Talk to me about Canoes.

[clickclickboom]

I'd like to pick up a canoe, to get some exercise this summer, and give us more to do when we go camping.

what do I need to look out for in a used canoe ?

I've canoed before, including a couple of trips to the BWCAW in minnesota, but just used canoes from the outfitter.

Fiberglass, or aluminum ? which is better? why?

price range is cheap, a few hundred dollars.

 

[townmarshal]

I've been going to the Boundary Waters since the mid seventies and there's nowhere, for me anyway, that quite comes up to that experience. We've used both aluminum and fiberglass through the years. For up there where you're going to portage frequently a fiberglass is my preferred for the savings in weight. We have a Grumman we purchased from an Ely outfitter we use here. If you like send me a PM and we can do a phone comm.

Regards

Bill

 

[clickclickboom]

sorry, should have specified. This is just for camping around indiana.

I have no intentions of dragging it up to minnesota. I would like to make it up there again, but if / when I'll get outfitted again.

I would definitely go composite again if I went up there. I vividly remember a near mile portage that was called "billygoat" portage. Boy was that fun with an aluminum canoe.

 

[haldir]

I have had an Old Towne for close to 20 years and it has been a great canoe. It is some sort of composite material on the hull. Seems to hold up well to rough treatment. I use it for creek and river fishing. Aluminum is pretty noisy so it was out for me as I used to also jump shoot ducks from it.

 

[Richard]

I've had a Mohawk fiberglass 18' tandem touring canoe for years, I used to use aluminum canoes when I was into canoing through white water because they can take some serious abuse, but aluminum canoes are noisy as hell, every little movement is amplified to the point that it sounds like your banging on a big assed drum.

Anyway since I mostly just use mine for fishing and for leasurely paddling with my daughter around the local lazy river & lakes, the fiberglass works awhole lot better for my current needs, however I would not risk taking a fiberglass canoe through any sort of rapids.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

If you are going to use this for weekend trips around Indiana, I would recommend a shorter canoe. I have one that is 12', I was told its a "trapper's canoe". It wouldn't be great for long river trips, or for an overnight because there isn't enough room for gear. The GF and I did a two-day trip and fit all the gear, but more than that would be tough.

Anyway, my point is that a shorter canoe is lighter and easier to manage. Again, not ideal for long river trips, but if you are just paddling a couple hours on a lake near your campsite, I think they are a great option. Much easier to haul too, as mine can fit in the bed of a pick-up.

 

[clickclickboom]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Guess i'll just look for whatever's cheap.

How do the fiberglass canoes handle being stored outside ?

 

[Viper393]

I saw in the Sunday paper that Dick's has the Pelican Colorado canoes on sale for $299. It say's they're made out of Ram-X and it's 15 1/2ft. I don't know much about the Pelican brand.

I have an Old Towne Guide that I use on the creeks and rivers and it has held up real well. I've had my wife and two 10 year olds in it and had plenty of room for coolers, dry bags, tackle boxes, ect.

I don't know where you live but Cave Country Canoes in Milltown, IN usually has used canoes for sale. I bought a kayak from them about 12 years ago.

 

[Viper393]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Guess i'll just look for whatever's cheap.

How do the fiberglass canoes handle being stored outside ?

They will get a little faded but I've heard that Armor-All will help. I keep mine in the garage and other than the scrapes and scratches it looks like brand new (It's about 10 years old). Put a tarp over it to keep the sun off and you'd be fine.

 

[bwframe]

I'm pretty happy with my MadRiver Adventure16. I bought it at Dicks a few years ago. It's a bit of a hybrid canoe, with a kayak like splash guard and fold down seat backs. The seat backs sold me in that most canoes without back support caused me to have back issues within a few hours.

BTW - Watch for sales. Dicks price matched MCsports, saving me $100 on the color canoe I wanted that MC didn't have. Also, watch for scratches, they are cool when they are your doing but no reason to pay for them up front from sloppy supplier handling. I went through 3 before I got the least scratched up (from the racks they hang them in.)

 

[Ashkelon]

You can spend big money or go economical. Check out craig's list. There are almost always a couple local to be had for under 400 bucks. New is a tough decision unless you are ok with buying an off the rack economically priced one that weighs a ton.
Weight is a big issue. If you can haul it yourself and don't mind putting up with extra weight you can buy one pretty cheap. More money almost always = less weight.
Plus think about what you will use it for. Rivers or lakes or ponds or streams..all would likely have you pick a different one. Check out the square stern models too if thinking about doing some serious fishing. You can place a small outboard on them and really move along

 

[Richard]

Good points Ashkelon, however it should also be noted that weight is not always a negative, especially on breezy/windy days (heavier canoes do not get blown around as easily as lighter one can), this is more of an issue on lakes & large ponds where you may be out on the open without any foliage or anything to break the wind & much less of an issue on rivers and streams.

 

[clickclickboom]

it's most likely going to be a craigslist buy. Not looking to spend much money at all really. Basically wanted to know if there were any big things to avoid. Seems like I can't really go wrong as long as it's in decent shape.

thanks for the opinions.

 

[clt46910]

You have to look at how stable it will be. The larger and wider the canoe the more stable. I use to have a small 14 ft Royalite that handed like a dream in a river. It would also flip over in a second if you was too high center of balance. Most times could not use the seats, had to kneel to keep the balance low enough. Was great for river running with one or two experienced paddlers but not very good for a river.

For what you want for family and low experience look for a lake canoe that will be more stable. I would go with something at least 15 ft and would look closer to 17 ft.

Also you might want to look for a kayak/canoe cart to help move it around easier.

Remember, longer paddles are better then to short ones.

Life vest, very necessary to me, should have large arm opening so not to chap when paddling.

 

[Want2ShootMore]

This may not seem like a big deal at first, but if you plan on spending any time in the canoe, like a few hours even, look for cane seats. The molded seats may look more comfortable, but unless your butt is the exact shape of that seat you will end up not being happy after awhile. Also, with the cane seats, you will not be sitting in a constant puddle of water that will only lead to chafing.

my .02

 

[Ashkelon]

all great points. Best of luck. I have been scouring craig's list for small outboard and the used pickings on boat related items are slim right now. With the coming of spring and the economy it seems people are holding onto their older equipment or refurbishing it. Also check the newspaper yard sales. lots of people buy canoes and rue the day because of the space they take up.

 

[Ricnzak]

There was one for sale on here awhile back. I think they said it was a river canoe. I didn't know the difference in a river or lake model. I about sent a PM on it then realized it would be one more thing in the garages I don't have time to use. Good luck!

 

[Jack Ryan]

I saw in the Sunday paper that Dick's has the Pelican Colorado canoes on sale for $299. It say's they're made out of Ram-X and it's 15 1/2ft. I don't know much about the Pelican brand.

I have an Old Towne Guide that I use on the creeks and rivers and it has held up real well. I've had my wife and two 10 year olds in it and had plenty of room for coolers, dry bags, tackle boxes, ect.

I don't know where you live but Cave Country Canoes in Milltown, IN usually has used canoes for sale. I bought a kayak from them about 12 years ago.

I've had a Coleman ram-x that's been outside in the weather for 20 years or more. You can't tell it from one a year old.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I'm pretty happy with my MadRiver Adventure16. I bought it at Dicks a few years ago. It's a bit of a hybrid canoe, with a kayak like splash guard and fold down seat backs. The seat backs sold me in that most canoes without back support caused me to have back issues within a few hours.

BTW - Watch for sales. Dicks price matched MCsports, saving me $100 on the color canoe I wanted that MC didn't have. Also, watch for scratches, they are cool when they are your doing but no reason to pay for them up front from sloppy supplier handling. I went through 3 before I got the least scratched up (from the racks they hang them in.)

Man if it don't have a scratch, you ain't been canoeing.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Good points Ashkelon, however it should also be noted that weight is not always a negative, especially on breezy/windy days (heavier canoes do not get blown around as easily as lighter one can), this is more of an issue on lakes & large ponds where you may be out on the open without any foliage or anything to break the wind & much less of an issue on rivers and streams.

It's easier to start light and thow more beer and ice in the cooler for ballast than it is to take weight out of a boat that's already heavy.