canadian canoes

[EdS]

I'm looking at getting a canadian canoe this year so I'm after some advise as to what to gbet. I want to get a (realtively) cheap one as it will only get use 6 or times per year.

So far it is a toss up between a 15'6" pelican Colarado - same as a Coleman Journey I believe. Or a Mad River Adventure 16TT.

To be honest I'm inclined to go for the Pelican/Coleman as it is cheaper - how easy are the paddle in slow rivers & lakes?

 

[MagiKelly]

You really are looking a the extremes of the range. The cheapest and the most expensive makers.

Before anyone can give you advice you really need to be clear on what use the canoe will be put to.

Is it for River, lake or sea use, or a mixture. If a mixture what is the split.

Will it be solo, tandem or family. If solo are you sure you do not need tandem.

Weight. Will yo need to carry it far and how comfortable are you with a heavy canoe. Will you be able to car top it on your own.

Obviously budget and whole range of other issues come into it. Storage can effect the maximum size and the roof rack can limit the width.

If you have a look over on Song of the paddle you should also find some answers there.

Also I strongly recommend you try out the choices before you buy as it can all sound great on paper but some boats just feel better than others.

 

[happy camper]

hello
if you haven't already been, there's lots of interesting stuff here..
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/index.php
Are you thinking of going new or second hand? They do come up second hand and if you don't mind looking around then there are bargains out there, from what i remember i wouldn't really bother with ebay, they always seemed to go for high prices no matter the age or condition but you might be lucky.
If you're going to buy new then i suppose it's a question of your budget and how you plan on using the canoe, either way you should go over to song of the paddle, there are lots of paddlers who have used several kinds of boat and will be able to give you good advice.

 

[happy camper]

must learn to type faster..

 

[EdS]

Think it might just be the Coleman for me. Having done a bit of reading they seem to fit the bill - cheap, plenty of room for 2 and pretty hardwaring.

Just got to try and find one secondhand now.

Song of the Paddle looks a very interesting site. Cheers

 

[anthonyyy]

If at all possible go for a test drive before you buy.
One good thing about canoes though is that their resale value is high so if you decide on a different boat later you wont loose too much money.

 

[pierre girard]

I've always been a little elitest about canoes (I have ten of them), and several of the ones I own are very high end models.

Colemans: I've always considered a Coleman to be a cheap and ugly way to move about on water. They are very heavy for their size, and probably not conducive to portaging any distance. They have a tendency to oil pan, which is not a desired trait in a canoe, and the aluminum tubing doesn't do much for me.

Late last summer, however, I had to use a 15 footer, and was surprised at how easily it went through the water. I've had to rethink my estimate of their capbilities, and I now consider them a fair bargain for the money.

PG