I currently own a Souris River 18.5 canoe for my family. As my kids are older and getting bigger to assist in paddling / portaging now I am looking to purchase another canoe but do not want to break the bank as funds are tight right now.

I recently found a used 16 Bell Morningstar Canoe at a outfitter for sale for roughly $600 and a Bell Northwind 17ft Kevlar for 1500.

Any experience with either of these canoes? Hoe does it handle? Good canoe to take to the Q or BWCA? Would you avoid or recommend this canoe?

Structurally both canoes are in great shape, just a few scratches cosmetically. Looking for insight before I pull the trigger on buying which boat?

I understand it is about 59 pds for the Morningstar which is 10 pds heaver the then canoe I have due to the Royalex just wondering how this would be in the BW and Q. Would you just spend the extra money and go with the Northwind? Will I be happier with this canoe?

Thanks so much for all your insight and help you can provide.

Never having paddled a Morningstar, I do have a bit of an interesting story.

Several years ago I was paddling a local TN stream when I found myself leap frogging the river with another guy. Conversation ensued and I found out he was a reviewer for what is now Canoe and Kayak Magazine. He's paddled every product under the sun. I asked him if there was only one canoe he could own, what would it be? His answer was "Hands down, the Bell Northwind".

I think he's right.

Well....my everyday boat is a royalex Bell Morningstar. I paddle it solo, it is a fine tandem with small folks and small loads. I wouldn't paddle it in the BWCAW tandem with much more than a short trip unless both paddlers were very light. I've also owned the royalex Northwind and would say it's a much better tandem for the BWCAW. As for the 17' composite Northwind, it's a better paddling boat than both. I wouldn't think of spending much time paddling it solo, but tandem it will outshine the both. I've only paddled a Northwind 17 for one trip, but owning a Morningstar and royalex Northwind gives me a pretty good comparison.

Oh, and the Morningstar is actually 15'6" while the 17' Northwind is 17'6" giving you 2' difference. Here's me in the Morningstar with MY tandem partner:

We bought a Bell Northwind in 1998 and it was our tripping canoe after that. We liked it just fine. No complaints, except that I found the narrow bow end a bit frustrating for keeping all of my camera gear right in front of me. I just sold my Pelican case and carried my DSLR in a dry bag.

I had a Bell Northwind and I've paddled a Royalex Morningstar. Both are fine boats and you can't make a bad decision. The prices seem good. If you bought the Morningstar it should be super easy to sell again in the future without losing money (right?).

Morningstar is surprisingly efficient for a Royalex tandem and it will hum right along with a little input. Handling is great...super predictable and also maneuverable. Northwind is a much bigger boat. It's a friendly family boat that likes to have 500 pounds or more in it. But even though it may feel like more boat than you need with lighter loads it will probably still outperform the Morningstar. Handling is also exceptional...stable yet very maneuverable for such a large boat.

Seems like the Northwind is a better match to your current boat if you carry enough weight to load those two big boats. Also seems like the Morningstar could be fine for you for the next few years since you may be able to load it relatively lightly and carry the bulk of your gear in your bigger boat. Just ask yourself if you would feel "stuck" if you had to carry and paddle only the Morningstar from now on.

Never paddled a Morningstar. Just sold a Bell Northwind. It's basically the same as the Northstar Northwind 17 w/o the tumblehome. It was a nice canoe but too large for my current needs. Loved it when I could use that size canoe. It handles ok with only two people, but it likes a little bit of a load. I moved to a Northstar.

I am facing a similar challenge now, moving family into two boats instead of one big one.
Just two cents, hope it helps.

If your kids are still growing, they may not be ready to portage a canoe at all, much less the heavier royalex. My wife wants me to be sure at least one of the canoes is light enough for her to portage, in case I get injured. Her and one kid can go for help. On the other hand, we will have an OT penobscot 17 which is less likely to take damage that can't get home. One of each layup covers two contingencies.

As I look for an ultralite, I keep going back and forth between the 16' solo/tandem crossovers and the 17' performance tandems...M.star vs N.wind 17. The shorter boats allow an adult paddler to take the younger kids and a lighter load (as already stated); they also give someone on the group an option to paddle out alone to fish a little while, once camp is established. The longer boat allows you to mix any combination of family paddlers, but could require using load to trim. The main advantage of the 17' is that no two paddlers should outgrow it. The only reason it isn't my first choice is that it doesn't solo well.

In my process, I have eliminated the Morningstar for my family...but I am 6'1", 320 and my kids are...well...mine. If I were 80 lbs lighter, the Mstar might be more appealing. The NW is still in the running, but I am holding out for a deal. 1500 seems to be the going rate for an outfitter rental NW.

We are graduating from the Northshore/ Northwind 20. We love it, so that hull design is a winner. To deal with tight space in the bow, we tape a piece of swim noodle around the gunwale, making a nice knee rest. My son and I paddle an old Blue Hole OCA 15'9 for day trips. We have to turn it backward for trim (unloaded)...these boats are my experience relevant to the OP.