seems like a good deal !! What do ya reckon ???
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/hand-made-cedar-strip-canadian-canoe-600-ono/1017296367
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/hand-made-cedar-strip-canadian-canoe-600-ono/1017296367
canoe
- Thread starter nuggets
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For the money you could get a used canoe of decent quality. There are likely a few up for grabs over on Song of the Paddle.
Stripper canoes are hit and miss on quality and although they usually look great it is usually a resounding miss. Some guys really know how to put them together but most are one off project canoes built by garage guys.
Stripper canoes are hit and miss on quality and although they usually look great it is usually a resounding miss. Some guys really know how to put them together but most are one off project canoes built by garage guys.
What Lloyd said +1. I bought an open last year and for £400 / £450 you will get something decent. What sort of paddling are you mainly going to be doing as that will help you choose. Register with Song of the Paddle, they're a good bunch and lots of help and advice
Andy
Andy
No and I wouldn't unless I put ribs in it.
Some guys swear by them, usually first time builders but in Canada most guys think of them like kit cars where you build a Ferrari body on a Pontiac frame. There is no argument that a beautiful job can be done but it is just a bit too fragile. Thicker ones are better but obviously heavier.
Some guys swear by them, usually first time builders but in Canada most guys think of them like kit cars where you build a Ferrari body on a Pontiac frame. There is no argument that a beautiful job can be done but it is just a bit too fragile. Thicker ones are better but obviously heavier.
I have a number of canoes. Mostly Nova Craft.
The canoe I recommend most is the Nova Craft Prospector SP3 because it is the best bang for the buck. It is heavy though so if you plan to portage locks and between lochs buy some wheels for it. If you are not an active person and you are mostly solo it can be a pain to put on top of a car though, but other than these limitations it is the best canoe for the money bar none. It will do everything reasonably well. If you paddle with a partner or are used to physical work then the SP3 will be nothing to you. At 40 I still throw it on the car easy but am no longer interested in kilometer long walks with it.
If you have a bit more disposable budget to throw at this sort of thing the canoe I recommend the most for Canals and slow moving rivers found in the UK is the Nova Craft Pal. For most people a Prospector is just too much canoe in the wind whereas the Pal is just right. They come in at 60 pounds and are a lot easier to carry and handle both solo and with a partner.
I also have an Old Town and while I do not recommend them as highly they are a fine first canoe as is anything made by Wenonah. The reason I like Nova Craft over these other brands is that the woodwork and craftsmanship is superior and customer service (in my experience) is better.
So those are my big 3 in order of quality;
Nova Craft
Wenonah
Old Town
You can also spend vast sums of money on the next step up the ladder but for 600pounds you should be able to score one of these three used which will make you a lot happier in the end. The great thing about the plastic boats is the abuse they can take which can be important. It is to me.
The canoe I recommend most is the Nova Craft Prospector SP3 because it is the best bang for the buck. It is heavy though so if you plan to portage locks and between lochs buy some wheels for it. If you are not an active person and you are mostly solo it can be a pain to put on top of a car though, but other than these limitations it is the best canoe for the money bar none. It will do everything reasonably well. If you paddle with a partner or are used to physical work then the SP3 will be nothing to you. At 40 I still throw it on the car easy but am no longer interested in kilometer long walks with it.
If you have a bit more disposable budget to throw at this sort of thing the canoe I recommend the most for Canals and slow moving rivers found in the UK is the Nova Craft Pal. For most people a Prospector is just too much canoe in the wind whereas the Pal is just right. They come in at 60 pounds and are a lot easier to carry and handle both solo and with a partner.
I also have an Old Town and while I do not recommend them as highly they are a fine first canoe as is anything made by Wenonah. The reason I like Nova Craft over these other brands is that the woodwork and craftsmanship is superior and customer service (in my experience) is better.
So those are my big 3 in order of quality;
Nova Craft
Wenonah
Old Town
You can also spend vast sums of money on the next step up the ladder but for 600pounds you should be able to score one of these three used which will make you a lot happier in the end. The great thing about the plastic boats is the abuse they can take which can be important. It is to me.
Nothing is out of the question. I have occasionally found them. I even took two cedar canvas canoes to the UK for different guys. There was a good deal on SotP a while back on an Old Town discovery 169 that went for 450pounds and if you post saying you are looking for one folks will come out of the woodwork to help you. That said, ask the forum what they think or even PM me to get some opinions.
Be careful of fiberglass canoes. Typically at the low end they are just as heavy as royalex and while repairable, you will be doing it a lot of it. Especially with an Apache.
The reason for this is because of the fiberglass they build them from. It is not a woven cloth but chopped strands in a felt like matting. This means you are more likely to punch a small hole in the canoe in an accident than a large one. That is the theory anyhow and it makes excellent sense if you are mostly a pond and canal dweller but if you intend to take your canoe on camping trips a quality woven fabric canoe is a better choice as it is stronger and spreads any damage out over a larger area. This makes it a harder thing to fix but it will not happen nearly as often. Of course if you are careful and not demanding (wilderness trips) an Apache will do just fine.
Eventually all fiberglass canoes look like this.
Whereas the worst plastic canoe in my fleet looks like this.
The reason for this is because of the fiberglass they build them from. It is not a woven cloth but chopped strands in a felt like matting. This means you are more likely to punch a small hole in the canoe in an accident than a large one. That is the theory anyhow and it makes excellent sense if you are mostly a pond and canal dweller but if you intend to take your canoe on camping trips a quality woven fabric canoe is a better choice as it is stronger and spreads any damage out over a larger area. This makes it a harder thing to fix but it will not happen nearly as often. Of course if you are careful and not demanding (wilderness trips) an Apache will do just fine.
Eventually all fiberglass canoes look like this.
Whereas the worst plastic canoe in my fleet looks like this.
rancid badger
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I'd suggest thinking about exactly what you want to do as far as canoeing goes.
The boat pictured could well be a bargain but it could just as easily be a pig, not only to paddle but to move around and look after too.
You could go and take a look at it of course, but if you don't know what you're looking for, you're pretty much wasting your time.
You can get a good 2nd hand rx boat for between £650-£800 and an excellent one for £900+ You can get rougher ones for less of course and just occasionally, you might hit a bargain.
Back to the start though;
What sort of paddling do you want to do?
Do you have any paddling experience?
Steve
The boat pictured could well be a bargain but it could just as easily be a pig, not only to paddle but to move around and look after too.
You could go and take a look at it of course, but if you don't know what you're looking for, you're pretty much wasting your time.
You can get a good 2nd hand rx boat for between £650-£800 and an excellent one for £900+ You can get rougher ones for less of course and just occasionally, you might hit a bargain.
Back to the start though;
What sort of paddling do you want to do?
Do you have any paddling experience?
Steve
rancid badger
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Heres a link to a Mad River Horizon in Sunderland;
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?41015-MAD-RIVER-HORIZON-For-Sale
Royalex, so significantly lighter in weight than poly and comes complete with a kneeling thwart and airbags fitted.
I've seen this boat for myself and the hull is fairly scratched but this is normal for royalex boats, it's the main compromise you have to accept for the lighter weight
It's actually the same colour as my latest boat:
Good luck
Steve
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?41015-MAD-RIVER-HORIZON-For-Sale
Royalex, so significantly lighter in weight than poly and comes complete with a kneeling thwart and airbags fitted.
I've seen this boat for myself and the hull is fairly scratched but this is normal for royalex boats, it's the main compromise you have to accept for the lighter weight
It's actually the same colour as my latest boat:
Good luck
Steve
Hi Nuggets
As a ex canoe coach from a club in the midlands this may sound like the usual sales patter but in my experience it holds good a lot of the time
How much paddling have you done ? This is important because what you think you need know might not be the canoe you end up needing / wanting
If its your first canoe try and get a paddle in lots of canoes - most clubs run taster sessions / beginners lessons failing that decent canoe shops will let you trial a couple
If your more experienced think about what you want todo - lots of people start off thinking they just want to doodle around on their local bit of flat water and end up being far more adventurous -it's very addictive !!!!!
Lastly and here's the stupid bit think about where your going to store the canoe it's a real nightmare trying to get a 17 foot canoe in a 15 foot garage !!!!
Hope this helps
Gary
As a ex canoe coach from a club in the midlands this may sound like the usual sales patter but in my experience it holds good a lot of the time
How much paddling have you done ? This is important because what you think you need know might not be the canoe you end up needing / wanting
If its your first canoe try and get a paddle in lots of canoes - most clubs run taster sessions / beginners lessons failing that decent canoe shops will let you trial a couple
If your more experienced think about what you want todo - lots of people start off thinking they just want to doodle around on their local bit of flat water and end up being far more adventurous -it's very addictive !!!!!
Lastly and here's the stupid bit think about where your going to store the canoe it's a real nightmare trying to get a 17 foot canoe in a 15 foot garage !!!!
Hope this helps
Gary
Cheap Apache going in your neck of the woods nuggets ..
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?41104-APACHE-16ft-Ivory-for-Sale
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?41104-APACHE-16ft-Ivory-for-Sale
Try and beg borrow but not steel til you have picked up sufficient skills and then go for a prospector of almost any kind ( afew brand did not pull it off). I have an old pyranha prospector 15 years old it has hit almost every rock on every river (not quite) and it is still going strong. I do agree that certain brands have a higher build quality but you do pay alot for fancy wood work, which can make you cry when you scratch it.
Keep your paddle wet and your tinder dry.
Keep your paddle wet and your tinder dry.
