Prospector 18′

by Ian Malcolm – review from www.paddling.net:

I purchased my Royalex 18′ Nova Craft Prospector in the spring of 2000 and have paddled it on lakes and whitewater rivers in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan every year since then. The 1400 lb capacity and tracking of the Prospector shape make it an outstanding long-trip canoe, and the bonus is that, because it has no keel, it also handles with huge stability and surprising agility in white water. (In a following wind on big water, like Georgian Bay, the lack of a keel causes a certain slippage, but it’s easy to compensate for.)

I’ve fitted my canoe with skid plates and d-rings for centre & bow/stern flotation bags, so it works as a (big!) tandem playboat, and this year I purchased & installed a North Water spraydeck to make it a go-anywhere tripper. With the spraydeck, I’ve already run CIII – CIV rapids this year (for example, the Rollway Rapid on the Petawawa, run with a full load in medium high water without eddying) – result: minimum water taken in and phenomenal control throughout. The canoe’s weight (84lb sans spraydeck) is an issue for a person accustomed to a lighter load, but I’ve carried mine nonstop for 2km with no need to set it down.

The yoke is exceptionally well-designed and supremely comfortable; much more so than the ash yoke in a friend’s 17′ Nova Craft Prospector. The only improvement I could imagine would be to own the same model in Nova Craft’s Blue Steel option, for much less weight – though then I’d be worried about hull brittleness as opposed to the forgiving flexibility of Royalex. Overall, an outstanding canoe.

by Aaron Peterson

The Prospector 18 is a great family tripping canoe with tons of space for kids and gear. The third seat works great for my children, ages 7 and 5 to share side-by-side. Since we live near Lake Superior we wanted a large sea-worthy boat for extended wilderness trips in a material tough enough to handle the rocky shores and occasional surf landings. The P18 in outfitter configuration and TuffStuff material has handled beautifully in the wind, waves and confused seas while carrying our crew and gear for a week’s outing. And for a big boat it’s surprisingly portage friendly as well. This has become our go-to family adventuremobile and allowed us to get back into the wilderness tripping lifestyle we enjoyed before kids, but now with the little ones safely alongside us.

by John van Barriger

When planning the Yukon Journey Charitable Expedition, we needed a canoe that could haul a lot of gear, stand up to rocky and tough river conditions, and still be efficient enough to paddle for long days on end. The 18′ Prospector in TuffStuff Expedition met – and exceeded – all of these requirements. We love this boat!