I helped my neighbor unshovel his driveway today, and upon glancing in his garage, I saw a canoe hanging from the rafters. We chatted a bit more, and it turns out he hasn't used the thing in years...and he'd be willing to sell it for a fair price. The canoe is a Bell CJ solo.

From the looks of it and from the very little I can find online, the boat is quite long and completely without rocker. I imagine that'd make it pretty tough to turn but also pretty fast.

Has anyone paddled these? What did you think? My current "solo" canoe is a Penobscot 16 that I paddle by sitting in the front seat. It works, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade if I could get a fair price.

Speaking of which, any idea on their value? I will direct him to this thread, so I'm not looking to get a steal. Just curious about fair market value.

Its a big boat for large paddlers.

Price here

Got a good look at tg's at a wingnite several years ago. The hull looked just like the Wenonah Moccasin I owned, 15 1/2 ft. long 30 in. wide at gunnels, no rocker, no tumblehome (straight sides), narrow ends. I liked my Moccasin for tripping and playing about, not the fastest but can be pushed to a good speed, easy to turn when leaning.
I'm 5 1/2 ft tall, had no trouble paddling it. Maybe tg will add some comments on his CJ.

butthead

I have owned an Old Town CJ Solo since 1983 when I bought it from the original owner and the link provided by Yellowcanoe provides the same story Cliff Jacobsen told me about it at Canoecopia a number of years ago.

I have used mine for solo tripping since I got it. It has a lot of volume and when my daughters were in their early teens all three of us would go out in it and my weight has varied from 165 to its current 180 (those daily 1-3 Wisconsin beers have caught up me I guess). It is made of fiberglass and thus weighs in at 55#. My tandem is a Wenonah Escape at 54# so carrying is no big deal.

I have thought about replacing it with a more up to date solo but have not acted on it so I guess it is okay for me.

I've read elsewhere about easy turning when leaning in a boat. I've got a lot to learn... I've never tried it.

I am a large paddler (I weigh 240 lbs). I'm guessing that would make my time in the boat easier than a smaller fella? Well, as long as I don't lean over too far. :)

Never paddled one but a Kevlar model was auctioned off at the Midwest Mountaineering expo this past spring. I want to say it went for around $600 but I don't remember for sure.

If it's Kevlar and in good shape I'd say the $750 ball park would be a good price considering you can get a more recent design in the same layup for about $1000.

Alan

Here's some additional information of the CJ Solo from an older Bell Catalog shown below.

Although I haven't owned or paddled a CJ Solo, a fellow bwca.com member and friend by the name of Mike, (A.K.A."Round River") does own a CJ. It was the solo Mike used on our group solo to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in August of 2014. (Additional pictures shown below of the CJ Solo on that trip.)

Although per Mike, the CJ Solo worked well for him on the WCPP group solo and other trips, Mike expressed concern about matching up with my Wenonah Voyager and my son's Sawyer DY Special.

For normal cruising and when we hung together, it was not an issue. But whenever my son and I decided to "jam" in our respective solos, it was no contest. Probably not a big deal for most solo trippers, but I have an affection for long, fast, "sit & switch" style solo canoes and they're my preference for solo tripping as well.

During the course of that trip, it was hard to judge the CJ Solo's full capabilities though. Mike is more of a minimalist canoe tripper than my son and I, and we really weren't on any overly large lakes with capping waves or turbulent seas.

Additionally, Mike is a rather lean guy, so his CJ Solo was in no way pushed to the limit in regards to capacity or seaworthiness on the WCPP trip.

Nevertheless, the CJ Solo seems like a more than adequate solo tripper, but it won't keep up with the likes of a Wenonah Advantage, Wenonah Voyager, or the "vintage" Sawyer Solo's like the DY Special and Shockwave. That's probably only a concern if you're traveling with a pack of other solo trippers in the aforementioned canoes that are "hell bent for leather".

For what it's worth, Mike more than compensated on the portages with his two 29# packs, (which is about half the weight and bulk that my son and I were lugging through WCPP.) :-)

I'll prompt Mike about this thread and he may be able to add some additional personal comments about the how the CJ Solo has performed for him.

Hans Solo

Thank you for the excellent response, Hans (and Alan). The canoe is Kevlar and weighs in the low to mid 30's or thereabouts, I think.

I'm thinking I'll give it a go, given the responses thus far. I'm definitely more than 200 lbs, and I don't travel especially light on my solos. Plus, I'm not in a hurry on my trips, and I do a lot of fishing, so I'll trade a bit of stability for speed. Paddling it can't be *that* much tougher than paddling the Penobscot 16 into a nasty quartering wind. :)

quote carmike: Paddling it can't be *that* much tougher than paddling the Penobscot 16 into a nasty quartering wind. :) "

Indeed it won't be. If you get it I think you'll find yourself wondering why you thought soloing a tandem was ever a good idea. :)

Sounds like a real good fit for your size and usage.

Alan

Similar specs to my Mad River Independence....except the Indy has the "V" hull. Mine is the FG hull at 44#. It's a large volume solo, fairly stable, fast enough and tracks well. I always feel comfortable and safe in it.

I passed on a few CJ's before I bought the Indy. Hope you enjoy the boat.

Update: I talked to Randy today, and we took the canoe down from the rafters. The boat hasn't been licensed in years, and he apparently doesn't have a title for it. I looked for a serial number, and for the life of me I couldn't find one on the boat. It's possible I missed it, but I tried to look everywhere a serial number could be.

I'm a bit flummoxed because I obviously need to license the boat...With no serial number or title, is this possible? It's last registration was in Minnesota, and the # is still visible.

That should be all you need. If you have guys name and info they will likely not give you a hard time. At least this has been my experience at my local dmv. Although I am from a very small town and have taught all of her kids. If you think it might be an issue have the current owner go get it licensed. They should have his info on file.

The hull ID number is usually in the stern, slightly below the gunwale.

I think MN is pretty lax on registering boats. If the boat was last registered in his name all you should need is a bill of sale from him. I don't believe MN requires you do bring a copy of the registration when purchasing a used canoe.

Alan

Did Bell ever "stamp" the number in like Mad River did? No small plate....just numbers/letters stamped into the hull material. They can be hard to see sometimes. Might be worth a look.

quote cowdoc: "Did Bell ever "stamp" the number in like Mad River did? No small plate....just numbers/letters stamped into the hull material. They can be hard to see sometimes. Might be worth a look."

Yes they did. I had a Bell magic with a clear gelcoat and the serial number was pressed into the gelcoat.

Sorry for the late response. Have not been on in a week or two. As Hans Solo stated, I have a CJ Solo. It is kevlar with skid plates and wood trim, and weighs about 40-42 pounds. It is plenty good for me, but you would have some trouble keeping up with a group using much longer canoes and/or on large lakes. As Hans mentioned, I try to pack light. But there is plenty of room for carrying more than I do. And for reference I weigh 192-196 on any given trip, and am about 5'11". I use a double bladed/"kayak" paddle most of the time. It does not turn "on a dime", but it is not horrible either. It handles well in moderate waves (some whitecaps), which I have encountered a few times. Finally, if you fish or take pictures, it is reasonably stable. I bought mine from my wife's uncle several years ago who bought it new in about 1990 and used it on many group solo trips in the BWCAW. He kept it in the garage and in very good condition. I got a family discount, but he knew he could have gotten $1000 for it. Enjoy.

Thanks for all the replies. The canoe is back up in the rafters, where it'll stay for the next many months. When spring arrives, we'll get it back down, exchange legal tender, and I'll have a canoe. I certainly might've missed the serial number the first time, but since it does have an old registration sticker on it, I'm hoping that'll be enough.

The 1991 Bell Merlin I used to have had a registration number like this on the inside.