Canoe recommendations

[fscwi]

Mainly will be used for some fishing by 2 people, will not be carrying a lot of gear or going on long trips. There are a lot of options in terms of length and materials, have never owned one so looking for some tips on what to get.

 

[HarCo2ANewb]

For me, I'd buy a two person kayak, I don't trust canoes and I find kayak's easier to propel and steer

 

[K31]

Where are you intending on taking it?

 

[eruby]

Where are you intending on taking it?

Aintry?

 

[Franklin]

Mainly will be used for some fishing by 2 people, will not be carrying a lot of gear or going on long trips. There are a lot of options in terms of length and materials, have never owned one so looking for some tips on what to get.

dicks has some nice feild and stream canoes on sale last i was in there a week or two ago. they have the flat transom so you can mount a motor if you like.

 

[fscwi]

Where are you intending on taking it?

Lakes and upper Potomac, no whitewater type areas but there will be some current.

 

[Huckleberry]

Coleman Ram-X 15 or 17

Good Reviews

Cheap, Reliable, Good all around boat for lakes and streams. Light whitewater too.
Great starter boat

 

[w2kbr]

I've had 3 Canoes in my lifetime. Old wooden one, very heavy, not easy to carry.

Then a fiberglass, much nicer, a bit lighter. Then the last was Aluminum (alloy?).
Lightest of all, easy to carry. IMHO, best deal.

All canoes get hot in the Sun, especially metal. Bring seat pads. Even only 2 adults,
need room when Fishing, so if you think 10' is OK...go to 12'....and on up the line. I would get biggest I can handle to transport, buy that's a personal thing.

Most important, and probably required in MD....PFDs one for each person. (Personal Floatation Device)........

Finally chose the flattest bottom, and widest beam you can afford. Canoes are OK if treated right, but they are inherently unstable......CAUTION is the by-word on Canoes.

They are fun to have and use.

Good Luck.

 

[Gummy]

The Wenonah Spirit 2 is a great all purpose canoe if you want to spend the money. The price has near about doubled since I bought mine years ago.

 

[llkoolkeg]

I like my Coleman Scanoe which has a flat back for motor attachment...but a word of caution- make sure you ballast the front with as much gear weight as you can. This helps it track better under power and minimizes the opportunity for a quick submersion when the front passenger(s) step out onto the dock afterwards. The giant sucking sound of water flowing over the rails INTO your now-diving canoe is something you can certainly get through life without and don't ask me how I know.

 

[coopermania]

I have my uncles Grumman Canoe that he bought used in the early seventys. It is 16 or 17 ft long. It is one tough ass canoe. My son now uses it and other than some patches that I tigged on it, This old boat is still going strong.

 

[K31]

I like aluminum but they are hard to find and somewhat more expensive than plastic ones. They are pretty tough tough.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Aintry?

Why you wanna go and f--k around with that river for?

 

[shaddydan]

I can row a boat. Canoe?

 

[Trekker]

I've had 3 Canoes in my lifetime. Old wooden one, very heavy, not easy to carry.

Then a fiberglass, much nicer, a bit lighter. Then the last was Aluminum (alloy?).
Lightest of all, easy to carry. IMHO, best deal.

All canoes get hot in the Sun, especially metal. Bring seat pads. Even only 2 adults,
need room when Fishing, so if you think 10' is OK...go to 12'....and on up the line. I would get biggest I can handle to transport, buy that's a personal thing.

Most important, and probably required in MD....PFDs one for each person. (Personal Floatation Device)........

Finally chose the flattest bottom, and widest beam you can afford. Canoes are OK if treated right, but they are inherently unstable......CAUTION is the by-word on Canoes.

They are fun to have and use.

Good Luck.

Note on Materials: The old wooden canoes are indeed heavy. Fiberglass canoes are lighter, but still have weight from the fiberglass part. Aluminum canoes are lighter still, but do heat up in direct sunlight. A more recent change in canoe materials is a modification of the fiberglass design, where the 'glass' portion has been replaced by some sort of high strength plastic. Same feel as the older fiberglass canoes, but as light or lighter than aluminum canoes. The weight difference is important if you are carrying the canoe to and from water, or turning over the canoe to empty water out. Also, the new fiber/plastic canoes will not have surfaces as hot as aluminum in direct sunlight.

Note on Stability: The closer your center of gravity is to the bottom and center of the boat, the more stable you will be. People who tip over canoes are often-
(1) stepping into the canoe with their foot not in the centerline of the boat
(2) standing up and futzing around
(3) believing they can reach out and grab XYZ rather than bringing the canoe closer
The most stable position is to be kneeling in the canoe. When going through rapids or steadying the boat for my partner, I'll be kneeling. Sitting on the seat is a bit less stable, but more comfortable for my knees. If the canoe is basically stable, I'll be sitting on the seat. Standing up and moving around is an invitation to go swimming.

 

[n1hook]

The purpose of a canoe is to enable one to tai a lot of gear hunting pack a deer out,camping take tent food etc.

For fishing or travel on waterways excepting whitewater a sit on top kayak would give good performance--feel free MOKEN sit on tops are excellent though heavy and not ideal for cart topping best used with a trailer..

 

[tomandjerry00]

I've had all kinds of canoes. I'll share my experiences.

My favorite length for three people or less is 12'. Easy to move on dry land, very maneuverable in the water, lighter weight, and enough space for 3 people and gear for days. Also enables you to get into fishing spots larger boats may not be able to.

With regards to construction. I recommend skipping wood or fiberglass. Wood is heavy and needs lots of care. Fiberglass doesn't like the sun and will get brittle overtime and crack. From my experience, it prefers to crack and leak at the worst time possible.

I'd recommend aluminum or plastic. My preference is plastic. While a little heavier, they are tougher and all the molded bits (like seats) are comfier. Every few years, just lightly touch up the bottom with a propane torch to smooth out large scratches and will look like new.

My personal canoe is a 14' Old Town Guide. Extremely well built, holds its value and very versatile. My canoe also has small cut outs (chines) right above the water line on either side for extra stability which is very nice. This guy:

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Town-Recreational-14-Feet-7-Inch/dp/B006J17O7G

One thing you may want to think about is a flat-back canoe. Makes mounting a small motor very easy depending on where you want to go.

You (or anyone on the forum) is welcome to borrow my canoe (with a deposit) anytime they would like. I live in Bethesda, MD and am a short drive to Potomac or C&O canal.

 

[dontpanic]

Look into a Gheenoe. A little wider than a normal canoe and w/ a flat stern for a motor. Best thing is you can easily stand in it.

The 13 footer is about $1100. Prices go up from there. The only negative, the closest dealer is Reedville VA.

 

[BlackBart]

They ain't cheap and probably not for the beginner BUT they're 100% hand made by a true craftsman and they're beautiful.

http://www.lucascraft.com/

 

[135sohc]

Grumman aluminum here.