Canoe Comparisons

Solo River Canoes

Boats from left to right:
We-no-nah Rendezvous (old style, Ivory), We-no-nah Rendezvous Kevlar (Mango)
We-no-nah Rendezvous Royalex (Burgundy), NovaCraft SuperNova Royalex (Blue)
Bell Nexus Solo (Red), Bell Prodigy X (Red).

Trying to find the perfect river canoe can be a challenge. We picked a half dozen popular styles for a head to head comparison. We have paddled all of these boats individually in class III water, but for our head on comparison we picked a windy day at Chatfield.

Notes on testing:

Speeds were determined by a Garmin Rhino 120 GPS. The top speed was measured paddling into the wind (approx 15 mph headwind, moving the boat 1.2mph when still). The cruising speed was measured using Eric's average speed at his 6 hour pace. The boats were all measured using a bentshaft paddle (custom Sawyer Cedar Egret), and a switch sides style from the kneeling position).

Stability is a subjective rating based on how we feel the boats compare to each other. The low stability of the Prodigy X is compared to the excellent stability of the SuperNova. If you compared the Prodigy X to an Ocoee, it would rate excellent.

We-no-nah Rendezvous 15'10"

The Rendezvous has been our flagship solo canoe for many years. It was designed by Jerry as his "one boat" solo canoe. Basically meaning if he could only have one boat to paddle in Colorado, this would be his choice. There are now three versions of the Rendezvous, not including the original (old style) boat. The composite Rendezvous is available in the standard Kevlar and now a low profile (LP) Kevlar version, as well as the Royalex model. For our tests, we compared the standard Kevlar and Royalex versions.

NovaCraft SuperNova 14'10"

The SuperNova is a new addition to our line. It is shorter than the Rendezvous, but still offers a good size for tripping. Our test version was Royalex, but the SuperNova is also available in several composite constructions. The SuperNova was the most stable of all the boats tested.

Bell Nexus 14'4"

The Nexus is technically a tandem playboat, but for years we've rigged them solo and used them as big water trippers.

Bell Prodigy X 12'4"

The Prodigy X is a nimble solo playboat. Unlike the other canoes in the test, it does not have the capacity for extended tripping. However it is incredibly maneuverable and responsive, just the thing to compare other river canoes against.

	Cruising Speed	Max Speed	360 turn	180 turn	Initial Stability	Final Stability
Prodigy X	3.7 mph	4.7 mph	5 sec	3 sec	low	low
Nexus	3.2 mph	4.7 mph	7 sec	3.5 sec	high	excellent
SuperNova	3.4 mph	4.8 mph	11 sec	4.5 sec	excellent	excellent
Rendezvous RX	3.7 mph	5.2 mph	11 sec	5 sec	good	high
Rendezvous Kevlar	4.7 mph	5.9 mph	11 sec	5 sec	good	high

Carrying Capacity is about the same in the Rendezvous, SuperNova and Nexus. They are all capable of carrying a weeks worth of gear down class II water. The Prodigy X is too small for real tripping use.

Each boat also handles waves differently. The Nexus is the driest, followed by the SuperNova and Rendezvous. The Nexus relies on both extreme flare and a full bow to shed waves. The SuperNova has a full bow but only moderate flare, and the Rendezvous has a fine bow with extreme flare.

In the photos below, you can see the fine entry on the Rendezvous, with flare at the top. The SuperNova does not have much flare, but has a fuller bow. The Nexus has extreme flare carried up the hull, with a full bow, and the Prodigy X has an entry like the SuperNova rising to good flare.

The Rendezvous and SuperNova are designed to be comfortable in class II, though they can handle some class III water. The Nexus and Prodigy X are designed for more technical whitewater, and are not designed for calm water paddling.

By Eric Nyre