Canoes(Update)
**Have been looking at them periodically since I posted this and decided on one. Price it a little high on them new, so I am going to look around a little bit for a used one before I decide to splurge on a brand new one. If anybody happens to run across a used one for sale or a good price on a new one, please let me know. Thanks.
http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/huntingFishing/predator_ss150.html
Been looking into getting a canoe. Any thoughts or suggestions? Brands? Best buy for the buck? Before anybody asks, no I am not interested in a smaller boat and yes a canoe would be very practible considering the area I live in. I am looking for something around a 15-16 ft. that I can mount a smaller 4 or 5 hp motor onto. Must be able to hold at least 2 people. Will be used mostly for fishing in the narrow and shallow inlets and a little leisure and sightseeing as well. Thanks in advance,
Jon
http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/huntingFishing/predator_ss150.html
Been looking into getting a canoe. Any thoughts or suggestions? Brands? Best buy for the buck? Before anybody asks, no I am not interested in a smaller boat and yes a canoe would be very practible considering the area I live in. I am looking for something around a 15-16 ft. that I can mount a smaller 4 or 5 hp motor onto. Must be able to hold at least 2 people. Will be used mostly for fishing in the narrow and shallow inlets and a little leisure and sightseeing as well. Thanks in advance,
Jon
0
-
Was at one time looking at an Alumacraft, but can't find them on their website. Anybody know if these are still made?
Jon0 -
It's hard to believe Alumacraft is out of business, but I don't know for sure.
If you'll ever portage this thing, go LIGHT! That pretty much precludes an aluminum canoe (60 lb, minimum, vs half that for a Kevlar canoe). On the other hand, if you'll never portage it, go STRONG! That means an aluminum canoe. You may have to buy used.
That's actually more than I know about canoes.
Good luck.
Edit: if you won't ever portage the thing, definitely look into used. A well-cared for aluminum canoe will be as good after sixty years as it was when first it was built.0 -
I'm not saying that Alumacraft is out of business, but by the looks of their website they might not make canoes anymore(I know that they used to though). Not too worried about how heavy it is because I don't plan on portaging it so strength is more of a concern for me. Another note is that it must be able to be mounted on a vehicle. Also, as of right now a used canoe is all I am looking for and as long as its in good shape all I really need. Thanks for the input Spurge.
Jon0 -
Check out what Pelican has to offer. I bought a Bayou model and love it. It's square sterned and so you can mount the motor you spoke of. I think it's superior to alumnim-QUIETER and won't dent.
Pelican makes alot of stuff-paddle boats, gun cases, etc.-kinda like PLANO. A LOT cheaper than alot of other brands and better quality.
Got mine at a local hardware chain but they can tell you where to get one in your area.
www.pelican-intl.com0 -
I bought a Pelican 15' Discovery canoe and I like it. I got it on sale at Dicks for $279. The bottom will flex as you move around but it is stable and is made out of Ram X. I highly reccomend the RamX over aluminum. The aluminum models will be stronger overall, but they have rivets which will eventually leak and they can be dented up easily. Definitely get the square back for mounting a motor. I use mine for paddle only, but for a motor, get the square back. They cost a little more. Coleman makes one called a "Scanoe" and another is called a "Gheenoe". The Pelican models are a good value. Good luck. 0 -
If there is a Boy Scout camp near you, give them a call if you are set on a used aluminum canoe. For me, the biggest problem with aluminum is that it gets HOT out on the lake in the sun all day. I have a 15 foot coleman that is OK for what you are looking for. Sounds very similiar to the Discovery someone mentioned earlier. Son and I fish out of it and have had no problems the 6 years we have owned it. Very easy to load on top of my Cherokee and hit the road. Someone else mentioned a squareback for an engine. Not really necessary. Coleman makes an attachment engime mount for their models that works great for small gas or trolling motors.
Where are you located? Our Coleman is sitting in the back yard not getting any use and might be willing to let it go. Son is wanting a kayak! [:0]0 -
I have a 14 foot
Old Town "Kingfisher".
Pretty light, wide casting
platform and very stable.
Takes a motor very easily.
Put my 4 hp on it and it
goes to fast, so I use an
electric when I absolutely
must.My wife and I love it.
Wonderfully quiet and therapeutic
when just paddling.0 -
Every year on Labor day weekend, We canoe the Rifle river in Sterling MI. Last couple times we have have used the Old Town brand. I will Never go back to an aluminum canoe. The plastic ones are so much better,quieter and don't get hung up on rocks like them aluminum ones did. I seen the Old Town canoe at Sams club the other day for about $350. 0 -
Old Towne will last a life time and it is a lot less noisy in shallow water than aluminum....
Good price too!!!0 -
I've got a 17'flat back aluminum Grumman. I love that thing. It is very stable. The hard part with finding a good used canoe is that most people don't want to get rid of em. I had a 15' fiberlite fiberglass one when I was a kid. Not a bad canoe but fiberglass needs to be stored inside away from UV. That thing took a beating but finally broke down. 0 -
I don't know about mounting a motor to one, but Old Town makes a great canoe. I have a Blue Hole, which is an excellent all around canoe, but they are not making them any more. 0 -
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=348623 This is like the one I saw. But its a Coleman,and shipping is included.. 0 -
I've got an old towne Guide that I bought at Dick's Sporting Goods about 6 years ago. I think I paid somewhere around $400 for it which I think is a good price for an Old Towne. It's wide enough to be stable with the kids and to fish out of but also tracks well and is easy to paddle by myself. I like it better than alumuminum. It weighs 58lbs. and I can portage it without too much trouble. Old Towne makes a square stern canoe for mounting ouboards. 0 -
Great Canadian 0 -
I've been a canoeist since the '60s and I have an Old Towne 17' Kevlar "cargo" canoe that I bought in the mid'80s. I use it mostly on fast, shallow, rocky Ozark streams and it's indestructable. Get the biggest, widest canoe you can, as the little narrow ones are less stable, can't carry as much gear, and can get uncomfortable after a few hours. Don't go aluminum if you can afford not to, they're noisy and I have put holes in them. 0 -
I've been paddling canoes for longer than I care to admit and currently own 4. Grandpa taught me how to paddle with an old Grumman and I wish I had a dollar for every time he ever yelled at me for making noise, especially when hunting from it. You hit it with a paddle or move something in the bottom and it was NOISY. If you plan to use a gas motor a lot, then I would suggest a square stern boat. A regular canoe fitted with a bracket works fine with an electric motor and is easier to paddle. Make sure whatever you buy is something that two people can easily manage to car top. Old Town now makes fairly inexpensive synthetic canoes and they will take a lot of punishment. Check online and you may find a used boat nearby and save a lot of money. Canoes are great fun in quiet waters. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by woodshermit
I've been paddling canoes for longer than I care to admit and currently own 4. Grandpa taught me how to paddle with an old Grumman and I wish I had a dollar for every time he ever yelled at me for making noise, especially when hunting from it. You hit it with a paddle or move something in the bottom and it was NOISY. If you plan to use a gas motor a lot, then I would suggest a square stern boat. A regular canoe fitted with a bracket works fine with an electric motor and is easier to paddle. Make sure whatever you buy is something that two people can easily manage to car top. Old Town now makes fairly inexpensive synthetic canoes and they will take a lot of punishment. Check online and you may find a used boat nearby and save a lot of money. Canoes are great fun in quiet waters.
They can be fun in whitewater as well![:)]0 -
We bought ours from a canoe outfitter. We got 3 for under $100 together! They all floated, no leaks. One was dented(fixed w/ a jack), and another had a broken cross member that didn't really need fixed. If you know a company that does float trips, give them a call.
We got ours at Turkey Run, in Indiana.
Ben0 -
For something stable, long lasting and tough I would go with a Marathon(Grumman) or a used Alumacraft.Marathon makes square stern models for small motors. Every year we take a troop of Boy Scouts into the Adirondacks on a canoe trip. Paddling only. On a lot of waters we are on no motors are allowed. The above mentioned canoes have proved over the years to be the best by far. Thats why Scout camps and other type of camps always use aluminum canoes. Yes they may be a little noisy(this can be somewhat cured by a coat of duraliner type paint on inside of canoe) but in the long run for carrying any kind of cargo,tents,camping gear and portaging equipment they are the most stable and safe. We have had some try the Colemans and other composite canoes. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THEM. They are hard to paddle,heavy handling and do not track well. They are cheap for a reason. Just my .02s after years of paddling with teenagers over long distances carrying all your gear. 0 -
I have done a lot of canoeing in the Quetico Park in Ontario. Let's see, 8 trips, seven days each, 8 hours a day each of paddling, you get the picture. In the Quetico you will paddle for three miles across a big lake, portage your gear for a half mile, and then put into a little river and run that for two miles, portage 1/4 mile into a small lake, etc etc.
The first three or four trips we rented Grumman canoes. Yeah, they got heavy on the portages, but they were rugged. They did great on the open water. Then an outfitter talked us into getting one of these plastic canoes. Well, it was a lot better on the portages, but it was hell on the big lakes. It had no keel! On the big lakes, the wind blowing from the side was just hell, the only way to control the boat was to head straight into the wind, and get just next to the shore, in the lee of the wind. You had to stay within ten feet of the shoreline, where the wind couldn't hit you. Following the shoreline would add miles to your paddling.
So if you are going to be in open water for God's sake get a Grumman with a nice keel.
If you are staying on smaller water, rivers, running rapids etc. get a plastic boat.0 -
I have a mohawk canoe...almost bulletproff very flexable and forgiving.
I also have a Necky off shore Kayak love it...except when nature calls weight is my biggest conderation both 16 feet long0 -
I have a Radisson 12 footer that weighs just 34 pounds. It will easily hold two people, and we have gunned ducks with three men in one. It is pretty wide, has built in flotation, and is the most stable canoe I have ever used.
My two boys and I have easily fished from the boat in Canada, so three is very possible.
Don't hit rocks with it or drag it on a rocky bottom.
http://www.bwmarineproducts.com/pointed_canoes.htm0 -
There is a good reason for outfitters using Grummans. They can survive days of punishment by folks who don't care about the equipment. They are the rental cars of canoeing. If you're going on a few days expedition, they are fine. If you want a boat that will be around for years, get the best you can afford. Canoes can be had with keels or without. If your boating is going to be primarily on lakes, you need a keel. Small rivers or streams and a keel is a handicap. 0 -
Old Towne, no contest. 0 -
My dad has 2 grummans, a 13 and a 17 foot. I grew up in 'em. He swears by aluminum; though modern kevlar might do as well. Old fiberglass was too prone to crack on a rock.
Either way, I'd guess the Grummans will be floating sedately in 1000 years, and I'd hate to make any similar predictions about even a Kevlar.
Michicrafts aren't bad but if you kneel the seat bites into your legs.
So far as the weight of the thing, the one is made of WW2 surplus and is very old- we got it used. (17 foot). It weighs about 70 pounds. The 13 footer comes in aroud 50 pounds. If my 63 year old pop can still lift them up over his head and put them on a car, how bad can it be? (He can).0 -
Thanks for all of the information guys. I have a few picked out that I am going to look at this weekend to get a feel for prices and what I will need to save up.
Jon0 -
doubt this helps but I like to float down the river with a plastic beer cooler, nver thought to attach an electric trolling motor to it, but after thinking about it, the battery would take up too much beer space. 0 -
Just bought a Mad River and am very pleased with it. 0 -
I suggest you make your own.
http://www.svensons.com/boat/
Here's some good information regarding plywood.Adding up to ,just build one with whatever plywood u can get.
http://www.gatorboats.com/0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
30 comments