TESTIMONIALS
Ed Ball
Wayne,
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Mission accomplished; it finally arrived today. Beautiful is an understatement, and with my hip replacement the weight is ideal. She’s registered, licensed and ready for the water, I can hardly wait. The Souris River straps were a pleasant surprise, they’ll come in handy down the road I’m sure!
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Let everyone know the craftsmanship is truly appreciated, the YRC freight company stated that was the first canoe they’ve seen crated; most arrive wrapped in bubble wrap and a few are unfortunately damaged. Being in a crate made perfectly good sense to them. I take it your folks couldn’t find longer screws, I did wear out a battery on the cordless, but had the spare.
Thanks for all that you do!
Ed
Sidney, Ohio
Mark Gagliano
Hi guys,
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I wanted to let you know about how awesome the Quetico 16 is. I bought it last fall, from an ourfitter in Ely, Minnesota. It was used only a couple of times. I have now done three solo trips in the Quetico Park and the canoe is just awesome. A number of people, that I met on the portages, will ask me, What kind of canoe do you have? I tell them it is a Souris river canoe. I tell them it's the best made canoe in the world. I also tell them that from talking to some outfitters, there is very little maintenance on them compared to other canoes.
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The stability of the Quetico 16, is great. Going back to Prarie portage I encounterd huge waves on Basswood Lake. The canoe handled it with no problem. I wish I had a video camera with me. Thanks for making a great paddling canoe.
Take care.
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Yours truly,
Mark Gagliano
Minnesota
Jay Clancey
I have had this canoe {a Quetico 18.5 - ed.} for two years now. I bought my first canoe about 40 years ago and have paddled nearly every brand out there. From the minute I sat in this canoe it was obvious that it is in a different league than any other. It paddles fast with little effort and can really fly when I want it to. It is the best gear hauler on my big trip each year and has more freeboard with a huge load than the other boats do empty. Incredibly maneuverable and completely stable, even with my two Jack Russells climbing around on top of the gear.
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I watch my friend struggle with his rockered 18' Mad River and feel sorry for him as he tips from side to side in jerky fashion. I am able to go out in big waves that keep everyone else on shore.
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The first year I had it, it was sitting on a rack next to the shore at our camp. A really strong wind gust caught it and flipped it into a large birch tree. Both gunwales hit the tree at the same time, leaving two gouges in the bark. The gunwales were bent and the canoe had slight buckling just below the top edge. I made a wooden jig to span the gunwales and was able to carefully work out the dents until just a small dent was visible on each side. No effect whatsoever on the canoe's performance.
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I tell folks that I never use a J stroke (too slow) but always use a Jay stroke. Top hand is always further out than bottom hand which is usually right at the waterline. In this canoe I can paddle on the same or opposite side as my bow paddler with equal ease. This is really handy on big water with wind and waves.
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I used to do a lot of river racing on twisting UP rivers and think this canoe would have been better than the Sawyer we used in those days.
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So these are the best paddling canoes and also seem to be the toughest! I would have to say that they are a great value at your prices. I might get another soon, since nobody wants to paddle my other canoes when we go out on our large lake (Lake Michigamme...the best lake in Michigan or Wisconsin). Whoever is lucky enough to get the Quetico Le Tigre paddles easily away from the others as they work hard to try and keep up. It just isn't fair.
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Thanks,
Jay Clancey
Steve Grundy
First I want to say thanks again for getting my canoe built and delivered to me as quickly as you did. The moment I saw the shipping crate, I could tell that a lot of care goes into what you folks do at Souris River. Thought you'd be interested in some feedback on the boat, having just returned from a 7-day interior trip in Algonquin.
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The first thing I noticed is the raked bow and stern profile {of the Prospector 17.5 - ed} as opposed to re-curve typical of the traditional prospector design. I assume that is due to the use of a one-piece mold in the layup process, ie: you would never be able to achieve the re-curve shape without going to a two-piece mold? I have convinced myself that it doesn't matter given the boat's overall performance, particularly in rough water. My wife is the real expert here as she is normally in the bow. Going into the wind, the new SR prospector cut through waves and kept up speed compared to the way the old cedar canvas prospector would bounce off waves and then lose momentum.
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Handling was excellent and predictable in all conditions and made for a very stable family fishing platform as we hauled in many lake trout! It combines the strength and maneuverability of the prospector with the modern efficiency of the Quetico. I would like to suggest you rename the canoe the "Prospectico".
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Overall I found the hull to be very durable, and I absolutely love how the skid plates are molded into the hull. Our route took us along the Petawawa river which, this year, is down up to three feet in places and many of the take-outs and put-ins were in rough shape. Despite our best efforts to be careful, the hull took on a number of scratches. Fortunately none of them were deep and I'll be restoring the canoe to near-new luster following your polyurethane scratch repair process described on the website.
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One of your competitors had a good long look at the boat while I was buying firewood for our first night at the campground. He couldn't help make comparisons and was extremely impressed with your build quality as well as the integrated flexible rib system, "our boats don't have that" he admitted reluctantly.
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Again, many thanks.
Steve Grundy
Frank Szatkowski
I purchased the Souris River Quetico 18.5 red, 3-seat, “factory second” from you over the phone while you were at the Minneapolis trade show.
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I put it to it’s first real test in Quetico with my eight year-old and six year-old sons a few weeks ago. All I can say is “Wow!” It is everything as advertised. It’s light on the portages, quick in the water and most importantly – super stable with two kids, whether fully packed or empty and just fishing.
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We spent eight days in Quetico this time – three of them with 20-40 mph winds. Our travel partners were using an old Sawyer Cruiser which has been our favorite canoe until now. The Sawyer couldn’t handle the wind and waves like we could in the Quetico 18.5. Several times we were forced to run perpendicular to the wind (not ideal, I know). The Quetico 18.5 just rolled up and down the waves while the Sawyer took water over the gunwales and almost swamped – forcing a much longer upwind/downwind travel path.
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The only downside I could find to the canoe was that the tall sides easily “caught” the wind – especially with my lightweight son in the front. We easily fixed this by adding 150 pounds of rock to the front of the boat and we handled the wind beautifully.
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Of course, even with the utmost of care, we still took lots of scratches. I can’t wait to recoat the exterior to make it look brand new again.
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You guys make an excellent canoe. Thanks for keeping me and my sons so safe and secure.
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Thanks!
Frank Szatkowski
Bill Archer
Dear Keith,
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I have a Quetico 17 carbon with gold gunwales, which I love. Fast and efficient and rides high on the waves as you have mentioned and I have demonstrated with skilled Prospector paddlers. I have to say that I love the fact that without the gel coat I am able to varnish it each season and it comes out looking new each time, not to mention the weight loss gained without the gel coat. I have had many comments about its efficiency and speed and also its looks from seasoned prospector canoeist. Just wanted to say that your engineering and attention to detail hasn’t gone unnoticed. I bought my canoe four years ago and never have I had a change of heart.
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Keep up the good work. It is good that you're bringing back the Prospector 17.5, and if ever I buy another canoe I will buy your Prospector for no given reason other than the fact that I grew up with them on many a good canoe camping adventures.
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Bill Archer
Contented Quetico CarbonTec owner
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