tough choice between these two boats
Posted by: pblanc
on Jan-03-13 10:15 AM (EST)
I can't recall ever paddling a Morningstar. I have paddled Royalex Yellowstone tandems a fair bit, and occasionally solo.
Either canoe is going to be a bit wide to paddle as a solo, but probably not unworkably so.
As others have said, the Yellowstone solo is a very pleasant compromise between efficiency and maneuverability. For the type of paddling you intend to do, I rather suspect its hull design would suit better than the Morningstar.
But the Morninstar is very likely to be the more efficient boat to paddle, especially on flat stretches. Bell Black Gold boats are very stiff and quite tough. The stiff layup makes for more efficient paddling compared to somewhat floppy Royalex, apart from the hull design.
So it comes down to priorities.
Yellowstone pros:
Probably more fun to paddle on twisty streams
Cheaper
Closer
Morninstar pros:
Much lighter
Faster
Better tracking on the flats
I think either would carry a sufficient load for river tripping.