I remember spending hours as a kid paddling around, swamping, and playing in a canoe. I would like to buy one for my kids but don't really know what to look for. I have a couple boys that I will take out. I will be using it to fish out of and for general playtime. Any suggestions on size, material, brands, where to buy, costs, etc would be very much appreciated.
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I LOVE canoes. I have owned a bunch. If you got kids and want to take a couple I recomend minimum 16 feet. You get what you pay for. The pelican 16 is a good starter. With kids I recommend poli-link, or oltynar. (Spelling is a bit off) aluminum is not the best because the canoe can sink.... Royalex is the bomb, but pricey. I currently have an Oldtown Osprey in camo and it is the best. I use it for duck hunting and fishing. The scanoes are great as well. Especially for the motoring on those long days. I recomend keeless for most people. But a keel can be great for bigger waters.
Price is the big thing. I recommend used for a first canoe. Fiberglass and aluminum can sink, most of the sandwiched plastics float after capsizing. Mad river or old town are the best names, but there are a lot of great brands. If you have some more specifics let us know.
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Try looking on KSL... I've seen some great deals on there for the above mentioned...
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Hey big guy, if you want I will call my dad in colorado, he has some aluminum 16 footers, and I think you can get one from him at a pretty good deal.
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I used to hunt and fish out of a 17' Grumman. I really liked it but you had to sit pretty still. It seemed a bit tippy. Never did go over, but I understand some of the other are a bit more stabil (for the kids). I've talked to a few people who owned theose green Colemans. They seem to like them for their kids.
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I've had a Rogue River 14' for 10 years. I bought it at Costco for about $350. They sell them at Cabelas for a little more I think. I would recommend this one despite one issue I've had. Over time some bolts that hold in the center console came out and I haven't gotten around to fixing it. Without the center console to hold the shape it actually has lost some stability. Otherwise, it is a great design, the plastic hull is very durable, and it is only 70 pounds. It survived at least 200 trips down the Shenandoah River scraping against shallow gravel bottoms. Gook luck!
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You should look at the green coleman in my back yard. It comes with paddles, life jackets, rack to transport. I'll even throw in the hitch. Make me an offer! Someone really ought to use that thing!
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My dad and I built canoes of our own, out of wood and fiber glass, I wish I had a picture of them on this machine so I could post them. I dont know how ambitious you are feeling. but some of my favorite memories are with my dad, when we built those canoes. Just some rought specs, they are 16.5' and weigh about 60ish lbs. Selecting a canoe you need to remember and keep in mind what you are going to do with it. Fishing, hunting, camping, and lakes and/or rivers etc.. There are many different canoes for many different applications, it just depends on how technical you want to be, and how much money you want to spend.
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I have had several canoes and a couple of kayaks over the years. Pros and cons to all of them. The canoe that is the "best of both worlds" is the one I currently own. It is a 15'3" Sportspal square stern canoe. Check it out at this link:
http://www.castlecraft.com/sportspal_square-stern.htm
It is super light, yet ultra quiet. The "ethafoam" lining and sponsons make it remarkably stable. I use a 55lb thrust trolling motor with the battery mounting behind the front seat. It really scoots along as fast as you would ever need and it is so remarkably quiet...
When I feel the need for more speed, I mount my 27lb 2.5hp Mercury outboard. I don't know how fast it goes. Canoes don't really "plane out" like a boat. It pushes along wide open faster than I think I should go. Half throttle is about right, but not really any faster than the electric motor moves it.
I also have the little aluminum trailer. Everything complete (canoe, motor, trailer, etc) only weigh about 175 pounds...
They are a lot pricier than the plastic canoes, but for the lake fishing we do, I think they are tough to beat.
If interested I can post some pictures, or PM me and you are welcome to come see how I set mine up.
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