Has anyone tried these out?
http://www.wildcatcreekoutfitters.com/flyshop/NuCanoe/hybridkayaks/kayaks/hybridcanoes/
… to a recent thread started by Warren.
Warren has been using these Nucanoes for years and has posted a number of favorable reviews. His thread has a link to the Nucanoe website.
John
As John has stated, I have been using a 10’ NuCanoe for over 3 years and I feel they are great. The new Frontier 12 is one fantastic boat! They have taken all the suggestions for improvement from NuCanoe owners and put them in the Frontier 12 and made a great boat better. I have already committed to purchasing a Frontier 12 as soon as they are released for sale. The main thing you need to remember is that the NuCanoe is not a kayak and it is not a canoe. It is a cross of both of them. The NuCanoe will not turn over. It will lean over and dump you if you lose your balance, but, it will not turn completely over. You can fill it with water and still paddle it to shore. You can install swivel seats and you have more room and freedom of movement in it. The NuCanoe paddles as easily as a kayak but provides more you more room to move around in it. You are not confined to one sitting position. You can stand up in it if you prefer. You have more storage area in the NuCanoe. The NuCanoe is a fishing machine not a weekend run the rapids with your friends boat. Please watch all the videos on the link I am providing to see how stable this Frontier 12 is.
I love my NuCanoe and use it for what it was created for and that is to fish out of it and be able to access areas on a river or lake that other boats cannot get to. Please view the following link:
I wish people would quit bringing this up!!
If you guys don’t knock it off it’s going to cost me, cause I WANT ONE !!! It’s a great boat and I just purchased a new car that can handle a roof rack -> so now I can can carry one. I just know I don’t have the patience to wait till the money is in the savings like I should!
Thank you looks like I may have to jump on one
I just wish Warren would quit being wishy-washy and make up his mind about how he really feels about NuCanoes. I just hope no one ever confronts him and make him choose between his NuCanoe and his wife. He will have to think about it long enough that he will be spending the next month sleeping up the street at Jack’s.
Jesse,
I agree and also hope no one ever asks me that question!! LOL BTW, Jack has an extra bedroom with 2 beds…: )
Speaking of wives and nucanoes, my wife was very concerned about me and my sense of balance going out alone on the river, even though I am a decent swimmer (and even better floater). Then one day we took the Nucanoe out and she paddled around in it herself, and she was very reassured. To me it is very much like a jon boat, only it paddles and maneuvers like a canoe. I call it my “old man canoe” because it is so stable you cannot turn it over. And I love that little cart attachment. So imagine a jon boat that you dont need a trailer (and taxes and tags), no motor (and no boat registration and heavy battery), and no storage issues (I keep it on its side in my garage). But I guess if I had to choose between the nucanoe and the wife, I would pick the wife, cause I could always store the nucanoe at my girlfriend’s :)…
Okay, I’ve looked at these before. Being aged and somewhat rickety, how hard would it be to lift one of these puppies onto the rack on a Subie Forester? I have a kayak but with a bad right hip I’ve not tried to get into it. I fear I could get in, but getting out!! Meant to also ask, will this fit into Thule Kayak racks?
Thanks,
Mike
I put mine in the back of my Ford Escape, and tie down the rear door. To mount it on top, which I have done, is a two man job INHO. The cart accesory makes it really EZ to load and unload in the cargo area. I took a tarp with me at first to minimize the mess, but the front of the nucanoe doesnt get dirty, it rides high. The cargo area of my Escape has one of those plastic mats, it sometimes gets a little sand/dirt on it, but I just pull it out and shake it off. I slide the bow right up between the two front seat backs, bunge cord it in, then tie down the rear door. I stick a red flag thru the hole in the stern, and I’m ready to go in a minute or two. I have had it on the interstate 70+ mph, no problems. I’m sure I use the Nucanoe more often because it is so easy to handle loading and unloading. As far as getting in and out of the Nucanoe itself, I step into it and sit in a boat seat I mounted on the swivel mount. To get out, I put both feet on one side, the Nucanoe tilts (but doesnt turn over), and I stand up. You get a little water inside sometimes but this doesnt bother anything.
On the Frontier 12, they have made the floor space a lot wider and you can just step into it and sit down. To get out, all you need to do is stand up and step out. On the older models, you had to step up on the side which would cause it to tilt but never flip over. I doubt very much if one person could ever flip it completely over. Once it tips to the side it just stops and becomes very stable. With the new model Frontier 12 this is no longer an issue. You can stand up and walk back and forth from the front to the rear with no balance problems. You will notice in the videos that one guy just stepped off the dock into the Frontier 12 and sat down. The Frontier 12 is just a great boat! As far as loading it onto the top of a vehicle, I have no experience because I just slide it into the back of my Nissan Frontier. At the end of the day I just insert the Transporation Cart into the hole in the back, pick up the front of the boat and pull it up to the truck and sit the front of the boat on the tailgate. Go to the back of the NuCanoe, pick up the back and slide it into the truck and I am good to go. I wish I could provide information on loading it on to the top of a vehicle, but, that is something I have not had to do. I would suggest that you find a dealer somewhere that would allow you to demo the boat and that should answer all your questions. From what you stated and need from a boat, you will love the Frontier 12 as far as getting into and out of it! It is very stable and a whole lot more comfortable to spend a day in and I know you will really enjoy it. The loading onto the top of your vehicle will be the only thing you will need to research. If you can find a dealer that will let you demo it, you will really see just how great this boat is and you might check into a small trailer which would take care of the loading/unloading problem. You would not need a boat ramp because you can use the Transportation Cart to wheel it to the water and back to the trailer.
I have no problems suggesting that you demo one because this Frontier 12 is unbelieveable for paddling, handling, standing and stability! Matter of fact, I just got off the phone with Blake at NuCanoe and placed my order for the Frontier 12. They will start shipping them late January and I am excited about getting mine. I have plans to use the Frontier 12 more in my local lakes as well on my rivers.
I almost bought one of these, but the deal-breaker for me was the weight. It’s the same reason I don’t use a canoe. My Yak weighs 41 pounds. A new canoe is over 70 pounds, and so is a canoe.
And if 41 pounds gets to be too heavy, I also have an inflatable Advanced Elements Convertable Yak that holds two adults, paddles like a solid Yak, and only weighs 23 pounds, and can be launched just about anywhere, even back-packed in, or carried on an airliner. I have even used it on the coast.
I own a fleet of NuCanoe Frontiers and a NuCanoe Pursuit. Both a great fly-fishing kayaks, the best I’ve ever fished from.
The frontier 12 looks awesome…but I still want a mokai!! Anyone wanna lend me 5gs?! Lol. I’ll prolly have to settle for the frontier 12…
It really depends on what kind of water you’re going to be fishing. The NuCanoes are fantastic when it comes to stability, comfort and quality of build. Where I fish here in Indiana, I tend to either paddle up rivers and fish my way down, or float/fish down and paddle back up to the truck. The NuCanoe Frontier models are not the best kayak choice for paddling against current or even for paddling far for that matter. But for fly fishing on still water, they’re great. If you’re going to be fishing any moving water (rivers) or paddling far to get to your fishing spot (reservoirs, large lakes, etc) then you might want to check out the NuCanoe Pursuit or a few of the models by Jackson Kayak. My favorites for versatile fishing are the Jackson Coosa HD (not the standard Coosa) and the Jackson Kilroy. Love both of those models for my style of fishing. The best advice anyone can give you is to try and get in a few different model of kayaks and test paddle before buying.
By the way, that link you shared is for Wildcat Creek Outfitters which happens to be my “home” fly fishing/kayak shop. I fish on their kayak fishing team and get all of my fly fishing and tying gear from them. Great guys and they’ve got a large selection of fishing kayaks in stock. You won’t find a better crew to deal with.
OK old thread, But to the guys who posted you can?t flip these I beg to differ.
I flipped mine to the tune of $600 worth of lost equipment. And I read a post from a dealer who flipped his to the tune of $2500 worth of lost equipment.
If there is any interest I?ll post my story.
I flipped one, but I did it on purpose, just to see how stable the boat was, and it was very difficult. And, it flipped right-side up all on it’s own. I could not make it stay flipped. I won’t say it can’t be flipped accidentally, but I can’t imagine what you have to do for that to happen. We’ve taken my friends NuCanoe on Class iV whitewater several times, and it never flipped, even with two 200+ lb. men in it. But, nothing is 100%. But I am convinced that the NuCanoe is a close to it as you can get. I am personally not crazy about them, because they are not very maneuverable, and they are painfully slow to paddle, but they are the most stabile boat I have ever sat in, even including Jon Boats. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary…