Reviews for Magic Canoe by Bell Canoe Works

I outfitted my Bell with a spray skirt/cover $300 and double blade Gray owl wood paddle (kayak paddle)$150. My first voyage was solo 2400 mile trip down the Yellowstone/Missouri rivers from Billings MT. to Saint Louis MO. Me at 185lbs and around 100lbs of gear the Bell handled every water condition flawlessly. From 9 mph flood stage waters with boulders in the Yellowstone to midnight paddles in 25mph winds on Lake Sacajawea to barge wakes South of Sioux city. A few scratches and 52 days latter pulled it up on levee under the Arch in St. Louis.

Yes, it's fast, relatively stable, and at only 32 pounds in the Kevlar/Carbon/Aluminum gunnels configuration - quite light weight. My Kevlar/Carbon Zephyr has beautiful all-mahogany rails and after 15 years of sanding-in Watco oil, you can KEEP that beautiful wood! But, I digress... The WORST things about a Magic, are the design of the sharp inner-side of the rails (it really cuts into the side of your leg if you lean it against the side. I even place my trusty sponge alongside the rail and hold it with my knee sometimes. At one point, I even considered adding water-pipe foam insulation to the rails! That would really look awful, so I deal with it - but you get the idea. I'm pretty used to it now, so it's not as much of an issue, but still a major design flaw.

In the lightest, clear gel-coat lay-up, you can expect to see a lot of star-cracks and scratches after a season or two of serious use. If you only paddle open water and lakes, it's fine, but if you're pulling it over downed trees and doing some serious exploring, it'll show it's use. I'm not complaining, it's still a good trade-off for such amazing light weight. I mention it only because if you want to buy a boat to really beat on - the light-weight clear model isn't the one for you (I still love it, though!).

My first multi-day trip with the Magic was a recent run to Killarney Provincial Park where we spent four nights out. I had plenty of room for gear and dog and we could have easily accommodated more food for a longer trip. I’m sure I could handle a ten day trip with the Magic no problem.

I have found the Magic very stable with light chop and small waves. I have yet to get into anything big. However, I have had the Magic out in very strong winds and found my control and ability to make forward progress very reasonable. The dog shifting around can be a little concerning at times and I do try to keep her in once place. Once while paddling with two dogs I had a near capsize. Both dogs shifted in the same direction at the same time while I was not paying attention and the near gunwale went down to the water level-below the water level actually. Water was pouring in and the dogs abandoned ship. I was kneeling and was able to flick the boat back up. I paddled to shore with a about 3-4” of water in the boat. The Magic gives you a good chance to save yourself even if the gunwale is on the water. However, if you let too much water pour in over the side it will sink fast and wallow just at water level or an 1” below the surface. I had not intended to test its flooded floatability but did on a recent overnight trip in Lake Michigan. Luckily I sunk her near shore-while exiting.

At 1:00 AM I rolled in with the pickup and trailer. We picked up the Bell Magic and a Bell Merlin II for a test paddle. As we were strapping the canoes down, I thought, "We're not doing this right." We had one strap over both canoes on the end of the trailer, and two straps, one over each canoe, at the front of the trailer. It should have been exactly opposite. "Oh well," I thought, "We're not that far from water."

Instead of going two blocks to the waterfront, however, Mikey directed me to the end of Park Point, over a mile away. The roadway was rough, and you guessed it - one of the canoes fell off. I've been hauling canoes around for decades and this is the first time I've ever lost a canoe. Fortunately, there wasn't a car behind us, and we were only going about 20 mph. The canoe, which is used by the staff at the canoe store - and is already scratched up every where a canoe could be scratched - showed little sign of its sudden parting from the trailer.

We threw the canoe back on the trailer, rearranged our straps, and continued on our way. I've been hearing good things about the Magic ever since I started thinking about a solo canoe, three or four years ago. The only negative I'd heard was it had some initial stability problems commensurate with its slim design. Everyone advised me it was tender, but that you soon got used to it. Having had a lot of initial stability problems with the We-no-nah Minnesota II, I was not about to pay a lot of money for a canoe I didn't like the feel of. That's why I wanted to try out the Merlin as well.

I agree with those who have criticized the low-slung seat. It would be nice to make adjustments in the height and the front/rear position more easily. I can't paddle my boat from a kneeling position, and, because the seat is fixed, if you set off with a trim problem, you'll probably have to get into shore to change your load. When I inquired about seat alternatives, the company's response was basically that I was an idiot for asking.

The Magic looks like a really aggressive (tippy) design. But I have never paddled another solo canoe that offers this degree of user-friendliness. I use mine for tripping and lunch workout paddles. Hit-and-switch is a good method with the Magic. The seat drops are long for this reason. (But Bell offers shorter drops, or you can easily trim the stock drops yourself to kneel in the boat.) I found the low seat to offer the ability to stretch on water without losing the stability or control of kneeling.

The canoe hums along. The tracking is wonderful; it corrects effortlessly as well and because of this is a joy in funky, windy chop. The boat is dry in head on and quartering waves. It seems to read my mind when I'm concentrating on holding a line in strong winds and it stays the course. Following seas? No problem, shift the load and enjoy the ride. This canoe surfs boat wake and wind-driven waves with an amazing amount of nimbleness and control.

Face it: would you buy a 16 foot solo and expect it to turn like a fourteen footer? The Magic practically does. I have a 14'9" Dagger Sojourn that will not flat turn and struggles to hold its heel angle for leaned turns. Not only will the Magic flat turn, it does so with a week's worth of gear in the bilge. Heel it and it spins like a 16 foot canoe should not. This is pretty easy too given the exceptional secondary stability in the Magic's design.

Most impressive, was the trim and workmanship in this boat. Before this trip, I would not have considered purchasing such a boat with aluminum gunnels. However this boat had the best aluminum gunnels I have seen on a boat. The pop rivets were concealed and the aluminum was nicely anodized in a light slate gray color.

The hull was Bell's Kev-Crystal, unpigmented. The fabric in this lay-up alternates black strands with natural colored kevlar strands. This provides a much more pleasing look than natural kevlar alone. From a distance it gives the boat a somewhat green color.