Q

Q. I am interested in the Souris River Quetico 17' canoe. I'm planning to use it in the saltwater (back bays) for fly fishing and would like to know suitability for saltwater use.

I'm interested in the Le Tigre model because of weight (or lack of). However, would you please price the Quetico 17' in other materials and corresponding weights.

Back bay fishing is mostly calm with occasional wind and chop no more than 1 to 2 feet. The wind can be daunting, if it is a nor'easter, and I would like to be able to maneuver the canoe in the wind, if necessary.

A. Saltwater will not be a problem. Flyfishing in a Q-17 is no problem either - very stable canoe.

1-2 foot waves are no problem for a Q-17 although fly-casting may become more interesting. The great feature about this hull is that it tracks and turns nicely with control coming from the rear of the canoe as it should. Now, in really rough water, your bow person may need to know how to assist the stern paddler on command with a sweep or draw stroke to aid in making a major turn into really rough waters/wind, but this is normal for any canoe. It just happens to be easier to do with a Q-17 due to the right amount of hull rocker. This is also a very stable canoe as well with good, realistic freeboard which is what we prefer over the lower -sided, non-rockered racing kevlar canoes out there. We use this model extensively in the the Boundary Waters Canoe Area here and it sees lots of big (and sometimes ugly when it's rough) water here. In most cases, it is being paddled by people who rent canoes once a year which means they are not the most experienced bunch out there. The real beauty is in the fact that they don't flip, roll, or otherwise have problems in handling this canoe. For this reason, finding privately-owned, used Quetico 17's is very difficult. Nobody is giving their's up and this hull has been on the market since Summer 1999. We're very happy with it.

Hope this info helps you out. If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask anytime. Let us know if you'd like one shipped out. Thanks!

Joe

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