Radisson Canoes: Lightweight Craft for Modern Explorers
Blending History, Innovation, and Adventure for the Ultimate Canoeing Experience
This Next Adventure reviews the Radisson canoe. I discuss its history, technical specifications, and my experience using it. Whether you’re settling into the colder months (and thinking about springtime) or able to continue getting out onto the water, I hope this review is helpful.1
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A Legacy of Adventure
When Pierre-Esprit Radisson arrived in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, at age 16, he frequently hunted beyond the fort’s walls. Captured by the Mohawk, who killed his companions but spared Radisson’s life, the young Frenchman was curious by nature and adept at learning the language and traditions of his adoptive family. Eventually, he escaped.
His remaining years were anything but dull: torture, murder, and intrigue emanate from Radisson’s story in New France and beyond. Around 1660, Radisson and his brother-in-law, Médard Chouart des Groseilliers, ventured from the St. Lawrence River up the Ottawa River, seeking alternatives to established travel corridors, which they hoped would result in lucrative fur trading arrangements.
Canoes were their vessel of choice. Workhorses of both the Hudson’s Bay Company and renegade traders alike, these vessels are emblematic symbols of the adventurous spirit of early North American settlers.
A slender shape allows a paddler to weave through tight spaces on and off the water, like a knitting needle and thread. Lightweight and elegant, a birchbark canoe required just a few people for the portages necessary to traverse the Laurentian Plateau.
Traveling up the Ottawa and turning west on the Mattawa River toward Lake Superior, Radisson and Groseilliers paddled by the present-day town of North Bay, Ontario, on the northeast shore of Lake Nipissing.
Few can argue with Radisson’s resilience, versatility, and ruggedness. Today, these characteristics live on in the canoe that bears his name. The Radisson canoe is handmade by BW Marine Products, a company located in North Bay, the town Radisson paddled past nearly 300 years ago. David Keown, Production Manager at Baywood Enterprises (a part of BW Marine Products), explains that the Radisson “is a very popular vessel for trappers, hunters, and fishermen so the name was an easy choice.”
The Birth of a Canoe Icon
First built in 1947 by Cedric Summers, the canoes manufactured in North Bay have gone by several different names, with “Radisson” emerging some time in the 1970s. A Royal Canadian Air Force engineer, Summers knew how to build with lightweight aluminum and used the material to build the first Radisson canoe in North Bay.2
Why I Upgraded to a Radisson Canoe
While I love the durability of my 1970s-era aluminum canoe and my little 12-foot john boat, these aren’t the lightest weight vessels. Tired of having the weight of these boats be an obstacle to getting on the water, I decided to upgrade to a lightweight boat that could still nimbly navigate New England’s lakes, ponds, and rivers. Some of my destinations are not accessible by vehicle, so I’d occasionally be carrying the vessel on a trail or through the woods.
I narrowed my search to canoes since I needed a craft I could load solo onto my truck (and I didn’t want to haul a trailer). Another condition was that the canoe needed to accommodate a small motor.
I love paddling, but sometimes I want the option of a motor to travel farther. As a father of two children who enjoy canoe camping, safety and durability were critical as was a high capacity to carry a lot of gear comfortably. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve packed our canoes to the brim with all sorts of gear, including a Pack ‘n Play I once brought on a three-mile paddle to a remote campsite. It was a great camping trip, but the Pack ‘n Play never recovered after the rain, mud, and bugs of that trip.
Years ago, while staying at a rental cabin in Nova Scotia, I paddled a distinct-looking canoe. It had a patterned yellow exterior, painted to look like birch bark, and had pieces of foam attached along the length of the hull on either side. Canoe shopping, the image of that canoe stuck with me, and after a few internet searches, I realized that it was a Radisson canoe. I compared the specs with other square stern models, such as Grumman’s Square Stern, Old Town’s Discovery Sport, Esquif’s Cargo, and Wenonah’s Backwater. Each with its own benefits and drawbacks, my focus on weight, price, and availability ultimately led me to the Radisson.
The Radisson Difference: Lightweight, Durable, and Versatile
The first thing I noticed about my Radisson canoe was its size-to-weight ratio; it weighs only 51 pounds, and I could easily pick it up, maneuver it onto my truck, and carry it into the water. Other aluminum canoes I’ve owned, both older double-ender 17’ & 18’ Grummans, are much heavier (around 80 pounds) and require at least two people to load. The Radisson is constructed out of a lighter gauge 5052 marine aluminum. Other square stern models of comparable length weighed up to 114 pounds (the Old Town); the Wenonah Backwater weighs 52 pounds but is nearly three times the cost.
If someone was looking for a double-ended lightweight canoe made from any material and didn’t care about capacity, price, or durability, they’d likely choose a different canoe altogether.
Measuring 13’ 6” and weighing 51 pounds, the 14’ square stern model I purchased has a weight capacity of 850 pounds. As Keown told me:
Our canoes are lightweight which makes them easy to load on even a small car, and durable 5052 marine aluminum which will not embattle, delaminate, peel, waterlog, rot, shrink or swell. Made with a 2.5% magnesium content provides protection from punctures by allowing it to have some stretch and not easily rupture.
The canoe has a three-person capacity with three keels on the bottom to improve tracking.
At a Glance - Radisson Canoe Statistics- 14’ Square Stern Model
Weight: 51 lbs
Length: 13’ 6”
Beam: 38”
Center Depth: 13”
Carrying Capacity: 850 lbs
Max HP: 2
Max Person Capacity: 3
What’s Included
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the numerous components that came standard with my Radisson canoe:
Two 60” paddles with 6” wide blades with oar locks and bungy tie-downs for easy transport.
Foam liner in the interior of the canoe for a quiet padding experience.
Two sponsons (the black foam strips on either side) add to the canoe’s buoyancy and function as bumpers.
Nylon cleats and tie-down ropes.
Wood-reinforced stern plate for mounting a small outboard motor.
Numerous add-on items are available, such as an extra seat and yolk for carrying. A “Sail Kit,” which converts the canoe into a sailing vessel, looks fun, though I did not test it as part of this review. I purchased the BW Marine repair kit, just in case, which includes an aluminum patch, adhesive, & sealant, sheet metal screws, and touch-up paint.
Radisson vs. Competitors: What Sets It Apart
If you research the Radisson canoe long enough, you’ll discover they are called Sportspal canoes in Canada and Radisson in the US. This is because the Sportspal naming rights were sold years ago to a US manufacturer that makes a similar canoe with a thicker aluminum that increases the weight by nearly a third. Keown clarified that, “the customer base still demanded the light weight the canoes were known for…So an opportunity was there to still provide an amazing lightweight canoe.”
If you keep researching, you’ll also find David Keown’s YouTube channel, Gettenany Outdoors, where he makes outdoor-related content, including videos that underscore these canoes’ repairability. In one video, David shoots a Radisson canoe with a shotgun and then explains how to patch the hole with BW Marine’s repair kit. Another video highlights the plasticity of the hull material as David hammers out a mangled aluminum stern crushed under a fallen tree. Seeing the crumpled metal, I first assumed the canoe was unsalvagable. However, the video reveals how the repair is possible with a few tools most homeowners own.
Strengths and Trade-offs of the Radisson Canoe
Stability is where the Radisson shines on both flat and moving water. You do not feel like you will tip over with a loaded canoe and two people. However, the maneuverability can be tricky compared to canoes gliding through the water more elegantly; I noticed a little swerve when steering the Raddison, even on calm waters, compared to the 18’ double-ended Grumman I own. It can also be slow compared to a longer double-ended canoe if you want to cover long distances.
I assume that the design of the square stern model sacrifices paddling performance and Keown confirmed that:
having a square stern is essentially a hybrid of the pointed and wide transom [model]. Although it doesn't directly compare to a pointed model, it does paddle very well. All the while allowing it to have a small motor clamped directly to the transom allowing it to be also used as a boat without sacrificing paddling ability.
The freeboard is minimal when loaded to capacity, but this is the case with any heavily weighted canoe.
The Radisson has oar locks, allowing users to use the paddles as oars. After about thirty seconds of trial and error, this craft is fun and functional to paddle in the row-boat configuration. This feature is a welcome change of pace from traditional canoe paddling if you’re paddling solo or want to work out a different set of muscles on a long paddle. It’s also simply fun to try out, especially for kids looking to experiment and comfortable with canoes.
Adding a small electric trolling or outboard gas motor adds another propulsion option to the Radisson’s arsenal.
The hull responds well to bumps and scratches, though it does not rival the durability of a heavier aluminum canoe like a Grumman. I’ve smashed my Grumman canoe against rocks, dropped it on the ground while trying to load it, and packed it with stones (that’s a story for another day); I wouldn’t try any of those activities with the Raddison (though I’m starting to think it may withstand all of these mishaps). Adventuring with a canoe into the wilderness is often about trade-offs; in this case, the Radisson’s reduced weight has sacrificed some durability, and that’s OK with me.
Making Adventure Easier
I’ve taken my Raddison to places I never considered taking my heavier Grumman, and that’s because, from start to finish, a lightweight and rugged canoe means I don’t hesitate to head out on a trip, paddle it solo, portage it, or drag it through the woods.
Before owning the Raddison, I’d think, “Should I try to load the canoe on my own?” or “Is someone around to help me load it?”
Those little barriers are sometimes enough to prevent the trip from ever happening. Whether planning a week-long excursion or an afternoon outing, the Raddison canoe helps remove the mental hurdles that stand in the way of an expedition by focusing on function and convenience. For me, and I bet many of you, this means more adventure and less fiddling with heavier boats that I’m worried about damaging.
A Canoe Built for Generations
If you’re looking for a high-end performance canoe that paddles beautifully and $4,000 to spend, then the Radisson is probably not your boat. But suppose you’re looking for an all-around affordable and durable multifunctional workhorse that you can take camping, fishing, or hunting with the ability to paddle, row, sail, and motor. In that case, this is the boat for you. A stable boat with an 850-pound weight rating, I also consider the Raddison an ideal family vessel. The folks at BW Marine view these canoes as long-lasting and functional, as Keown described:
We believe our canoes provide an excellent light, quiet, durable, quality canoe built to last generations…We take pride in our canoes because we know that they will be with you a long time leaving the question which grandchild are you leaving it to.
Versatile and fun, the square stern Radisson I tested will allow any modern explorer the privilege to venture into the wilderness the way Pierre-Esprit Radisson did nearly three centuries ago.
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An earlier version of this review appeared in Paddling Magazine.
BW Marine Products is technically a group of three companies, each independently run but all focused on marine and recreational products. Baywood Enterprises is one of these companies and is the entity responsible for the manufacture of Radisson canoes.