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Anybody have any experience with these canoes? I have done a little online research after seeing an ad on kijiji. Everything I have seen they get rave reviews and out standing customer service. I'm considering a canoe for next year and the Swift and Nova craft are out of my price range right now.
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IIRC SC canoes aren't built with a keel, so that's a good start. A keel is often built in to stiffen a hull against flexing when higher quality keel-less construction isn't possible because of higher cost.
The owner also worked at Bluewater previously... maybe some of the quality BW had is also in SC.
The website doesn't seem to give any info on weight but I didn't spend much time looking. Often higher-priced canoes will be lighter... you pay more $$$ for a few pounds lighter.
Besides that I have no idea... you mentioned rave reviews, something to look for in reviews is bad reviews. Many buyers will give good reviews after buying because they want to believe they've made the right decision.... confirmation bias. Bad reviews, if there are any, could be helpful in deciding what not to buy.
PS.... again IIRC there is a used Kipawa on the Toronto Kijiji....
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not many reviews. Probably not that many made. No weight. I suspect the boats are mostly glass. From what I can tell the quality is ok...but what can you tell from photos.. (they sure lie for houses).
The paint job is just wonky. Every one else has the scuff patch football shaped so you know where the three or four inch waterline is and can measure trim. This white patch is always the same distance from the sheer. Makes it very much less useful I also veer away from price free makers.
I am just a little dubious.. Personally I would search for a good known maker used boat.
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All good info. Stuff I never thought of. I definitely have a lot more research to do before I buy anything. Thank you
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They describe themselves as "primarily a custom made to order builder" and I think they may be a subsidiary of (or at least partially owed by) The Holy Cow Canoe Company. They seem to share the same Acton address.
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As an aside that tells you absolutely nothing about the quality of the canoes currently being built ... Bluewater Canoes were originally built in Guelph and while I can't remember exactly where the shop was, it was roughly in the neighbourhood of Silver Creek Parkway which runs parallel to Hwy 6 north of the river. That might suggest that the owner of Silver Creek canoes has been around since before Bluewater got sold to Scott.
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I did watch a video of an interview with the owner of Silvercreek canoes that he did with Canoeroots magazine . He did say that he worked at Bluewater but they were getting too big and he wanted to stay fairly small. I guess what that means is more custom work like you eluded to. Also he did mention he lives on the property and it is shared with the Holy Cow Canoe Co. They were at the outdoor adventure show last year (in the interview). I guess I'll look for them there this year and check it out anyway.
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Kijiji ads for the company lists some weghts...can't post link. Sorry.
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Bansidthe.....that's where I first saw them too. More info on kijiji then their website
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Here is the kijiji link
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Their prices are reasonable and the weights are not outrageous but quality and design ????? They don't seem to give design specs other than lengths and symetry.