Keewaydin 16 Combi

I’m posting a review of my Swift Keewaydin 16 combi, Carbon Innegra, after 3 years of ownership. I have the Carbon with Champagne Gelcoat, black decals and no skid guards. To say I’m happy with it is an understatement. This boat has become a good friend, an escape pod, and one of my most valued possessions.

My uses include the following:

1. Solo trips into the backcountry. I’ve done several, and the center seat makes this boat so perfect for my solo trips. When the boat is loaded down with my gear, split between fore and aft, I set the centre seat to its low position and use a Bending Branches wood Angler Navigator Plus double blade. I can cover a lot of water very efficiently with this setup, often passing tandem boats. I’m a painter and photographer and the 16′ gives me ample room for my extra gear, easel etc, with no real weight penalty. I generally like to single carry portages when possible and the light weight of this boat makes that possible, even on the Devil’s Staircase. When I’m set up at camp and want to go out for an evening or morning paddle, to take pics, fish or sketch, I set the seat to its higher position and either kneel leaning back on the center seat, or sit using my Badger Tripper Paddle or Werner Carbon. I installed a Scotty Universal mount to the front thwart, so I can attach a rod holder, GoPro mount etc, and it’s far enough in front of me so it doesn’t interfere, yet I can reach it without a big stretch.

2. Tandem Backcountry, and Tandem general leisure paddling: My wife loves this boat, she finds it very stable and has become an avid paddler because of it. Lots of room for our gear, easy to balance for good tracking, and again, a dream on the portages. I chose this boat because of the description Bill Swift often gives it… the Swiss Army Knife of boats. This is a perfect way to describe it. I only have room for one boat in my current location, and this Keewaydin fills all my requirements with no negatives that I can see. I’m certain that a dedicated pack boat would be very nice on my solo trips, maybe one day, but for now, I don’t feel handicapped by this boat.

Thanks, Swift for making such a versatile boat, It always draws comments and questions at the portages, and I have yet to see another boat from any other manufacturer that would fulfil my needs better.

When looking for a new canoe I immediately thought of Swift because they were the only quality canoes I’d ever paddled in my youth (rentals going into Algonquin). I drove out to oxtongue lake to test paddle a couple options before making my decision (and tried a couple rentals elsewhere from competing companies). The majority of the time I planned to be solo canoeing, but wanted something that could fit my wife and toddler too should they decide to want to join me on the water. The keewaydin 16 combi has not disappointed at all. I went with the multi-height seat pods – when it’s high it’s great for switching between sitting and kneeling. When I bring my family I can have the seat lower for my toddler and he feels safe. It’s spacious, stable, and extremely comfortable in all three seats.

Even solo, unloaded, I find that this boat tracks well and is very manageable. Throw a second paddler and/or a few days of gear in with you and the canoe really hits it’s stride.

The removable yoke is an absolute must for me. Not sure if it’s designed for this or not, but I put the yoke on backwards to carry it out of my garage to load into my vehicle, otherwise I put it on normally. It makes loading/unloading by myself at home a breeze. Speaking of loading – the balance is fantastic making it feel even lighter than it already is.

Finally, I can’t forget to mention the appearance/design. Every time I’m out somebody is complimenting the canoe, and for good reason – this thing is beautiful. The colour, the shape, the workmanship… Just fantastic

Also, as a quick sidenote, the Swift staff have been a pleasure to work with from first looking at their boats, to the test paddle, to purchase/pickup.

Couldn’t be happier with my decision.

Had an opportunity to spend 5 days paddling through Algonquin Park. It tracks extremely well both solo and with two paddlers. Very comfortable to paddle with double and single blade paddles, handled wind and waves extremely well, stable and easy to maneuver. Easy/well balanced to portage, lots of room to carry gear. Fit and finish is flawless, beautiful canoe all around. Thank you Swift.

This canoe is no “jack of all trades, master of none.” The Keewaydin 16 combi does everything well. Whether you’re solo or bringing the family, this boat seems to simultaneously track in a straight line while also being maneuverable. And at under 40 lbs, you have no excuse to not hit the lake for one more luxury cruise. This boat has played a central part in our family’s “happy place” and will continue to be for many years to come. What’s more, it is crafted by some of the best people around who take a personal interest in meeting all of your needs. There aren’t many CEOs who will discuss your build in detail over the phone and personally handle all parts of the transaction. What a class act, and it filters down to the entire organization.

Context: After 40+ years of canoeing in everything from Grumman bonkers to Chestnuts, WeNoNahs and a 111-year-old wood & canvas Morris, I was looking for a comfortable, lightweight modern cruiser with a good turn of speed for solo fishing, day paddles and the occasional two-person 3+ day trip. I’m 230lbs and bow paddler ~150lb. The Kee Combi is stable for two, *surprisingly *quick, nicely maneuverable in rivers, tracks very well, handles open water and easy riffles with a basic load and is light enough for this old man when portaging. As a solo boat, there’s ample carrying capacity – I’ve found tracking improves with a light load. The ExpKevlar hull is *tough and light, and the CKT gunnels are bulletproof. You’ll probably fiddle with the detachable yoke a bit until you get used to mounting it securely, though it’s definitely worth it to have the combi seat as an option for soloing. If I were younger I’d probably go with a Kee17 because I’d be taking more and longer trips. But for all-around use the Kee16 continues to reward every outing. A phenomenal boat.