Boats break in water

[rancid badger]

This is a photo taken by my brother, the other day;

He lives near Warden on the North Tyne and found it after a bit of high water had subsided.

I've posted the photo on SoTP as a possible missing boat but no one has, as yet, owned up to losing it.

It's a Coleman 15 so I think it's a good age but I doubt it's been there more than a week or two.

I reckon if it can be recovered, its quite possibly repairable. It'll never look very good but then they're not the nicest looking boats in the first place

atb

 

[John Fenna]

Easy repair job - once you get the gunnels off you can poke the plastic back into shape and weld any holes (use melted cheap toy soldiers for filler!) then fit new gunnels - job done.
Colemans are indestructable - unfortunately!
Probably the cheapest, nastiest canoes ever made!

 

[Shewie]

It's a Coleman, poor tree

 

[John Fenna]

It's a Coleman, poor tree

Yup - sums it up nicely!

 

[rancid badger]

Easy repair job - once you get the gunnels off you can poke the plastic back into shape and weld any holes (use melted cheap toy soldiers for filler!) then fit new gunnels - job done.
Colemans are indestructable - unfortunately!
Probably the cheapest, nastiest canoes ever made!

I told our lad it was a "fixer upper" and he's been looking for an affordable boat for ages!

I'll tell you; if I could shift it off the tree, i'd certainly consider trying to fix it up, assuming it's not claimed of course

 

[nunzionuk]

Mmm.. if it was smaller and inflatable then i would take it in a snap

what is wrong with coleman canoes? the ones I saw looked ok, just too big for my bike.

 

[Manacles]

Did he just find it? Nice one, I'd love an open canoe.

 

[mrcharly]

Mmm.. if it was smaller and inflatable then i would take it in a snap

what is wrong with coleman canoes? the ones I saw looked ok, just too big for my bike.

Usually they manage to combine being very wide with poor handling, great weight and godawful aluminium gunnels that are like something from a cheap window suppliers.

I think their market is hire groups and the like, so they tend to make the canoes wide throughout their length - makes for more initial stability, but a heavy boat that doesn't paddle well. Cheap plastic molding as well.

 

[Manacles]

Usually they manage to combine being very wide with poor handling, great weight and godawful aluminium gunnels that are like something from a cheap window suppliers.

I think their market is hire groups and the like, so they tend to make the canoes wide throughout their length - makes for more initial stability, but a heavy boat that doesn't paddle well. Cheap plastic molding as well.

That's not a terrific recommendation. If a complete novice, like myself, was to go looking for an open canoe what would be a good make to start with?

 

[John Fenna]

Coleman canoe = A builders bucket with scafolding rammed up its .......
But saying that - any canoe that floats is a good canoe!

 

[mrcharly]

Old town & Venture

I have a Venture I bought ex demo for £450 17 years ago. Current value, with lots of scratches and dings - £500.

Canoes tend to be dearer than kayaks; they take a bit more making than just rotomolding.

 

[nunzionuk]

That's not a terrific recommendation. If a complete novice, like myself, was to go looking for an open canoe what would be a good make to start with?

Depends what you want to do with it?

Flatwater? White water? Sea?

Is it just you? or family?

There are loads of questions, and loads of different styles.

 

[Manacles]

Depends what you want to do with it?

Flatwater? White water? Sea?

Is it just you? or family?

There are loads of questions, and loads of different styles.

Rivers (we're very near the head of the Thames) up to three peeps, light luggage, flat water, nothing scary........

 

[al21]

Mmm.. if it was smaller and inflatable then i would take it in a snap

what is wrong with coleman canoes? the ones I saw looked ok, just too big for my bike.

To be honest, as a cheap budget entry level canoe that will get you on the water, these are good boats. Cheap as chips and will take it all. Folks love to hate them, but thousands of us cut our canoeing teeth in them and have fond memories of them too. I personally never understand those who say that Colman canoes are heavy. I guess the physics in their universe are different to mine. That Colman 15 in Ram-X weighs 70lb which is 10lb lighter than an Old Town Disco 158! Sure, the Colman is flat bottomed and has poor secondary stability, you have to squint pretty hard to see yourself as Grey Owl paddling across a Canadian lake in one and the ali framework is kinda clunky, but the gunnels on the one I had and most that I've come across are vinyl covered like most other plastic boats out there.

I'd take a Colman over any inflatable any day!

Al

 

[nunzionuk]

Yeah, the only point in my having an inflatable is the fact I have no car to transport one.

 

[mrcharly]

vinyl covered like most other plastic boats out there.

Al

Then you had one of the better Coleman models.

The cheap 'hire' range (which inevitably have that central ridge) are made of very thick heavy plastic, not Ram-x, and have Aluminium gunnals, with Al pipes across the boat for rigidity.

 

[al21]

Rivers (we're very near the head of the Thames) up to three peeps, light luggage, flat water, nothing scary........

Personally, I'd say that the Colman 15 would do you as a cheap get on the water option. Get one from Ebay cheap knock around all year in it and flog it the next for what you paid.

Though I should say that your best option is to join a local club to get some proper instruction and try a variety of canoes if possible before parting with cash.

Al

 

[al21]

Then you had one of the better Coleman models.

The cheap 'hire' range (which inevitably have that central ridge) are made of very thick heavy plastic, not Ram-x, and have Aluminium gunnals, with Al pipes across the boat for rigidity.

Nah! Mine was a 15 in Ram-X with vinyl covered ali gunnels. See here:

Not the best picture in the world, but you can see the ali shining below the vinyl cap.

Al

 

[rancid badger]

That's not a terrific recommendation. If a complete novice, like myself, was to go looking for an open canoe what would be a good make to start with?

This is my Nova Craft SP3 Prospector, which I bought last June:
Easily the best polythene boat available, of its size.

I absolutely love mine, it's a bit heavy but it's like the land rover of the canoe world, it'll go anywhere and do anything you want it to do.

Mind you; I say its heavy but its no heavier than any of the other available polythene boats of the same size, from any other manufacturer.

Check this out:
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?3302-Nova-Craft-Prospector-15.6-SP3

forgot to add: The important thing before buying-is to try the boat first and that's any boat best to try a selection before deciding on a particular boat, ( unless its a NC SP3)

Cheers

Steve

 

[_scorpio_]

umm... have you check the boat is empty???