"best" tripping boats?

[Mike W.]

Whatever you get, I recommend sliding tractor seats for trimming the boat & comfort. milkman, Dr John & Old_Guy have recommended the Old Town Appalachian. I have the heavier crosslink version, the Scout. At 78lbs, it's not a lightweight, but it is tougher than the Royalex Appalachian. I don't do overnights, but it handles a day's worth of hunting gear through solid class II's just fine. It's dry & easy to spin. The design features that make it dry & easy to spin also cause it to get blown around in the wind, so I do not recommend it for lake crossings.

[Mudkat709]

I own a Bluehole Cumberland. It is a Starburst hull with vinyl gunwalls. Great design for ANY moving water!

[Ianonetwothree]

I have a friend with a bluehole Cumberland. Says Cumberland down the side

[wildwaterc2]

Makes sense about it being the vinyl gunwale version. All the ones I have seen are the aluminum gunwale version and perhaps those were all marketed as Starburst and the vinyl gunwale as Cumberland.

[jaxstraw]

No one has mentioned the Old Town Penobscot . . . This boat handles a load and does well in whitewater... I own a Penobscot 16 RX and I simply love it... Classic design that works . . . There is a reason why it has been in Old Town's lineup for so long

[valhallalongboats]

Old thread, but I have the answer and I'm bored. Blue Hole changed the designation of some of their boats if they had WOOD gunnels installed. The OC-A (Open Canoe, Model A) became the OC-B. Likewise the OC17-A became the OC17-B with wood instead of Aluminum. And when the Starburst wore wood gunnels...it was called the Cumberland. Not many ash-gunnel Starbusts were made, so there are very few Cumberlands out there. Why so many people are fixated on the Cumberland name is beyond me. Obviously, if Scarborough and Blue Hole came up with the name 'Sunburst' then they obviously also came up with the name 'Starburst'.

[Yukon]

My personal favorite tripping canoe for Yukon wilderness trips would be the Hellman Slocan made in Nelson BC. Great boat hauls a big load (aka a moose), very fast for a whitewater tripper, tough and light weight. I have paddled and/or own most of already mentioned boats. For there are always factors to weigh in , how much whitewater, how much flat, length of trip, portages etc. If i had to have just 1 it would be the Slocan. I find the mad river Explorer to be a very wet boat (i own 4)

[slick]

I have no complaints with the Appalachian we've had for years, however, the Dumoine I once test paddled at Swift seemed noticeably more efficient.

My 50# kid has outgrown riding as a passenger in my MR Guide and he's not yet paddling (well, not constructively anyway) so I've adapted a Synergy and a Penobscot into what are essential huge solos. Or maybe "OC1-1/2s". The key changes are: 1) make the stern seat adjustable forward/backward to trim the boat, 2) pull in the gunnels, 2"-4" at the carry thwart and progressively less toward the ends, and 3) the front kiddie saddle sits on a mattress of 2" minicell and it removes easily for napping.

p.s. consider adding the MR Synergy to the boats database.

--Tom