Swift Canoes Keewaydin 17

A Lightweight Large Touring Canoe for Families

The Swift Canoes Keewaydin 17 is a touring canoe designed to efficiently cover distance over calm waters. This three seater canoe is perfect for family trips, days out or camping expeditions, with a large carrying capacity this extremely lightweight boat, under 20kg, is capable of being used by up to three paddlers. An easy to accelerate craft which will maintain a good glide and creates an extremely efficient boat to travel across great distances, perfect for tranquil waters, the Keewaydin 17 is perfect for lakes, canals, lochs or use on the broads.

Featuring a stunning asymmetric hull shape, the Keewaydin has a long sleek bow with moderate rocker resulting in outstanding handling and a manoeuvrable front, while the lower, fuller stern is more vertical for improved straight line tracking and enabling it to follow the path of the bow. Rounded chines allow the Keewaydin 17 to handle wind and waves with ease, these curves (similarly to the Cruiser series) encourage side waves to roll under the canoe with minimal effect, the gently upswept bow cuts through the water effectively and helps to reflect chop away from the Keewaydin for decreased chance of swamping.   

Outfitted with the highest quality wooden finish the Keewaydin 17 boasts cherrywood throughout the length of the canoe. Completed with carry handles at either end this 18.1kg canoe is amazingly easy to transport between two, however with a sculpted carry yoke it can equally be moved around solo with minimal imposition. Three seats across the length of the Keewaydin 17 are all designed with comfort in mind, the cherry wood webbed seats are curved at the rear for a wider seat centre offering more support when sitting, the front edge curls down to minimise the impact on the rear of the paddlers thigh and facilitate a more comfortable perched and kneeling position.

Swift’s Kevlar Fusion material is the most popular laminate construction, due to its fantastic strength to weight ratio. Constructed of a urethane resin system maximum durability and longevity along with a thin layer of clear exterior gel coat. The hull is made up of an exterior layer of polyester as well as S-Glass and kevlar cloth layers sandwiching a durable foam cored ribbing system. The laminate fused together with a high impact and flexible urethane acrylate resin system injected during high pressure infusion process produces an optimal dispersion and laminate consistency. Due to this unique construction the Kevlar Fusion is a popular laminate as it offers great abrasion and impact resistance.

When making a lightweight 17ft canoe using this exceptional Kevlar Fusion material, it is critical to ensure that weight saving is maintained throughout the process. So pairing this laminate with the super lightweight Carbon Kevlar trim is the best solution. Using their unique process, Swift is able to infuse the canoe hull and gunwales together as one part making a bond between the hull and trim. This stunning looking trim is maintenance free meaning and results in a super lightweight feel to these canoes and makes it a pleasure to use and portage.

For those looking for a shorter tandem, more manoeuvrable, touring canoe then check out the Swift Canoes Keewaydin 16. Based on the same sleek lines this 16ft canoe is easier to solo, while the Combi option still offers three seats.