Solo Day Tripper

Steve Killing drew this 17 ft solo canoe, sold by Bear Mountain as the Solo Tripper 17, for days out on the river or evenings on the lake alone. The hull is asymmetric, finer forward than aft, and carries over 2 1/2 in of tumblehome on each side, pulling the gunwales in to 25 in against a 30.7 in maximum beam so the paddler can reach the water comfortably. She can be paddled sit and switch from a low seat or from a conventional seat with the boat heeled.

Killing has said the tumblehome went in for paddling ease but changed her look dramatically, emphasising slim lines and a tightly curved section near the waterline. Published figures give a 3 in draft at 244 pounds displacement and a finished weight of 45 to 55 pounds. She is a cedar strip boat, built over moulds on a strongback in the Bear Mountain fashion, and one of the designs Killing marks as an original rather than a redrawn traditional hull.