Submitted: 02-10-2011 by tonythetiger
Last summer we rented the Mistral. After looking at the canoe, I asked the dealer if it was tough enough for a trip that included some whitewater. The owner took out a hammer and banged the canoe. No dent. The superlight twintex just bounced back.
On the water the boat was light and fast. On the portage trails the boat was just as light and probably just as fast. One of my sons quickly became enamored with it and volunteered to use the rental boat all week. Unfortunately although the material can take a banging it doesn't do to well when bent. A temporary wrap around (temporary in the sense they were off the rock before I came around the corner) led to a tear in the boat. With two more days to go we were all happy that it seemed to take a patch fairly well.
Back at the rental place, we found out that it would have to go back to Esquif for repairs.
Sooooo, a nice boat depending on usage... for bigger rockier waters an ABS boat is probably a better choice if you're going to run it, in smaller rapids, calm water or on the portage trail the boat has to rate high! |