How much for new and secondhand canoes?

[Paul_B]

I used to do a lot of whitewater kayaking. Back then canoes were always over a grand new. Recently I saw a new 15' one for £850. The shop owner also said you can get cheaper but they're not as light. I thought the £850 was cheap and he'd got the price wrong.

Am I so out of date and they're now cheaper or is my memory a bit duff and canoes never cost £1200+?

Either way good whitewater kayaks were at that price when I last paddled and looked at kayaks. Back then canoes were a lot more new. Now it seems to me that you can get a canoe for the same price as a kayak.

 

[Baldy-Old-Troll]

If your looking for a plastic boat then the price roughly rises as the weight falls, since they stopped making Royalex the remaining stock of light boats seemed to jump in price. Please, unless you intend to beat it to death don't buy a cheap plastic boat, instead have a look at Apache Canoes, fibreglass, available as a kit to finish yourself or as a complete boat for a lot less than the heavy Tupperware boats.
I paddle an Apache 16 and can't recommend it highly enough fairly light, rigid, and very nice to paddle, although if you are an absolute beginner in a canoe I would suggest the Tribe, same length but a bit wider and more stable, not to say the 16 is unstable, just that it's a bit more lively than a beginner may feel comfortable with.

Stuart.

 

[John Fenna]

To honest - the cheaper ones are not of the greatest materials or performance ... usually!
I am thinking of selling one of my canoes - a well worn but still very serviceable Pyranha Prospector with custom wooden gunwales and solo seating set up for sailing and paddling - and I will be asking around £500 (I might throw in some paddles) and I think the buyer will be getting a bargain!
For a new canoe I would start looking at at least a grand ... you do tend to get what you pay for...
I think the price comparison between canoes and kayaks is affected by Kayaks getting more technical and there being a big demand (everyone wants the latest design - and lots get trashed quickly in use), while fewer quality canoes get sold but last forever and are simpler in design. Small production runs = cost. Complicated tooling for molds = cost...
These days more centres are using lower end canoes so the prices fall there ... good ones are still fairly expensive...

 

[Paul_B]

The one I saw was the Hou 15 I think. It was explained to me that you could get cheaper but this one was light and with the money because of that.

I was at a shop in a whitewater centre and had.gone in to see what the latest kayaks looked like. I've been out of kayaking for about 6 to 10 years now and wanted.to know.what the latest kit was like. I saw this Hou15 and asked the guy for the price. It looked a well kitted boat so I thought I'd get a £1200-£1500 price tag but it was £852. Now I've always had an inkling I'd like canoe.touring. I guess after I broke my hand and my shoulders and elbows got too painful when I paddled kayaks I thought canoeing would be better. My partner is not a watersports fan but warmed to the canoe tour idea. Just not yet due to get overprotective tendencies to our or two year old boy. At that price if the Hou15 is any good I'd be tempted in a few years time.

Anyone know if the Hou15 is any good? Would it be ok for 2 adults and young child with lightweight camping kit for a long weekend or weeks trip? if not what size.is best and is there anything to for a similar price?

 

[mrcharly]

I would say that a 15' canoe is marginal for two adults plus child. With a canoe if you overload it then it will become unstable - you need to keep to manufacturers recommended loadings.

that said, looking at the Hou page they do give a weight limit of 440kg so it sounds as though it would be fine. A lot is to do with underwater profile and a bit of flare to the sides can increase the max load. You don't want to go anywhere near 440kg when carrying a small child as they do like leaning over the side . . .

They don't say if the material is self-buoyant, so I guess it isn't. You'll need to budget for buoyancy bags.

 

[Baldy-Old-Troll]

The Apache range cost £600 for a complete boat or £400 for the kit, if you're looking at touring with the wee one along then I would suggest the Tribe. The issue of buoyancy was raised, bags or blocks are fitted to allow self rescue, not to prevent sinking. Most if not all plastic boats are self buoyant, the additional bags or blocks are fitted to boost the buoyancy to allow you to re-enter your boat after a capsize. If you consider the Apache then you definitely need to add additional buoyancy.
Have a look at Song Of The Paddle, good advice and frequently boats for sale.

Stuart.

 

[Paul_B]

I'm guessing buoyancy bags are as much about displacement of water if you capsize. Kind of the case of the less space to fill up with water the less unstable and swamped it gets.

I've never canoed other than on a charity paddle event I helped at (no-one turned up for 3 hours so we got to play with the toys we got loaned. Good fun messing around in canoes, inflatables, etc. I'm a former experienced whitewater kayaker so river reading is second nature. I've read the theory of canoeing and have messed around with canoe strokes in my kayak years before.

I'm really looking into this for the future really. My kid is aa little too young right now and we're getting into cycling/cycle touring right now as easier to cope with. I'm interested to find out really if canoeing is easy to get into and how much to do it? If a good boat costs £852 plus a bit more for other kit like paddles, bags for it, etc. then it's doable for us. Use would probably be Scottish lochs, very easy touring rivers and nothing like rapids. I'm not up for whitewater these days. Reckon I don't need a whitewater canoe just a good allrounder I think.

 

[mrcharly]

Kids in canoes are great when they are little. There is more freedom for them to do other things in a canoe than almost any other method of transport. They can splash in the water, watch things go by, draw with crayons - even decorate your boat for you . . .

It goes without saying that they need a proper self-righting lifejacket at all times, but I guess you know that already.