Nova Craft Pal 16' AramidLite

Some canoes earn their reputation through sheer versatility, and the Pal 16' is a textbook example. Originally a Chestnut Canoe Company design so well-loved it was renamed to reflect how paddlers felt about it, Nova Craft's faithful reproduction gives today's paddlers access to one of the most capable general-purpose traditional canoes ever built in this country.

The Pal handles flatwater day trips, fishing outings, and sightseeing paddles with equal ease, and its slight rocker with raised ends gives it composure in rough water and windy conditions that surprises paddlers who haven't spent time in one. It paddles well tandem or solo, and the shallow arch bottom provides a stable, efficient platform across a wide range of conditions. In Aramid Lite, it comes in at 42 lbs, which makes car-topping and portaging genuinely easy for a canoe with an 800 lb capacity.

Nova Craft uses Twaron aramid cloth infused with high-impact vinylester resin for a layup that delivers outstanding strength-to-weight performance on flatwater routes and multi-portage trips alike.

• Length: 16 ft / 488 cm
• Width: 34 in / 86.4 cm
• Centre depth: 13 in / 33 cm
• End depth: 20 in / 50.8 cm
• Rocker: Minimal, with raised ends
• Capacity: 800 lb / 363 kg
• Weight (Aramid Lite): 42 lb / 19.05 kg
• Hull: Symmetrical, shallow arch, slight rocker
• Best use: Flatwater tripping, fishing, day paddling, tandem or solo
• Made in Canada: London, Ontario