Video · Kayak Reviews
Esquif Canoes at ICAST 2021: Lightweight Canoes You Can Motor or Row
I walk through Esquif's lightweight, rugged canoes at ICAST 2021, including models you can paddle, row or run with a small outboard.
What’s in this video
At ICAST 2021, Esquif caught my attention, and David Hadden, their US director of sales, walked me through the lineup. The Rangeley 15 weighs 115 pounds, is 15 feet long and about 50 inches wide, and takes three people. You can paddle it, row it or motor it. It had a 3 horse on it and takes up to a 6 horse. It has skid plates on the bow and stern, web seats, foam flotation and rowing stations. Two guys put it on a car roof without breaking a sweat, so you don’t need a trailer to reach those spots. It was $3,199 at the time.
All their boats use T-Formex, a sandwich of ABS with a foam core about 3/4 to 7/8 inch thick. It’s stiff and handles heat better than polyethylene, so it won’t warp on your roof.
The Mallard XL is 12 foot 4 by 39 inches, about 49 to 50 pounds, with an 800 to 900 pound capacity, a triple keel and room for a 2.5 horse. It was $1,999 at the time. The square stern Cargo is 17 feet long, 40 inches wide, 95 pounds and carries over 1,000 pounds, stable enough to stand and sight fish, at $2,199 at the time. My pick is the solo Adirondack: 12 feet, about 40 pounds, a contoured cane seat, nothing inside to catch fly line and Yellow Dog rod holders, at $1,299 suggested retail at the time.
Key moments
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:28 Welcome
- 0:48 skiff canoe
- 1:18 motor canoe
- 1:32 other features
- 2:15 material
- 3:45 seats
- 4:05 motor
- 4:40 row
- 5:06 weight capacity
- 5:42 keels
- 6:36 skiff cargo
- 8:07 skiff adirondack
Quick takeaways
- The Rangeley 15 is 115 pounds and takes up to a 6 hp outboard, and two people can car top it.
- Esquif's T-Formex hull resists heat better than polyethylene, so it won't warp on a car roof.
- The Mallard XL weighs about 50 pounds but carries 800 to 900 pounds, which is good for remote fishing trips.
- The 40 pound Adirondack has a clean interior, so fly line doesn't snag.
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