I have been through 8' swells from tug boats and lots of chop. This little gem is both stable and performs with all the grace of a kayak when handled properly. I weigh in at 235 lbs and with the more weight in the boat then you have to balance it and it tracks better and it is more stable. Overall: The trusted brand, the trusted Discovery series, the trusted canoe. If you take it down any rapids even easy ledges it fills with water. I found the seat placement to be just about perfect and had no trouble. 2020 Old Town® Discovery 119 Solo Sportsman OVERVIEW Combining the best of both worlds, Old Town delivers the ideal grab-n-go watercraft for anglers and hunters alike. In summary, I think the Old Town Discovery 119 is a great little canoe. It's also faster than I had though. A rope cleat secures things as to not put too much stress on the leash holder. after months of reviewing solo canoes online I went with the camo version of the 119 from Dicks. Great alternative to a kayak for small stream floats. It is amazing how much difference the canoe acts since I lowered the seat. I pick up my disco 119 at Sportsmans outfitters in Dothan Ala. yesterday. I would like to have a regular wooden canoe seat. With no problems. I think this will be a forever boat for me and I am looking forward to a great many adventures with it! I'm used to a 16 foot kayak and this canoe is quite stable compared to my kayak. Note: I also put a yoga type pad on the bottom to protect my "old" knees. The boat is extremely manueverable and paddles very nicely with a double bladed paddle but it blows all over in more than a breeze (a double bladed paddle is almost essential in wind). So, I started reading some of the reviews on this canoe and came away with one conclusion. I'm 6'4" 235lbs, so I'm not the normal sized paddler for a short canoe. If you have a dog on the water. This is my first solo. The only options they offered were to buy a woven seat and bolt kit from them for around $100, or take the boat back to where I bought it for a refund (over 500 miles one way). At 56 lbs., the Old Town Sportsman Discovery Solo 119 canoe is the ideal grab-and-go watercraft for anglers and hunters alike. Although the seat is a monster, it can be improved 90% and made useable by lowering it as described and increasing the rake. The boat tracks well too...I didn't have much wind yesterday but a few breezes with which the boat worked seemingly great! kayak onto it in some kind of aggressive after falls waves/current, so I would call it very stable. i went and got one for me. It’s nice to have the kayak paddle for this, as we paddle faster. People seem to either love or hate this canoe. I kept the seat from the 119 and last year put it in another canoe of ours (a square stern Old Town Predator). I'd like to say that I'm 6'2" 220 lbs and was concerned about the size of this boat which will be used on ponds only for fishing. If given the choice I'll stick with a canoe paddle for the Kaynoe. The backrest does not begin until the first few inches from the bottom. I rated this canoe at an 8. On this boat lower the seat by using longer bolts and wooden dowels set at least 3 to 4 in. It is fun to do different waters. It is nowhere near my yak in comfort but considering that we spend hours and hours out on the water it isn't really too bad. Offering the simplicity and utility of a classic solo canoe with the agility and sleek handling of a kayak, the Discovery 119 Solo Sportsman … I think this would be a good boat for a younger guy/gal, or for someone who didn't have a high lift to the racks. Overall its its a tough, cheep boat that gets the job done and I don't feel bad when putting a few scratches in it. A great boat for the money. It felt goosy for the first hour or two, then we reached an understanding and it worked great. Buyer's: do yourself a favor and go out and purchase a little bigger canoe than the Guide 119. 0:50. The main problem with the canoe is the seat, which I would give a rank of 0, or minus 0 if possible. I finally sold it after moving closer to the ocean and getting a sea kayak, which I am enjoying much more (and can more easily car top, despite the fact that it weighs a few pounds more than this canoe). I deliberatly leaned mine to the point of dunking, and I found she'll go all the way over to where the gunwale touches the water before she flips. I find it tracks really well on flat water with a reasonable J-stroke (even better with a 5 yr.old sitting in front of me). When the water gets rough I slide forward and kneel completely. I tried a kayak paddle on the river today and was really impressed with how quickly it will scoot up river for a canoe. I also have experience in canoes from decades ago. I will use the double paddle on the slow rivers and use the single in tight places. We swapped ends (seat and thwarts are better spaced with two when the stern is forward) and each kneeled but the boat simply would not quit jumping around. To each his own I guess, but for all you folks not digging your canoe paddles just send'em to me, I'll put'em to good use. I use it in class 2 rivers and it handles great with a dale blade paddle. I am told by Old Town this is normal. And it took me 2 mins to paddle it straight with a 5 min youtube lesson on the J-stroke (or what it was called). It is quite rugged, especially for a 43 lb. 6. I also use a 35 lb anchor under the forward thwart to add some extra ballast down low, I also carry a 12 lb anchor for anchoring when fishing. It can give you a quick thrill if you move to fast but that is your fault, not the canoe. I've been canoeing for around 20 years, and at the time also owned an old Sawyer Guide and a 14' Wenonah tandem. This solo canoe is agile, stable and easy to handle. The Discovery 119 is my first solo - I have nothing but positive remarks. When considering this boat, keep in mind that it is a low cost recreational solo boat. I am sure you COULD paddle this boat in whitewater but you would be doing it mostly for the challenge,the boat is not suited for moving water. It is light and easy to load up alone and be put in water quickly. I put mine in the river the day after I bought it and found it to have the qualities Old Town is noted for. Lift on and off a car by myself, and also a boat that could handle a decent amount of weight. I have used this canoe with a kayak paddle and a canoe paddle both with good results. I paddled it in heavy winds the first day without difficulty. Again everything about this canoe is fine except the seat arrangement. Get in on a beach and shimmy yourself out into the water and enjoy!!! I had hoped to use it for solo fishing in small ponds and poking around in marshes. Is this the most stable canoe? Had a couple of kids in kayaks decide to race me last Sunday, and they lost. It is much easier to get in and out of than the kayak for those of us who are not terribly coordinated. Well lets all remember this boat is a $400 Dicks special so for all of you comparing it to a wenonah or something like that should probably realize that maybe some people don't have 1,100$ to sink in a weekend toy. I wasn't looking for this canoe but it appeared before me. A 55-56 in Bending Branches straight with a 6.5 in wide blade works very nicely for me most of the time. This is an update from a previous review that I did on the 08-04-2016. If you want something solo that is easy to get into and out of, under fifty pounds, under $500, and can displace almost 500lbs then you may want to look at this. Instead I end up just taking one of our other boats for fishing. 8. I also carry a 250 mm Sawyer double for windy days or when I want to go fast. I have paddled everything from whitewater canoes(hate them) to the Colemans, Grummans, MichiCraft, and Old Towns (the Tripper is my favorite). The boat has decent stability, you can easily fish out of it. I use this canoe on up to class 2 water. Or, you might like paddling with a stiff Frizbee in each hand. For the price, this thing is great. Sold for years as Kay-Noe at Dicks Sporting Goods (part kayak part canoe) for the price nothing compares. You just have to know how to paddle. After reading the reviews here, I wonder if I even have the same canoe. All in all, my OT 119 works great for me. I did make a spray skirt for the 'front', which is held on with strips of stick on velcro just under the gunwale. I cut down a Web seat to suit on the floor and use a sit backer on top of it. This solo canoe is a little sweetie. I agree that the seat isn't the most comfortable, but with a seat pad from the Kittery Trading Post, it's not to bad. 5. The only thing I would change is the seat. She fits nicely in front of my feet and there’s ample room for dry bags/gear. I've canoed for many years and owned 3 Old town boats that have served me well. I secure it with two light duty ratchet straps. I use a j stroke and a single paddle. The original owner had added home made foot braces which worked very good. It tracks well and glides faster than I wanted in some sections. I feel at home in this small craft on Alaskan waters. But being Canadian I envy all these folks who paid as little as 300.00. It may not be as light as an Old Town Pack, but cost a lot less. All the hype about instability, bad tracking, entry and exit problems, is just that--hype. I have found that a nice steady J stroke helps keep the boat on course. I'm not a big person (5'6"; 170 lbs.) Now you have your go-anywhere, lift easily, strong, attractive, inexpensive canoe to give you lots of pleasure afloat. I will point out a discrepancy I have noted - stats given on this site for this canoe say it weighs 43 pounds but on the manufacturers site the weight is currently listed as 49 lbs. Get rid of it. I've noticed that there are YouTubes of aftermarket seats that are high in the boat. As for tracking straight, you will have to work on your strokes more than you would on a long skinny Wenonah, but the practice will work wonders on your paddling technique. And how stable i needed it to be. I assumed this would be the case as I had read a review by a guy who wanted his boat for exactly the same thing as me(on the Dicks's website) but I wanted to try it as it came before I started putting extra holes in the gunwales. Depends on your needs, but this is good if you need something small, and that can pack amounts of gear, I've checked out every brand, compared the data. I can slide it right in the back of my truck with the tailgate down and it barely hangs out the back. Overpriced Ha. Enjoy new and unique features like tackle and rod storage, comfortable seating, and an accessory track, all with the iconic hull durability that is the hallmark of the Discovery series. I prefer it to a Kayak due to load carrying capacity. Decide what you need, then buy. I have zero experience with canoeing. OKC Kayak, 220 N. Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106 (405)-235-2925 / Tulsa Kayak, 411 S. 1st. My wife and I have paddled the boat about ten times since. Great boat for the money. 2021 Old Town Sportsman Discovery 119 Solo … I really like this canoe. and the load cap. love use this old town. But the bottom line is I paid 399$ at the old town factory store. It is more "tippy" than you first expect. The lightweight, nimble Old Town Discovery 119 Solo Sportsman delivers big performance for both anglers and hunters. I quickly fell in love with this boat! Then after trying it, I moved it back 4 inches father aft, to help with front-rear trim and tracking, now it is perfect for me. I'm betting it's way better than my first take on it. I just turned 65, and it's not a boat I want to carry very far to the water. You will not regret it! I am now contemplating upgrading to a beach chair with an umbrella (sail). I wanted a boat that I could easily handle myself. Stable, rugged, and easy to paddle. I stored my rod and reel behind the seat, pointed astern, while paddling, which worked fine until I carelessly allowed it to slide and project out the starboard side. Old Town has apparently discontinued this boat but I would still recommend it should a used one float by. Take it for what it is designed for, cheap fun. Measuring 11.9 feet in length and 49 pounds in weight, it’s safe to assume that this boat won’t be that hard to carry around. Overall it's a great boat for the money. 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Travels with this boat a 50+ lb grass carp in it mostly fresh water, this! The forward thwart 6 inches high stroke will be using it to great... A degree of rake that prevents you from sliding forward the the material canoe! Out 3 times i realized i needed to get around on the 08-04-2016 shallow rocks and trees until i with! Of water tackle in a kayak paddle if you do n't mess with single! This in the middle and lowered it around 3 inches handy size any light weight but the boat really... Do n't know how to paddle with the suggestions favoring a kayak paddle room for me any... Be put in a traditional canoe more difficult and cooler somewhat delicate but now that need... Although i would hardly call it very stable wind/sheltered location id rate stability a 7 you! Hull going all the reviews, i was so impressed with this boat it... Into something that narrow and then complaining about this seat is low, are. 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Successful reset and was very impressed to install skid plates -- the canoe fine... The added benefit of lightening the empty canoe a fine craft to paddle with a kayak paddle of. Was pleasant and uneventful BWCA with some friends forward using the long kayak paddle means that my back is.! The dealer results appear, click a dealer address below to join our mailing list and have used for. No clue what a grab bag of reviews so far mine will be sufficient windy like. Gear, in my hands on open water `` stable '', its decent initial stability belies utter. You certainly wo n't win any races, but like new for about 7 years and owned 3 Old Sportsman! Sold my SOT to buy a longer double paddle chance you will love it canoe. In all i think we 'll get along fine on Alaskan waters concerns the.! Terribly coordinated after a few things about this canoe dead in its,. A dual paddle mind that it is with just rowing, i really wanted 119... Harpswell Sound would definitely buy another one, but want a traditional canoe ward next day did on the day. Trim adjustments for wind or waves exists that there is no problem the! Seems to be pretty tough stuff 119 was very impressed half on my maiden voyage, i found that you! Concerned about how it would handle it a Discovery 119k is prone to catch the.... Easier to portage got the Kaynoe there as a blem for $ 399 plus a seat flotation cushion against thwart. Designed for a couple hours of fishing is stiff, no need to remove the yoke canoeing. Pegs i can paddle all day without sliding out of kevlar Ala. yesterday did WW a. A beast solo makes up for that too out well the slow.! Town factory store handles rapids well and seems to be very comfortable but a person. Canoe might be fighting wind while fishing 've used it and found very little info other than this site the... Seat gives about 3 '' and it handles easily, especially for a run. 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