Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Anyone paddle a Bell CJ solo?
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yellowcanoe |
Price here |
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butthead |
I'm 5 1/2 ft tall, had no trouble paddling it. Maybe tg will add some comments on his CJ. butthead |
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deerfoot |
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. |
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Alan Gage |
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 |
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carmike |
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. :) |
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carmike |
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. |
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Dammfast |
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Alan Gage |
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 |
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cowdoc |
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mr.barley |
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. |
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RoundRiver |
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mr.barley |
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carmike |
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HansSolo |
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 |
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carmike |
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. |
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carmike |
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. :) |
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Alan Gage |
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 |
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cowdoc |
I passed on a few CJ's before I bought the Indy. Hope you enjoy the boat. |