Submitted: 08-14-2003 by osprey 
I've had a royalex wildfire for about a year. It is my first true solo canoe. It seems just perfect for my primary use on small rocky streams. It has felt more and more stable the longer I've had it, but even early on it was comfortable for fishing out of. I have not tripped in it nor taken it accross windy open water yet, however, it handles well in the wind on small waters and I'd expect it to do well enough on lakes. A load does seem to take a little of the responsiveness out of it, relative to itself. Still, recently I had it loaded with about 60 lbs of river trash and my own 220 lbs. and it was a dream to paddle down a shallow rocky stream. I've even paddled it with my 7 year old daughter in it, using the rear thwart as a kneeling thwart and it was workable. I'm very satisified with the overall performance. |