I want a canoe/I am going to buy a canoe…
- This topic has 30 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Aug 8, 2006 at 8:29 pm by
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I really want to get a canoe and know nothing about what to look for. I need something that will carry four people, which includes two yungins. Stabilty is a big factor. It will be used for camping/day trips on ponds, small lakes and slow moving rivers. I need advice…
Steve
Well there’s a nice Old Towne Discovery 169 in the Garage Sale that would probably meet your needs perfectly, but I don’t know how you’d get it up there.
I don’t know much about canoes but from kayak shopping I can tell you that there are great deals on used boats online, places like boattrader.com and stuff, just do a google search for “used canoes” I bet you find lots of classified listings.
Carter, I agree with you and we will most likely go used.
Mike, I looked at the riverhawk site. How easy is it to paddle one of those? They look like they would be very stable. Do you have one?
Zach, I kinda like your idea about two smaller ones. It really would be more convenient and whatever we get I would want to be able to use by myself. Heck, if we get one and really use it like I think we will, I can always just grab another one later on. How stable is your canoe? Can you stand in it? I am mainly thinking about my little guy moving around and tipping the boat.
I can’t do anything right now anyways and will do some research and figure it out. Transportation will be a consideration. We got rid of our explorer and now have an Escape (I was talked into it by reason of gas mileage and in reality there isn’t much difference. I should have gotten another Explorer) I will be asking more questions of all.
Thanks!
sounds like it might be a good idea to go on a few educational voyages in nice warm water so eveyone can learn what you can and can’t do.
sounds like it might be a good idea to go on a few educational voyages in nice warm water so eveyone can learn what you can and can’t do.
That’s excellent advice. Thanks Zach for helping promote my sale ;). No shameless commerce here, but I picked the discovery because it had more of a flat bottom than the rest. It makes for a better family canoe and casting platform. If I were looking for a family canoe today I would also look into a good used grumman 17 foot alum canoe with the shoe keel. They are extremely stable and rugged. A very forgiving canoe. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time on still water, casting, you might want to look into some leeboards. Cheap anti tipping insurance.
I am 40 miles SW of Buffalo. I just map quested it and it would be a 1000+mile round trip…Just a little too far.
Finally. A topic I actually know a little about.
As far as places to look for canoes, check to see if http://www.craigslist.com has a classified page for your town. In my area, Craigslist often has some great deals on canoes and kayaks, so hopefully it will be the same for you.
As far as what to look for: You will want a long canoe (16′ minimum) with a flat center bottom, ideally a shallow arched bottom toward the ends (though this is hard to find), a keel, and the widest midsection possible. You will sacrifice ease of paddling – the more stable the canoe, the harder it is to paddle and the slower it goes. But I would rather go slow and be dry. If you are fishing, you will mostly be floating along slowly with the current, paddling only occasionally for course adjustment. Note that if you fly fish, you will either learn to cast sitting down, or you will use the canoe to move from Point A to Point B and you will wade. I would never recommend standing and trying to flycast in any canoe. That is not their intended purpose.
Watch out for people who make excuses for tippy canoes:
“It’s a little tender feeling when you first get in, but after a while you just forget about it.”
“The initial stabilty is a little shaky feeling, but the secondary stability is excellent!”
“It feels pretty stable after we load it with gear.”This is usually hogwash. I want a canoe that feels rock solid. Somebody on the forum recommended a 17′ Grumman, but with all due respect, I just sold one exactly like that because it was way too tippy for my liking. Ask MikeA and Okieff on this board – they rode in this canoe, and it would scare you to death. For the record, the most stable canoe I have ever owned is a 16.5′ Alumacraft.
Rounded bottom canoes have less initial stability than flat bottoms and will rock way more than you want them to. Secondary stability is good with a round bottom – a flat bottom will go over easier if you push it past its “tipping point.” But a flat bottom will be more enjoyable to paddle as long as you don’t do anything crazy. A wide, flat bottom will be hard to tip. Plus, the tippy feeling of a rounded bottom can panic a newbie and cause them to make abrupt moves that will tip you in a heartbeat, notwithstanding secondary stability issues.
Like I said, the ideal is a combination: flat bottom in the center for initial stability, but rounded toward the ends to provide tipping resistance. I believe this is the principle the Riverhawks are based on – Souris canoes use this principle too. The keel will make the canoe track straighter, but increases draft slightly and lowers fast maneuverability. For these reasons, a keeled canoe is a no-no for whitewater.
One other consideration is “rocker.” Rocker describes the degree to which the canoe protrudes downward in the middle and protrudes upward at the bow and stern. More “rocker” curvature means more maneuverability, but at the expense of straight tracking and stability. Since you don’t intend to be doing swift turns or whitewater tricks, avoid rocker and get a canoe that is flat from front to back.
If you get an Old Towne, try before you buy. They are great canoes because the synthetic material is virtually indestructible, and they are very light for easy portage. However, at least some models are tippy. I have heard other people praise their stability, but I have a 14′ Old Towne Guide and it is a bit squirrely. It is not as bad as the Grumman by a long shot, but it is tippy enough that I don’t like using it on fast water with newbies. Maybe the bigger models are more stable, but I’d be suspicious until I tried them. I kind of favor aluminum for ruggedness, economics, and stability. Obviously, synthetics are much better if you will have to portage your canoe for any distance at all, but if you can float from an easy put-in to an easy take-out, I think aluminum will serve you better in the long run.
Riverhawks are extremely nice, but they are also very expensive. They also are not really for paddling – you really need a motor on one. Also, since they’re made of fiberglass, they aren’t as rugged as an aluminum or synthetic canoe, so you have to be careful. I think Riverhawks are great, but honestly, I don’t think they are the best choice for a beginner or for family trips.
One other thought – think about getting a cheap jon boat trailer for transporting your canoe.
bd gave you some great advise. Flat bottom is the way to go. As for old town, I have been canoeing for 20 years and have my flatwater 1 & 2 ticket and Old Towns scare me. Best all around canoe I have seen is a Penwood. The problem is the company that built them went out of business in the early 70’s, but with some hard looking they are still available. I bought mine from a freind who got it from his uncle. I have patched many times and done a re & re the gunwall strips three times. The thing is stable durable and just to good to retire.
bd, awesome information. I have saved your post to a text file for reference. I feel like I have a place to start from now. Thanks
Like I said earlier I’ve got no real note-worthy canoe expereince but do keep in mind that outrigger systems can be made or bought fairly cheaply to help stabalize a canoe for times you would really like to stand/fish from it hard-core.
Yes I have a Riverhawk Steve. I have also had a few canoes, an inflatable dingy with outboard, a Gheenoe, Jon boat, and almost every other fresh water boat you can think of. If you plan on fishing while in the boat then a Riverhawk or Gheenoe is going to be your best deal period. They paddle almost as good as a Canoe and you can literally stand on the gunnels without flipping them over. They will go anywhere a canoe will go and don’t weigh much more then a decent stable canoe would. There really is no comparison between any canoe and the Gheenoe or Riverhawk as far as stability goes. I am prepared to back that statement up any time.
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