Buying My First Canoe

I am:



5’-11”

150 lbs.

63 years old



My background is solo ultralight backpacking in wilderness areas. When backpacking in Isle Royale National Park I would see the canoeists on the inland lakes and realize that they had access to camping and fishing areas unavailable to me. I envied them and decided to bring a pack canoe someday.



Now I’m ready, and I have resolved to buy a solo pack canoe this spring. I need something light for portaging, of course. And when I first started looking into boats a couple of years ago, I assumed I would get a Hornbeck, because they are the lightest. (A reflection of my ultralight backpacking mindset.) But I came to realize, after lurking on forums like this one, that, while the Hornbecks might be best on the portage, maybe not so much on the water.



My requirements for a canoe:



Lightweight,

Solo pack canoe,

Designed for double paddle (though I think I will want to try single paddling),

Optimized for lakes, but also OK for slow rivers (no whitewater for me),

Typical total load150 to 190 lbs.



Therefore, I gather that my boat should have a narrow gunwale width, for double paddling.



These are the two boats at the top of my list:



Placid Boatworks Rapidfire, and

Swift Keewaydin Pack 14



My head tells me to go with the Rapidfire, but my heart wants the new Swift boat, with the new carbon-innegra laminate.



I welcome advice and comments on this decision. To be honest, I’m hoping folks will affirm my choice. But I want to learn.



Thanks for any input.