I purchased a used (for one year) Eclipse from an outfitter. The exterior coating was worn through at the bow and stern (no skid plates installed), and there were also a lot of scratches in the skin, but I saved about $400. I added a solo seat and removable yoke from Bell Canoe Portaging the canoe is not a problem for me.The Eclipse was purchased to be used in tandem with Minnesota II on trips, and so is typically lightly loaded. I have soloed the canoe on a four day trip, and loaned it to two Boy Scouts, also on a four day trip. The canoe soloes very nicely using either a C-stroke or a hit-and-switch. The hit-and-switch method is significantly faster, seems to be less tiring. On the trip I soloed, I carried two gear bags and one 70 lb. dog, and was able to keep up with the tandem canoes in the party. When the scouts were using the Eclipse most of the troop was using 16 foot Penobscots. The Eclipse seemed to be quite a bit faster and less affected by the wind, but likely could not have carried as heavey a load as the Penobscots.
Overall I am very happy with my Eclipse as it does everything that I bought it for. I wish it were a bit more efficient, but the durability of the Roylex offsets the slight efficiency penalty.