TeamYakFish Blog

On Wednesday 1-17-07 ABF called to let me know my shipment would be in the next day. After being iced in at the Chicago terminal for a couple of days, the NuCanoe Adventurer had arrived. Of course I had to make time the next morning to pick it up. Wrapped in brown cardboard and plastic I grabbed it and headed to the house. Like a kid on Christmas morning I ripped the shipping paper off and was pleasantly surprised. The Adventurer looked much better than I expected and the room inside was unbelieveable. Note: If you check it out on www.NuCanoe.com it looks like a totally different boat in person. It's very hard for pictures to do it justice. Like most people I went straight to the spec sheet when I was first checking out the NuCanoe. The main thing that jumps out at you is the weight. Here again I was like most and was very concerned with loading and unloading, getting it to the water and paddling it when it was in the water. After loading and unloading a couple of times I have mastered the process without too much trouble. If you have a buddy with you it is a piece of cake. So far, I have been able to back down to the water and unload and then re-load, so getting it to the water has not been an issue. I'm sure I will be investing in a set of wheels for those solo trips that I cannot get close to the water's edge. The weight is not a real issue for the average size person. My next concern was the weight vs. performance issue once in the water. Was it going to take a great deal of effort to get it to move forward, to turn, and how was it going to track? What kind of glide was it going to have and would it feel like it was dragging through the water? The spec sheet states it has a draft of 8" but I paddled in less than 8" of water this past weekend and I'm not a little guy. We were able to turn it 360 degrees in its own length with ease. Also, we tested it in a ripping outgoing tide and with N.E. winds of up to 20-25 MPH!! I would suggest to anyone purchasing a NuCanoe that they check out several paddle lengths. I am 5'10" with short arms and even with the 42" width at the beam, my 220 cm paddle worked but caused a lot of paddle drip that ended in my lap. I could easily compensate for the shorter paddle by adjusting my strokes, but in most cases, a 240 cm or longer should do the trick. The heigth you sit at in the NuCanoe makes it very easy to clear the wide but low gunwales. Even with a short paddle, the NuCanoe was easy to paddle, very maneuverable, and tracked straight, even into that wind!! Now that the weight issues were put to rest, I could get down to the real issues.....fishing...fishing and fishing. The first thing that struck me was the vast amount of room you have to store tackle and for yourself. (1) Foot placement is well below your butt allowing you to stand, and it helps dramatically with the circulation in your feet and legs. (2) A large molded removeable cooler with cup holders is strapped in the bow, and it is a very nice feature to ice your drinks and lunch, and/or fish. (3) The Adventurer comes with two hard plastic molded seats that can be located in several different positions. You could order a third seat if needed. (4) The Adventurer comes with a 18" Surf to Summit padded seat which straps to one of the molded seats and attaches to four attachment points. The seat has a zippered storage compartment on the back with two rod holders. If you fish out of one of these seats it will be very hard to go back to anything else. After 8 hours of fishing, there is very little if any back fatigue, a big plus for me. (5) Also included in the package is a high quality Surf to Summit paddle leash, two Scotty mounts with rod holders and a battery box. (6) I have not tried a trolling motor on it yet, but it could be very beneficial on long distances or to a person that does not want to paddle. The stern of the NuCanoe has a "pass through" area and a place to clamp on a trolling motor, and it should really scoot with even a low amount of thrust on the trolling motor. The NuCanoe Adventurer is a roomy, comfortale, and very stable fishing machine. I sat in it and rocked it as hard as I could and never felt like it was going to flip. JohnYaksJax and I stood in it the first trip out with no problem. You may fall out of it, but I don't think you will flip it. With most kayaks, it is important to know the limits of your kayak and what the tipping point is. Please see the picture of John standing and rocking it enough to make waves!! With a NuCanoe. a first time paddler will feel more comfortable than in most canoes or kayaks. It's a great fishing machine, and also a great craft for the wife and family for family outings. If you kayak fish, dive or snorkle, duck hunt, or fly fish, this is a value packed deal that you should investigate!!