birchbark with a hung seat-same hull. My wife's favorite canoe. Stan and Cathy are great.

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            • #36
              Originally posted by TrailBlaser View Post
              Is Lows iced out? Would appreciate a trip report, as I am planning a trip there soon.
              Ice is out according to satellite and 1st hand accounts
              Leaving early tomorrow and will update when return on Sunday

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              • #37
                Lows Lake

                Great, thanks very much. I hope to go in two weeks. I heard the gate is closed and may be until Memorial Day so I will either use the cart or go via Horseshoe Lake Outlet. Thanks again.
                "Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing."
                - Henry David Thoreau

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                • #38
                  Hornbeck vs Placid Boatworks

                  "Someone has mentioned "quality", and I'm wondering why the substantial price delta between Hornbeck's & Placid/Swift......"

                  I've owned two Classic Hornbeck's over the last 15 years and purchased a Placid Boatworks Spitfire last autumn. Both offer quality products, the probable difference in cost in part is the material used and design. Placid uses a gel coat, seat options, flotation in bow and stern. Hornbeck doesn't use gel coat. His tried and true basic seat design also serves as flotation.

                  Consequently the Hornbeck's are lighter and cost less.

                  The buying experience was also quite different.

                  At Placid Boatworks Joe's employee was helpful getting me in the right canoe. Pete did all that, too, but he had me believing I just joined the Hornbeck family when I pulled out of his shop with the canoe on the roof of my car. I still feel that way.
                  John

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                  • #39
                    I needed a Hornbeck as a light easy to carry boat to bushwhack through the woods and to visit remote Adirondack ponds. But the initial driving force for me to get one was the trip I planned from Boonville to Plattsburgh, since I knew there would be a lot of carrying involved in the trek. When I visited Peter to get one, it was early spring and he took me up to his shop attic where there were a couple of dozen standard yellow kevlar boats hanging like sides of pork. The product of a winter's work. But then down at his office desk was a shiny black on the outside, yellow in the inside beauty. I asked about it and he said, oh that, it is the first one I made as a trial, not sure how well it will work. It is only a pound lighter than the all kevlar model, but costs $100 more to make. What are the advantages? He said it is tougher and does not "oil can" like the other ones. Prettier too, I thought. If it's for sale, I'll take it. So Off I went with his first carbon/kevlar hybrid. I have loved it ever since. After my trek, I took it back to Peter to see if he could repair the damage I had done to it. He did so free of charge and said he would do that for any customer. Oh, and it has been many dozens of miles carried to those remote ponds too.

                    I needed a sleeker, faster solo boat for my other bigger water travels, not necessarily in the backcountry, and also for when I did not have a team to train with or to paddle the 90 mile canoe race. Joe sold me a Rapidfire for those purposes, along with three different height stackable seats. After I saw his rail mounted higher seat I said I wanted one of those so I could more easily paddle single blade, rather than the double blade that most people want to use in that boat. Not knowing me that well he cautioned me but installed the rail higher seat anyway, with a 15 degree forward tip for easier racing posture. I have raced it several times on the 90, even though unfortunately it must be paddled double blade by the rules of the class it is in. Otherwise for recreation or training I paddle it exclusively single blade as I train solo for team racing in other canoes.

                    You can't have just one canoe in the fleet that is best for all purposes.
                    "Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman

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                    • #40
                      Lows Lake Update

                      Originally posted by TrailBlaser View Post
                      Is Lows iced out? Would appreciate a trip report, as I am planning a trip there soon.

                      Back from Lows Lake last weekend for 4 days 3 nights on a brisk spring weekend. Water level was high, but not extreme. Smooth sailing to the dam and carry, but the bog situation was difficult. 2 large trees and a waterlogged trunk blocked the small channel left, too heavy to move by hand. So up and over bog, and sloshing back into boat. Smooth sailing again and lake was all ours. All the sites where empty, only saw a couple in a canoe when we were almost out. Many osprey, and fortunate to get a close up look of a Juvenile bald eagle take off on a nearby tree. Molting, he looked white and black, and quite impressive. Road was blocked and some of the dirt road where pavement ends blocked as well ruts in the road and water on the trail

                      Overall great weekend, one tarp day but well prepared

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by bigkevkayaker View Post
                        Back from Lows Lake last weekend for 4 days 3 nights on a brisk spring weekend. Water level was high, but not extreme. Smooth sailing to the dam and carry, but the bog situation was difficult. 2 large trees and a waterlogged trunk blocked the small channel left, too heavy to move by hand. So up and over bog, and sloshing back into boat. Smooth sailing again and lake was all ours. All the sites where empty, only saw a couple in a canoe when we were almost out. Many osprey, and fortunate to get a close up look of a Juvenile bald eagle take off on a nearby tree. Molting, he looked white and black, and quite impressive. Road was blocked and some of the dirt road where pavement ends blocked as well ruts in the road and water on the trail



                        Overall great weekend, one tarp day but well prepared
                        Thanks for the report. I heard maintenance was done on the access road and the gate is open. I am planning on going soon and really looking forward to it. Thanks again.

                        Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
                        "Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing."
                        - Henry David Thoreau

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                        • #42
                          Well, I did it.

                          Was up this weekend and was able to paddle a lot of boats...started with the new Swift Cruiser 146 and the Keewayden 14. I wanted to like both of these boats, and thought the Kee might be the boat for me, but something didn’t feel right. Decent test too, as Lake Flower had a good wind Friday morning that kicked up some chop.
                          Then on to Placid to try the RapidFire again, which I had tried a couple years back and really liked. And I still did, but also tried the new 14’ Oseetah. I think they’re going to sell a lot of these boats...it’s really nice. Tracks well, good stability and a good feel in general. Almost ordered one in the spot, but knew I wanted a full round of testing so went to Hornbeck the next morning.
                          Josh put me into the New Trick 14. Based on this thread, and the comments from the Swift and Placid folks, I had already written this boat off, but absolutely loved it. Came back to shore, dropped in 35# of weights and loved it still. Then tried the New Trick 15, with and without the weights. And bought one. He had one in stock, so it’s ready...but I had started driving home and then made the decision and called back.

                          I pick it up in two weeks as I am already committed Memorial Day weekend. Very exciting and can’t wait...thanks for all the advice and thoughts here, it gave me a lot to think about as I was testing them. In the end, no amount of reading other’s views will be the same as getting in a trying it yourself.
                          “Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you, 'I haven't touched you yet.” Carlos Castenada

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