It’s mid-April, which in Wisconsin means it’s 36 in the morning at 70 in the later afternoon. That’s April. Oh, and two weeks ago today I was snowshoeing in ten inches of fresh, heavy snow just to tire out Dog 4.0.
Not many people I know are in a position to get two new boats in a little over a month, let alone helping to build one of said boats. I fullt admit my privilege in owning a canoe shop. There has to be at least a few benefits, and I guess this is one of them.

One of Fifteen
This first is a Swift Dragonfly. I’ve wanted a Dragonfly since I first paddled one in 1989. They were out of the price range of a grad student, and I was more of a whitewater kayak guy then, but this canoe was special.
Several builders made them sporadically over the years, first Curtis, then Colden, and now Swift obtained the mold from Colden. I first saw it at Canoecopia on March 10. I recognized the shape from across the hall and had to find the story from Bill. Yes, he had the mold, and he was building 15 in a limited edition. I grabbed the first one. Only took me a third of a century.
I walked out into the water and set her down. I put one leg in, steadied myself with a paddle, and quickly slid my other foot under the seat and settled in quickly. It was like climbing on a headstrong horse: the first few seconds are the hardest, and once in, you get locked in.

This boat is special. It weighs literally half of the original Curtis-build boat, but new tech and materials has made these boats stronger and lighter. It is definitely a paddler’s boat: it’s roundish and rolls over to the gunwale easily. But that roundness (and a 26″ waterline) makes her fast; the fastest 14.5 footer I’ve ever paddled. Add a good bit of rocker and you have a great downriver boat.
After the initial jaunt around the lake, I took her to Badfish Creek, a log-strewn corkscrew that flows into the Lower Yahara, which runs into the Rock River. If I kept going I’d hit the Mississippi. If I wanted to paddle to New Orleans, I could start the trip a mile from my house.
She handled beautifully. Fast, maneuverable, and pleasantly rounded. I don’t like that feeling of paddling a dock. It takes a little more proprioception to paddle a boat like this, but it’s worth putting the time in.
So that one gets added to the quiver. She probably won’t be my every day boat (when you own a dozen or so canoes, that’s not a revelation), but I know a few rivers waiting for her.
The One Of A Kind
A few weeks ago I took a trip up to Northstar Canoes to spend some time with my friends who work there and to build a one-of-a-kind boat. I have this problem to solve.

Lucy is my best dog friend, and in the top ten of all my friends. I love paddling with her, but she doesn’t fit in any solo I own. The compromise isn’t a good one, since the wood canvas canoe I often use to paddle with her is 80 pounds. I can get it up on my shoulders and up on the truck consistently…except I am concerned that the one in 25 times I do it, my old back goes snick and I am laid up for three weeks on cyclobenzaprine and ice, and I am not allowed to take ibuprofen for two more years because it counteracts some of my heart meds. Not gonna chance it.

So the other solution is to build a custom canoe, so because I have special privileges and I asked nicely, Bear and Ted and Charlie allowed me to come up and turn a nice, small 16-foot tandem into a solo.
It wasn’t that hard: just built the hull, but when it gets to the time to place seats (well, seat) and yokes and thwarts, etc. Tony and I poked and prodded, and finally got Charlie’s structural blessing.

We ended up leaving a 5′ space in front of the yoke, and I moved the seat forward so that with Lucy in the boat, it would be balanced and trim.
I should same something about this boat. The Pearl is a sweet little 16 footer that was designed by Charlie to fit a performance profile we hammered out together. I won’t say I had a hand it its design, but I will admit to putting the spurs to Northstar to build it. It will normally be a tandem canoe with a decent capacity, or a solo that can carry 100 pounds of Newfie/Pyrenees muscle, bone, and fluff.
BUT you don’t have to have a giant fur factory to enjoy a Pearl. Good for just paddling around. Since it’s symmetrical you can paddle it backwards with a kid in the stern seat and it’ll trim perfectly. I would highly recommend one for a lightweight mess around or light tripper.
Oh yeah: Mine weighs 35.8 pounds. That will save my back until I pass it along to my son.

The hull is designed to paddle flat, but I can paddle it over to the side a little like the Canadians do. Because of that sweet little bubble of flair, she sits just so and doesn’t move.

I didn’t push it since the wind was pushing me around, but according to Photoshop’s angle indicator, she leaned over to ten degrees easily. My guess is I’ll probably run 12-14% heel.
All in all, I think it’s a huge win for Lucy and me. If I put it on the ground she jumps in and looks at me like I’m daft for having it on the grass.

Respectfully submitted,
Canoelover
Great read man, and happiest of birthdays. I know little of canoes aside from childhood the camping trips that my dad took me on as a little kid on the LWR, but your new boat is definitely easy on the eyes; i think it’s great that you took the time to tweak it to include a spot for your pup too!!