The 16' elite by scott weighs 44lbs the 16' prospector weighs 53lbs any pros or cons to which canoe I should rent for my up coming 8-day trip? There will be just two of us with gear and I estimate that at the start of the trip our total weight will be 420lbs and get lighter as we go. Is one canoe better in the water than the other? The elite can handle 750lbs and the prospector can handle 940lbs.

I own a scott prospector, it handels good and is nice and stable, It would be my vote.

so the prospector is a good canoe then. I was leaning some towards the elite because of the weight savings but was worried about how stable it will be

I can't remember a thread about which canoe to rent or buy that hasn't recommended that you try out the ones you are considering before you decide. When it comes to canoes, "tippy" is about as useful a description as "sexy" is about a man or a woman. To each his own.

What I do know is that weight matters, at least for most of us average blokes heading out into the Park interior. Consider this, the typical male stride is approximately .75m. You said there is a 9 lb. difference between the Elite and the Prospector. If you don't see a meaningful difference in your experience test paddling the two canoes, then you would be carrying 9 lbs more with each stride you take carrying the Prospector. 9 lbs. more on each stride over a 1000m portage, means that when you carry the Prospector your legs have to carry 6750 lbs more over a 1000m portage. Whew!

Perhaps the the actuaries on the site will find fault with my logic, but I suspect, when push comes to shove, you will have more fun carrying lighter gear if it otherwise serves you well.

Mark S.

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Russ,

44 lbs. sounds pretty light for a 16 ft. Scott Elite. Maybe it's 14 ft.
And I think it's more of a recreational canoe than a tripping canoe.
I'd go with the Prospector.

Stainless

According to Scott's website, Stainless is correct.

Elite 14 in kevlar: 44 pounds
http://scottcanoe.com/1_canoes/echo14.html

Elite 16 in kevlar: 48 pounds
http://scottcanoe.com/1_canoes/echo16.html




Barbara

Hi,

We own a 16 Kevlar Scott Elite and Prospector. At the time we bought these as there are 5 people in our family so we would put 2 people + gear in the Elite and 3 people + gear in the Prospector. We found that both canoes are stable and like them a lot.
The weight of the canoe depends on the trim used. The weight listed on the web site is with aluminum trim and the once with Vinyl trim are 3 to 4 pound lighter so the 44 pound for a 16 Kevlar Scott Elite is very well possible.

LeoV

I've talked with Canoe Algonquin and they gave me the weights of the canoes. They said some people have said the prospector did better in the wind than the elite while others said they where fine. Susan at canoe Algonquin has not used both to give an opinion. But I was also looking at the weight savings for the portages but still wanted a stable canoe. At this point I've reserved a Elite but can change that if I think the prospector will serve me better.

On trips with two people I always take my Elite. You really start noticing the 7-8 pound weight difference after a couple hundred meters of portaging. I have crossed Cedar Lake with 2 white caps in the Elite loaded with +/- 450# and had no problem. I actually bought both canoes from Canoe Algonquin after renting from them a couple of times.

LeoV

Take the 44# one.

I have an Echo (the glass version) that I lend out to friends as a beater and find it to be a good choice for novices- It's stable and turns well with good tracking. It's a little wetter in big waves than the prospector but is far more forgiving if you *&@$ up.
I don't know how much experience you have or what kind of paddling you're doing, but in most circumstances I think you're better with the lighter Elite with that size load.
If you were to increase the amount of gear, then I'd go for the prospector as the max performance load for an elite/echo is about 450lbs- after that it will start to wallow

Hey thanks I think I may stick with the elite then. I was hoping to shave a few pounds.