Open canoe for a family of 4

[underground]

Hi all. Apologies if this has been done before so please feel free to point me elsewhere!

im a newbie to the world of open canoes and don't know the makes, styles, terminology etc. although I'm an ex- white water kayaker and currently use a big SOT in the sea.

It used to be ok to sit one of the kids on the hatch in front of my seat for paddling in flat water but now they are too big and we'd like to 'broaden our horizons' out of the calm sea on holiday and look to long days / weekends on lakes in N Wales, Lake District etc.

So my brief is: canoes suitable for 2 paddling adults + 2 kids, plus ideally enough room for up to 1 nights kit (assume we'd use a lightweight 4 man backpacking tent and MSR/Trangia type cooking kit rather than canvas and cast iron - and I'm not sure a tarp bivi would be ideal to start with).

also- what other kit is considered 'standard'? We already have buoyancy aids/paddling clothing, dty ages and a towline etc as well as the usual outdoor and camping kit to stay safe and comfortable out of the water.

thanks in advance

 

[andibs]

For 2 adults, 2 youngsters plus gear you would have to be looking at a 17 footer if the kids are wee. If the kids are a fair size, you would be better off with 2 boats.

As always, it depends how much you want to spend. If it's odd days out, you could try a Pelican or Coleman, cheap, heavy, tough. If you want something a bit better, try something like an Old Town Discovery.

If you go to Song of the Paddle, they have a section with all the main canoe specs.

Hope that helps

Andy

 

[santaman2000]

The Discovery series isn't big enough for that kind of load. You'll need one of their Penobscot series. The biggest is the Old Towne Penobscot 174 with 1450 pound carrying capacity: www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/expedition/penobscot_174

The next one down is the Penobscot 164 with about 200 pounds less capacity: www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/expedition/penobscot_164

 

[wales1]

Hou canoes 17 would most likely suit your needs.

Steve

 

[Tony]

I've just sold on a Old Town tripper XL, which might even have been a bit big but something like that would give you plenty of room, nice and stable, not too heavy considering the size of the canoe and paddles well.

 

[santaman2000]

I've just sold on a Old Town tripper XL, which might even have been a bit big but something like that would give you plenty of room, nice and stable, not too heavy considering the size of the canoe and paddles well.

I'd forgotten about the Tripper. 1550 pound capacity www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/expedition/tripper_172

 

[carbon]

Did you find what you were looking for, or are you still looking?

 

[tsitenha]

Till the children are used to being stable maybe adapting an outrigger bar like Polynesian's use.

 

[mrcharly]

I have a peace river cruiser that would be big enough - sometimes they come up second hand. Used to use it to get across flooded river to our boat with up to 3 kids and an adult onboard. It's not easily manouverable but a good cruising kayak.