We are White Rose Canoe, a specialty paddling shop uniquely devoted to all things canoe, located on the banks of the Parker River in Newbury MA.
White Rose Canoe launched in October, 2021, when the owner of Newbury Kayak and Canoe made the decision to focus exclusively on canoes and on being a resource for canoeists across the Northeast, focused on folks new to the sport, families with kids, everyday paddlers and expedition’ers. (Note: some of the videos are from when we were Newbury Kayak and Canoe - the content still applies).
Thanks - it's a fun boat to paddle. You'll want to paddle it before you by - it's 34" wide, with a fair amount of arch to the hull, so it's a bit twitchy when empty - you'll want to check that out. Very manageable, but if you've been paddling wider, flatter bottom canoes, it will be a change.
I purchased an Old Town Tripper back in 1986. I even had a brief tour of the factory at the time. I believe I paid around $870 for the canoe as it was a second. Some of the interior stuck to the mold, and that was the reason for the designation as a second. At the time I believe my tripper was costing around $1200. I purchased molded plastic molded holders for putting the canoe on the roof of my government car. At the time I was a little worried about being turned in, but them part of my job as an environmental engineer was to examine the ponds of woolen mills and I had to use a bass to conduct these missions. I now live in South Korea and take the canoe on the rivers of this country. I’ve lived here since 2003 and travelled a number of rivers. They are usually three or four day trips. The tripper is a wonderful canoe and is tough and light and fits n the car very well. South Korea is never noted as a canoe paradise but I do think it is. The rivers are long at over 198 km long and have rapids and other challenges. I have had had many canoes in my 82 years but the 1987 Old Town Tripper is my favorite. Thank you so much for the history lesson of these great canoes. I never forget the tour of the factory when I purchased the canoe new, along with plastic bladed paddles. The seats are plastic and very comfortable, but I put a cushion on them on long trips. A great canoe on the rivers on the other side of the earth. Greetings from South Korea.
I have an Old Town 119 that I use for fishing on a very rocky river with Class I maybe a couple of light Class II's but I hit rocks often. The OT is great for that, but there are many things I would change about the boat. The Adirondack looks like a big step up. One thing I know that's important is the seam down the middle of the bottom of the hull acts as a keel keeping you from spinning when you stop to cast. Does the Adirondack also have a seam down the middle? The Wenonah Fusion does not and for me it spins like a top. If I were designing a solo canoe just for fishing I would make it 13 feet 12 is too tight for gear.
Love mine ! I have always been solo in a 16 ' Mad River Explorer, or a 17 ' Old Town Tripper So this feels like a play boat. Been exploring Some Columbia River Slough's and Wild life Refuge areas . I discovered how well a double blade works in Windy conditions in this little pack Boat, although I prefer Traditional paddles . This is a great addition to my fleet !
That is a good looking canoe! I wish it had a little tumblehome. I have been considering a Swift Prospector 14.....What is the price tag on the NC? I am less then 2 hours from you in NH.
Hi - the MSRP is $3,249, but we're doing a Winter Inventory Reduction sale, so you'll do better than that. Details are on our web site (whiterosecanoe.com/).
How does the performance of the Prospector 14 compare to the Fox? They are the same length and nearly the same weight so I am wondering how they compare since I am looking for a canoe in that size. Thank you
The Fox 14 hull has noticeably more arch and less rocker than the Prospector 14, it's also a bit shallower. The tighter arc in the hull reduces the initial stability, making it more "tender" than the Prospector. It's designed as a fast lake cruiser, while the Prospector 14 is much more of an all round canoe. If you're intent is cruising and you like a lively ride, then the Fox would probably be more suited.
I don't have a video, but it's pretty straightforward. Visualize a barn hinge (once side tall and narrow, the other long). The tall narrow flap connects to the gunwale, the long narrower flap attaches to the yoke. Add a hefty cotter pin to connect the two. To remove, pull out the cotter pin. Very straight forward and easy.
Couldn’t see the paddle blades unless they got picked up. And wish the discussion of layup was at least as detailed as the discussion of hull shape given the terminology used by the various manufacturers.
Thanks for the history lesson. I used to own a couple of Old towns but now I own a Hornbeck that weighs 12 # and Placid boat 15 foot that weighs 22# .I look forward to your next presentation. Thanks again Jeff Unser
Hi Jeff - thanks for the comment. Sounds like a couple of great boats. The next presentation should be really interesting - looking forward to having you join!
Hi Jay. The Esquif Adirondack tracks well for a 12' canoe. By that I mean that a short solo canoe is going to yaw a bit with each stroke. It's very controllable and handles the wind well. Here's a link to another video showing an Adirondack rigged for fishing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AVqrQIZmYhM.html Hope that helps.
Dry up here in Maine as well, super low wate, we just got 1.5" of rain in a day and it helped but still little in the extended forecast, great time for a plastic boat and a pole.
I'm about to baptize my first pole - hopefully will do better than I did in the class I took at the Maine Canoe Symposium pre-covid - did a great exhibition on how to fall out of a canoe while using a pole - with some extra style points thrown in....
Thanks. Stable enough to stand in - yep. Casting - sorry, not a fisherguy, so can't answer with any credibility - I'll ask around and get back to you...
Was just looking around and saw you posted the same question to the David Hadden review - he's the distributor rep and the guy I was going to ask. If you don't get a post back, let me know and I'll bug him.
Not long enough... I was using a 230cm. Carried a lot of water into the boat and had to reach side to side. Bending Branches recommendation for a boat between 29" and 33" and a paddler over 6ft + is a 250cm - which sounds right. The Adirondack's seat is raised off the floor of the canoe and the boats fairly shallow (13" center depth), so I don't think knuckle banging would be an issue - I didn't experience it. Hope that helps. Keith
Beautiful shop, amazing selection from what the video shows. I cannot hear the audio even with my volume all the way up. Time for an external mic! Hope to visit your shop!
Thanks for the comment - glad you liked the video. My wife and I are only 2 generations out of England - my grandfather from Attenborough, a suburb of Nottingham and heres from Bradford in Yorkshire. Until COVID we'd get over there for a couple of weeks every year. Miss it.
While it's designed to small/medium paddlers, I think it would be ok for day trips (I'm 6'2", 180+/- and find it comfortable). Taking it into the BWCA for 4-5 days might be a challenge - there's not a ton of space in the bow area in front of us taller folks and Wenonahs tend to run narrow in the bow. More space behind the seat. In Wenonah, you might want to look at the Wilderness - it's a bit longer, but still easy to manage.
Further comment - took a closer look at the Vagabond in the shop yesterday and I underestimated the space in the bow - while not huge, it's larger than I remembered from the last time I focused on the boat. If you can backpack the stuff you need for a 4-5 day excursion, you'll have the space.
Hi - the Bob Special is available in Fiberglass, TuffStuff, TuffStuff Expedition, Aramid Lite and Blue Steel. We've got two TuffStuff in stock at the moment, one green, one olive.
I’ve got the same canoe and absolutely love it. It’s the hunter green. I had a hard time choosing between your and mine. I opted out for the black lettering instead of the white. Looks awesome.
Hi Eric - yeah, it's a great boat. We just got two in stock in TuffStuff - one yellow (really pretty - folks will see you coming) and the other is blue (also handsome).
I bought mine last summer and absolutely love it. Wanted something good for backcountry camping that would move easily threw the water and carry all my gear. It has been Excellent the Initial stability the first time I got in was a bit scary as I was use to a flat bottom so I thought I was going to go over. But it cuts threw the water with ease and is vary maneuverable can get it up on it’s side with ease but still feels stable. It has been great for fishing and have found this year I can ever stand up in it to bow fish. That was a surprise as it has a rounded haul which is great for speed but makes it less stable but the secondary stability is so good . I already owns 5 kayaks and a canoe and only bought it for backcountry camping but it has become the only boat I use now it’s just a joy to paddle and works great for all my needs.
Great comments - did a better job than I did in the video. For anyone who's interested we have two in the shop right now (06/26/20), one in fiberglass, one in Blue Steel with all wood trim, including gunwales - pretty boat.
nice video, how does this compare to the Wenonah Vagabond in terms of speed and stability? How does blue steel compare to tough stuff gel coat for abrasion resistance? Thanks!
Hi Dennis. My boss and I took them out on the Parker and up the Little River, switching boats about halfway, so we got a bit of a comparison. The Vagabond was in Ultralite and the Fox 14 was fiberglass. The Fox 14 has less initial stability than the Vagabond, but terrific secondary - you can really get it on it's side. I paddle Canadian, sitting right of center, and was comfortable with both knees in the chine after the first few getting acquainted strokes. On my last paddle, when I got back to the shop I was pretty much able to lay it close to on it's side. My sense is the Fox is probably a bit more efficient through the water. I'd need more time in it to get a real feel. The Fox is symmetric and deeper (19"Bow/13" Center/19" Stern) than the Vagabond (16" Bow/12.5 Center/14.5 Stern) and thus was pushed a bit more by the wind (probably blowing around 10mph with some gusts). But it was manageable without a lot of extra work. The extra depth made kneeling easier - the Vagabond seat, even in it's raised position is a little low for my size 11.5 feet. Nova Craft rates the Blue Steel and the TuffStuff layups was the same strength (four out of five dots). The Blue Steel is Fox is 6lbs lighter (@33lbs in clear coat) than the TuffStuff (42lbs). I really like both boats, so it's a matter of what characteristics your looking for and how they look and feel to you. Feel free to give us a call at the shop if you want to chat more. We're currently in COVID-19 mode, so one of us is covering phones during business hours (check newburykayak.com). Hope this helps. Keith
Glad you found it useful. Give us a call if you have any questions - while we are currently in COVD-19 mode, we're generally covering the phone during normal business hours and monitoring e-mail (and I'll be monitoring comments on RU-vid more frequently going forward). Check out the website: newburykayak.com
Joppa Flats is a great spot to paddle from in Newburyport - at the top half of the tide. At low tide the source of "Flats" part of the name becomes clear - the mud flats extend about a 1/4 mile or more from the shore, so time you paddle well. The nice thing about the Flats is that you're far enough away from the main channel that there is not much impact from the river current, which can be quite strong at the mouth of the Merrimack. You can also stay away from the extensive boat traffic coming and going. Time it right and it's a great spot.
