Been looking for some time for a used tripping canoe -- not a whole lot of selection on Craig's List or Ebay here in Southern California. Finally found a guy who moved here from Minnesota and was looking to unload his boat. It's a Bell Northwind, 17' Royalex tandem. A bit heavy at 60 pounds, but pretty much just what I was looking for.

My son and I took it to a local lake last weekend, and it was a pleasure to paddle. Tracks pretty straight and seems to have good stability, which is a good thing with a ten-year old and a squirming dog on board. Easy to fish from, too, with lots of room for all our gear. My son is hooked -- he had a blast and can't wait to go out again. We're planning a ten-day trip to Boundary Waters next summer, so we'll be sure to get lots of practice in the meantime.
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My blog on politics, the environment and the outdoors: Haiwee.blogspot.com