Canoe Ponderings
by Red Rock Wilderness Store
Canoe Ponderings
by Red Rock Wilderness Store
Wilderness 18 compared to the Queticos
Q. I am in Iraq and the internet connection isn't the best so it could be my end. Any way your website looks like it has alot of good information on it. Would the Souris River Wilderness 18 be a good canoe for lake travel, I hear it is on the tippy side? Thank you for your time. Josh
A. Josh-
The Wilderness 18 is made for lakes just like all of SR's canoes. It has a shallow arched bottom
and 2" of rocker. It is tippier feeling when empty, not a huge deal, but you always have to pay
attention to it. When you load it up and the chines touch (the round part where the sides meet the
bottom) then there is maximum whetted surface which means the canoe is now being supported
completely by the water. It then becomes pretty stable. Our more popular model by "leaps and
bounds" is the Quetico 17. This canoe is stable when empty or loaded. It tracks and turns well
and might be a tad slower (but not by much) than the Wilderness. Cargo space matches the
Wilderness and it's ability to handle rough, wind-driven water is equal to the Wilderness. We sell
250 of these a year compared to 4 Wilderness 18's. The Wilderness is 9" longer than the Q-17 and
the only other difference is that the Wilderness is a bit more nimble in spinning around in a circle
due to the increased rocker (Q-17 has 1.5") and shallow arched bottom. The Q-17's chines dig in a
bit because they are more abrupt. This is a really minor point however if you like to fish. In a
Wilderness, you're always wondering what the guy up front is doing - in the all the Quetico's; you
don't care what he's doing. Unless of course he stands up to set a hook - then you need to whack
him with a paddle to get his attention. They are stable but they are still canoes.
Hope this info helps. You and your buddies watch each other's back in the land of dust and rocks.
We don't want to lose anymore of our guys to those dirtbags sneaking around there. We appreciate
the great job you all are doing!
Joe
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