I spent some time working on the Argonaut today, subject for another post, and so to meet my paddling needs I took out another couple of boats: "Baby Blue", a Sawyer canoe, and a fell club member's Boreal Design Ellesmeere.
The canoe was fun, larking about in front of some friends. The paddles I used were alternately too short and too long for proper canoeing, but I managed to get about. At one point I switch to a kayak paddle. I noodled around a bit, eventually tying it to a bolt and climbing out on a rail while our ramp was being refurbished.
The Ellesmere was a dream to paddle. it's a hard-chined boat, and I could totally feel the difference. Putting that boat on an edge, it would stay there. I could park on my side. Turning was so much easier than in the Argonaut, and so much more stable than other "shallow V" or soft-chined boats.
That said, the Ellesmere has an ocean cockpit. While it's something I've been meaning to try, it was harder to get in and out on the dock. I'm not as worried about ejecting if I need to, but still, I tok it easy.
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