Canoe options?

[Billogna]

I have spent lots of river days in an Old Town Discovery 169. They are the classic outfitter boat around here because they are so tough and the payload capacity is high. I would go as big as you can on length. Those kids are just gonna keep getting bigger and its pretty easy to fill up a 14ft canoe with gear. I currently own an Old Town Discovery 174 which is not as common but its been bomber for me.

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

 

[Clovis]

Not sure where the OP is located, but keep an eye on Craigslist for used canoes--for what you are describing, a 16 or 17 foot symmetrical royalex "prospectors" is about right and can be had for less than $1k, sometimes much less.--keep an eye out for Old Town and Mad River versions as they are pretty common, at least in the east. You can turn them around backwards and paddle from the bow seat, which is closer to the center line than the stern seat when you are solo and from the stern when you have a couple of kids weighing down the front. Quieter than aluminum and extremely durable.

 

[miller6212]

Only thing besides obvious holes I would look for are places that seem kind of crinkled, like someone tried to straighten out a big dent. Think bad body work on a car. It can be a spot of weakness and possibly for holes to develop. Most aluminum canoes I've been in are riveted. Hard to tell in pictures but if you find one promising enough to see in person, look for loose or missing rivets or lots of shiny new rivets
If you search long enough you'll find a good one.

Good luck in the search!

Great insight. Thanks. Wouldn’t have thought about the rivets for sure

 

[sbaker0029]

Great insight. Thanks. Wouldn’t have thought about the rivets for sure

Another thing I just thought of is you call about or go look at one and they say it's gross and full of water, it's a good one if it'll hold water in someone's yard, it will keep it out on the river.

 

[miller6212]

Another thing I just thought of is you call about or go look at one and they say it's gross and full of water, it's a good one if it'll hold water in someone's yard, it will keep it out on the river.

That’s a great point. Just gotta get past whatever is lurking in the murky water I guess!

 

[go4thegusto]

Where are you located?

 

[87TT]

I bought this Old Town royalex canoe years ago used. 15 foot, not sure which model. Works great for me the wife and a 100 lb lab.. I have a motor mount and an electric trolling motor for it too.

 

[miller6212]

Where are you located?

Oklahoma

 

[miller6212]

I bought this Old Town royalex canoe years ago used. 15 foot, not sure which model. Works great for me the wife and a 100 lb lab.. I have a motor mount and an electric trolling motor for it too.
View attachment 502695
View attachment 502696

That’s awesome. Great pics!

 

[87TT]

I also built some stabilizing outriggers with PVC and swim noodles. ................The dog likes to jump out and swim and lean over. Would be good for young kids also. Don't have any pictures of them but I found them online. Even took it backpacking up a trail/ closed road.

 

[Dwight2180]

I have the Saranac you mentioned. For day trips and light fishing it will be fine. The one I have is close to 10yrs old and has taken a beating. My son, now 12, and I take overnight trips every summer. It won't fit gear and a 3rd person, but we take a fair amount of fishing gear on those trip. I also use it solo without issues. I replaced the molded plastic seats with wooden & nylon woven seats. I sit in the front seat and go "backwards" when solo, better weight distribution.

 

[okcaveman]

Oklahoma

Didn't see you were in OK. Me too.
Canoes aren't the most popular thing in our part of the world, but there are a lot of old aluminum canoes around. If you search ft smith/fayettville/tulsa craigslist/fb marketplace you'll definitely find a good mix. Couple years ago I bought a good shape Wenona royalex for under $800 and there are always plenty of old towns etc

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Don't buy a slug. If the boat is too much work, you won't use it.
Longer boat will usually paddle (move through the water) easier.
Shorter boats are typically lighter (think roof top transport).
You'll have to decide your priorities.

"I'd take the old Grumman Aluminum 17-footer canoe over a rotomolded boat any day."

Are OK waters public? KS rules ... smell bad. Only a few specific rivers are publicly accessible due to real estate property vs navigable waterways rules.

Lots of good advice here too:

Bowhunters That Use Kayaks/Canoes

Hello, I bought Dan Branagan's new book "So You Want To Hunt The West For Elk: Low Elevation Hotspots" and now I want to get a canoe so I can access hard to reach public land from the river. I will be hunting deer and elk so carrying capacity needs to allow for me, my bow, camping gear, and...

rokslide.com

CANOE for solo paddler and dog??

Figured I would turn to the experts. Looking for a good stable canoe I could use for small/medium lake fishing and class 1,2 stuff on rivers. Need to carry a dog......golden retriever and I'd also like to be able to camp out of it. Been doing research but figured I'd ask for real life...

rokslide.com

 

[miller6212]

Didn't see you were in OK. Me too.
Canoes aren't the most popular thing in our part of the world, but there are a lot of old aluminum canoes around. If you search ft smith/fayettville/tulsa craigslist/fb marketplace you'll definitely find a good mix. Couple years ago I bought a good shape Wenona royalex for under $800 and there are always plenty of old towns etc

I was curious when I saw your name if you from OK. But you are right...not super popular around here. I used to have a kayak but didn't use it as much since I couldn't fit my kids in it. There aren't a ton of things to do with a canoe around here either especially since our water access laws aren't as great as some others, so I just wanna get something we can mess around an little bit and not break the bank doing it since I don't think it'll get used enough to justify thousands of dollars worth of an investment.

 

[mcseal2]

I watched a couple videos of a guy from OK that uses a flat back canoe to travel to camping/fishing locations. He has a little gas motor for his. Those might be worth watching just to see how he uses and loads his.

I have a little Tanaka 3.2hp motor and would like to get an old Gruman or similar canoe to use with it. I have not done so because I have a wide 10ft boat that just fits in the bed of my Polaris Ranger I use to fish the smaller waters around home. I think my little motor would push a canoe upstream a lot better than it does the boat though.

Youtube channel I saw is Chasing Moby Dick.

 

[Macintosh]

Man, I have spent hundreds and hundreds of days in a grumman 17' aluminum canoe, those things are tanks and will literally last a lifetime. I have wood strip conoes, a kevlar canoe, but really there's nothing that the tin boat I grew up in doesnt do 95% as well. Plus you can fix it easier, rattle-can it like a duck marsh, whatever. dont worry about slime or scuffs or anything, that's cosmetic. Looks for any buckled gunwales or keel with a kink in it, big deep dents especially on a seam, or holes where it was beached on rocks and rubbed through the metal...but with a little elbow grease even that stuff is easily repairable. Having been one of those two kids growing up in a canoe, I will say that a 16' canoe is awfully small for a 12 year old slinging treble hooks...get the biggest boat you can find. 17' is still light enough even in aluminum that one guy can load it on a roof rack without breaking anything.

 

[okcaveman]

I was curious when I saw your name if you from OK. But you are right...not super popular around here. I used to have a kayak but didn't use it as much since I couldn't fit my kids in it. There aren't a ton of things to do with a canoe around here either especially since our water access laws aren't as great as some others, so I just wanna get something we can mess around an little bit and not break the bank doing it since I don't think it'll get used enough to justify thousands of dollars worth of an investment.

I'm over on the east side, where there's a bit more water and all. But I can't imagine not having a canoe. Ive had nice kayaks, but they never see the use my canoes do. I hunt/fish/camp out of them. Get a used one and you can always move it along if its not for you for a small loss on your investment

 

[miller6212]

I watched a couple videos of a guy from OK that uses a flat back canoe to travel to camping/fishing locations. He has a little gas motor for his. Those might be worth watching just to see how he uses and loads his.

I have a little Tanaka 3.2hp motor and would like to get an old Gruman or similar canoe to use with it. I have not done so because I have a wide 10ft boat that just fits in the bed of my Polaris Ranger I use to fish the smaller waters around home. I think my little motor would push a canoe upstream a lot better than it does the boat though.

Youtube channel I saw is Chasing Moby Dick.

I'll have to check it out!

 

[miller6212]

I'm over on the east side, where there's a bit more water and all. But I can't imagine not having a canoe. Ive had nice kayaks, but they never see the use my canoes do. I hunt/fish/camp out of them. Get a used one and you can always move it along if its not for you for a small loss on your investment

Very true. I'm from more the central part and I grew up with one, so I think it'll get some enough use to give the kids some decent experiences with it.

 

[Dos XX]

It is several hours from you, but the outfitters on the Buffalo River around Jasper, AR sell canoes at the end of the season. Some of them have been dented pretty good, but some are in pretty good shape. They price them according to condition.