Canoe

[albertan17]

Hey my wife and I are looking at getting a canoe for fishing and exploring. Any suggestions for what we should look at or where we should go for a reasonable starter canoe?

Thanks! (if anyone has one for sale in Calgary or south you can private message me) :)

[thehook]

i picked up a used 16ft coleman scanoe with the flat back transom on it and trolling motor of kijiji, came with after market seats awesome little canoe for fishing and exploring

[Cal]

I know I've said it countless times before but for a do it all canoe the Mad River Explorer can not be beat. There are other good designs out there but IMO none quite as versitile as these. Solo, tandum, flat water, white water, an evening of fishing, a two week wilderness trip. Tougher than you are and it can haul a quartered moose, two guys, and 10 days provisions (I've personaly done this on several occasions). They cost around $1500 in Royalex but for an outdoorsman it is going to be about the best investment you ever make so you may as well do it right.

[coppercarbide]

Mad River Explorer is a great choice, but certainly there could be better ones depending on what you wanted to do.

Think of canoes like any other type of boat. If someone asked what type of fishing boat they should get, you could suggest anything between a 12' alumitub to a 30' oceangoing salmon boat.

What do you want to do with it? There's lots of different people that have canoes for different reasons.

1) Fish in non-motorized lakes. You'll want a flat-back boat for mounting a trolling motor.
2) Take a weeklong trip through the wilderness down a river. You'll want something light (much lighter than the explorer mentioned above). Preferably with a river keel.
3) Paddle down the river valley on day trips with 1-2 people. A 15' Canadian Tire coleman or similar will be great here.
4) Have a canoe out at a lake cabin and use it once in a while. This is the only situation where an aluminum canoe makes sense.
5) Mostly trips on a lake where there will be wind, few river trips. Different type of canoe with less rocker, hard to maneuver these in a quick river tho.
6) Take a couple river trips with a couple portages, canoe around a lake, etc. This is where the explorer above (or a few other 'do all' models) would be great.

[ÜberFly]

Are you going to be primarily paddling lakes or rivers (or a bit of both), and any overnight trips?

New or used.

Lots of basic (coleman, mad river, evergreen and no name/generic) canoes come up on Kijiji, etc. anywhere from $300 and up to about $500 depending on conditions.

Higher end popular brands are Clipper, Hellman, Nova Craft. Start used at about $750 (5 or 6 years old) and new $1500 +.

Various models to consider, but 3 basic models are the Prospector (more river then lake 60/40), Outfitter (general all around), and tripper for extended trips (more lake then river (70/30 or even 80/20), and materials (I'll give weight comparison for equi length) - fiberglass (balance between durability and weight - fairly easy to repair (70 lbs), royalex (plastic) very durable but heavy (75 - 80lbs), Kevlar (most exp., but lightest, same durability as fiberglass) 50 lbs.

If it's just the 2 of you with little gear you can get away with a 15' - 16' Outfitter model or any extended "tripping" you may consider a 17' model (Tripper model).

Canoes with a keels are designed for lakes (tracks strighter), those with "rocker" designed for moving water (easier to manouver).

The work horse of canoes are the Grumman Aluminum (a 17' Grumman goes for about $800 used - but will pretty much last a life time) 75 lbs.

Lots to consider, best go to a dedicated shop and start your research and get educated and then you have more info to considered a used canoe if that's what you desire...

Also consider lessons as there is a lot more to know then what you would think, especially with regards to water safety, etc.!!

Just my 2 cents!

Peter

[bang_on_sk]

If you're going to be paddling it, stay away from a sportspal, those foam bumpers make it a bit of a pain.

[Okotokian]

Bought a nice canoe two years ago. I've used it...mmmm... three times. I suggest you rent one from the U of C Outdoor Center for a few times, and when you want to use it so much that renting is becomeing a hassle, THEN buy one.

[coppercarbide]

Bought a nice canoe two years ago. I've used it...mmmm... three times. I suggest you rent one from the U of C Outdoor Center for a few times, and when you want to use it so much that renting is becomeing a hassle, THEN buy one.

Definitely this.

Not sure what city you're in, but Totem rents great canoes for $85 for a long weekend, and MEC (if they have one available) rents for $50 for a long weekend.

Totem will rent you a trailer to haul if you rent more than 2 from them as well.

If you're going on 1-2 trips per year, renting is WAAAAYY cheaper and easier than buying. They store them (inside), so you don't have to worry about cold weather cracks, and they fix and maintain them.