Canoe options?

[roosterdown]

Lots of good advice. I own...more canoes than my wife knows about. Many.

If you're not portaging, then eliminate kevlar.

The Discos (Old Town) being recommended are a good choice, especially if you can find one in Royalex. Royalex has not been used/produced in about 8 or 9 years, but it is still regarded as one of the best all-around canoe materials ever. There are other manufacturers to consider as well...Mad river, Wenonah, etc

The best pure hunting canoe I ever had was a Meyers Sportspal (Sportpal has been mentioned already). Know that there are two companies that make very very similar canoes called Sportspal: Meyers and Radisson. Meyers uses heavier-gauge aluminum...Radisson uses a thinner aluminum. One is a bit more durable, the other easier to get on top of the car. Both are unsinkable, you can haul dekes or deer or elk and you can shoot out of them. They are slow paddlers however. I may buy a Radisson some day when my wife's not looking.

Whatever type you decide on, buy a used one from FB Marketplace or Craigslist...they'll start to show up in good numbers in the spring, and deals can be had.

Finally - don't be afraid to buy a used canoe, use it for a while, and then sell>upgrade. These days used canoes do hold their value well.

 

[miller6212]

Lots of good advice. I own...more canoes than my wife knows about. Many.

If you're not portaging, then eliminate kevlar.

The Discos (Old Town) being recommended are a good choice, especially if you can find one in Royalex. Royalex has not been used/produced in about 8 or 9 years, but it is still regarded as one of the best all-around canoe materials ever. There are other manufacturers to consider as well...Mad river, Wenonah, etc

The best pure hunting canoe I ever had was a Meyers Sportspal (Sportpal has been mentioned already). Know that there are two companies that make very very similar canoes called Sportspal: Meyers and Radisson. Meyers uses heavier-gauge aluminum...Radisson uses a thinner aluminum. One is a bit more durable, the other easier to get on top of the car. Both are unsinkable, you can haul dekes or deer or elk and you can shoot out of them. They are slow paddlers however. I may buy a Radisson some day when my wife's not looking.

Whatever type you decide on, buy a used one from FB Marketplace or Craigslist...they'll start to show up in good numbers in the spring, and deals can be had.

Finally - don't be afraid to buy a used canoe, use it for a while, and then sell>upgrade. These days used canoes do hold their value well.

That’s great input. I appreciate it. I found some sportspals but didn’t realize there were two manufacturers. I can’t seem to find mad river canoes anywhere and they don’t have any dealers around Oklahoma that I can find.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

This is the model I was thinking of!! NOT the Guide!! Discovery 169! Thanks!!

I got one of those for 200 bucks from a guy who was moving.

 

[Kurts86]

I grew up with a wide body Osagian Aluminum canoe and they can legitimately hold 3+ adults. They are beast to carry but they are bullet proof and track well in the water. My dad knocked the windshield out of our van trying to load an aluminum canoe solo as a point of reference. They are not fast boats but they aren’t rotomolded kayak slow either. They are what all the canoe outfitters run on the Ozark rivers. It’s hard to go wrong with them.

I really like the Wenonah Kevlar canoes lightweight speed and good durability. There is something special about the really light composite human powered boats that the current crop of cheap rotomolded boats don’t have. Someone mentioned it earlier but it’s quite true if the boat is a beast to haul it will never get used.

Definitely buy used. I once picked up a carbon fiber racing canoe on classifieds for $1,000 in the middle of winter. It was a $4k+ new. We used it for the Missouri River 340 and sold it for as much or more than we paid for it.