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"First and foremost, it was a real pleasure doing business with the Merrimack Canoe Company. I searched through just about every canoe ever made looking for something in preparation for a Boundary Waters trip that I could also use in the Louisiana swamps. I couldn't be more pleased with my Merrimack Prospector.
I've just returned from a two week expedition in the BWCWA and I've been using it solo in the swamps every weekend. My double kevlar hull was a dream to portage, even over back to back 100-200+ rod portages, and handling it solo in the swamps is cake. I even had added weight while portaging due to an unexpected benefit of Merrimack's construction. The inner and outer gunwhales leave small slits between the cherry ribs; perfectly sized for velcro straps which I used to secure my paddles and fishing rods to the boat while portaging.
She swallowed up the biggest, heaviest packs of 2 weeks worth of gear for 4 people no sweat, and as is told in the description, the more weight, the better she tracks. We were amazed how she cut right through the waves. The flip side of that is the canoe's only weakness. Paddling solo with no weight, she's harder to handle in the wind than others. But you can't have your cake and eat it too, it's a deep boat. An experienced paddler can manage.
As far as durability, my Prospector definitely has some "character" now after the Boundary Waters, but nothing like the gouges and planing we started noticing on the keel of my buddy's Royalex hull.
The large seats are so comfortable, we never even once thought about sitting on life jackets or other padding. And of course the sheer beauty of the thing is sure nice for the ego as she's admired everywhere I go. Bottom line, for those deterred by the price, my Prospector was worth every penny and more." -Ben Rawls, Louisiana July 2009 (pictures from Ben's trip)
Having been an ACA Canoeing Instructor for fifteen years, and now an Instructor Trainer, I have long wanted a Prospector. It was a financial stretch, but I purchased Merrimack Prospector at the end of April and there are no regrets. I have paddled it both tandem and solo in three instructor training workshops and on two personal outings. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this highly rockered boat tracks! It is definitely the BMW of the open canoe world. I love the Merrimack, my students love it and best of all, my wife loves it! -Lee Goodnight June 2007 (Rating: 10 of 10. review posted on Paddling.net)
I was delighted and surprised to find out that one of my top three canoe choices was built just down the road when I was looking for a new boat. The people at Merrimack were excellent to deal with. I felt like I was truely involved with every step of building just the boat I wanted. It has given me many wonderful hours of enjoyment, and I swell up like a proud Papa every time someone compliments me on the apprearance and performance of the boat. I keep brochures in the glovebox of my truck and happily hand them out whenanyone asks. Solo or tandem it is smooth and responsive whether out for a day trip or loaded down for a week in the BWCA.
My wife & I have owned our Prospector for about 2 years (Burgundy/fiberglass). Whenever we take it our, we always can expect a positive comment from those who see us paddling. Once you get used to the "tippiness," it is extremely easy and fun to paddle. We experienced some deep scratches on the bottom when paddling over some shallow shoals; however, a fiberglass repair shop was able to buff them out using very finely gritted sand paper & it buffed up good as new. If anything ever happened to it, we'd buy another in a minute! A beautiful canoe & best priced, by far, for the quality workmanship involved in its construction.
I get compliments regularly. I just heel it over 15 degrees or so and feel like Bill Mason, who said once that if he could have only one canoe it would be a Chestnut Prospector. The Merrimack Prospector is a real close second. The only flaw is the hull shows the pattern of the ribs in the Kevlar covering. This is because the wood and canvas canoes were sheathed in cedar and then covered with canvas. This canoe has the ribs but due to the strength of fiberglass or Kevlar there is no sheathing between the ribs and the Kevlar. Hence the rib pattern shows through. It's a small thing though. All in all I love the canoe.
The Prospector is a traditional Bill Mason Canadian style canoe. The Merrimack version has the same lines as the traditional Prospector but is much lighter. We purchased our Prospector in carbon fiber and had the boat trimmed with cherry. This was an anniversary gift for my wife and myself and this is our most beautiful canoe. This is a family heirloom that will be around for many years. We do paddle this canoe and it isn’t only for looks. We’ve found this canoe handles better as a tandem than a solo. I have some great memories paddling this canoe on a quiet lake under a moonlit night. Using an Algonquin paddle with leather wrapped around the paddle throat and using an underwater recovery, I have found this canoe is very quiet and I can sneak up on wildlife more quietly than I can with many other canoes. -Larry Graubner More Prospector reviews at Paddling.net
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