which canadian canoe

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Gill

Full Member
Jun 29, 2004
3,464
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56
SCOTLAND
looking to buy a new canadian canoe lads , i would ideally be wanting one to cater for 2 adults and two small children and sometimes two adults.the canoe will be used for trips on loch,s mostly (loch arkaig,loch affric ) and also some rivers although nothing fast.also to carry a lot of kit ie tentipi bergan etc and lots of supply,s which canoe would you go for ??????.
 

Abbe Osram

Native
Nov 8, 2004
1,402
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Sweden
milzart.blogspot.com
gill said:
looking to buy a new canadian canoe lads , i would ideally be wanting one to cater for 2 adults and two small children and sometimes two adults.the canoe will be used for trips on loch,s mostly (loch arkaig,loch affric ) and also some rivers although nothing fast.also to carry a lot of kit ie tentipi bergan etc and lots of supply,s which canoe would you go for ??????.

Hi mate,
I would go for an old town canoe
They are strong, nearly unbreakable and last you without putting service on them.
cheers
Abbe
 

Doc

Need to contact Admin...
Nov 29, 2003
2,109
10
Perthshire
Bit of a coincidence, Gill - I'm looking for a canoe and have similar requirements. On paper I like the look of the PE version of Sandbender's canoe (heavier but cheaper) or an Old Town Pathfinder or Guide.

However, I suspect final choice will be heavily influenced by what's locally available and suitably priced
 

happy camper

Nomad
May 28, 2005
291
2
Scotland
hello :)
I've got a mobile adventure ranger 16 and for a low to mid price canoe i'd recommend it.There are nicer boats, but for the money i found it hard to beat and she's handled everything we've asked of her.
There is alot to consider that will effect the performance (and price) of a canoe: dimensions, shape and materials are the key areas.
Whatever make you decide on, i'd say 16 ft. is the bear minimum length for two adults and loads of gear or two adults and two kids and some gear. If you're planning extended trips for the whole family i'd think about going longer. Longer canoes tend to have greater capacity, are faster and handle bigger swell (which is a big consideration on open water) but you sacrafice something in manoeverability (both on and off the water!)
Primary and secondry stability is something to consider aswell if you're carrying young kids!
If you want more info about choosing a canoe then this is a good site with loads of interesting stuff...
http://www.myccr.com/SectionGear/GearInfo/Canoes.htm

Here's another to reviews of canoes by the people who own them..
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/Canoes.html

Here's a good uk site about canoeing (shop,classifieds,community,reviews etc.)
http://www.getoutcanoeing.co.uk/default.asp

Finally, here's another uk site with good classifieds, forum and good info on waterways in the uk.
http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/

the ad is nothing to do with me but i noticed someone is selling a royalex old town xl tripper for £600...(its HUGE at 20 ft. long but can handle 1700 lbs!!)
http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9190

Hope some of this is useful, i'll shut up now!

:)
 

Gill

Full Member
Jun 29, 2004
3,464
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56
SCOTLAND
doc i tried an old town camper with the wife and 2 kids up in killin and it was good i beleive the river was the dochart,there was also an old town allagash which i think was a bit longer.the camper however is about a grand and i would have liked to have got a canoe for a bit less maybe a second hand one but you know as well as me they are few and far between.i,ve also been looking towards the mad river make .i need a canoe that is big and can take a bit of weight.i,m not going to be doing anything too risky with the family. just purely for leisure and carrying capacity.i can,t wait
 

Gill

Full Member
Jun 29, 2004
3,464
6
56
SCOTLAND
happy camper cheers for all the info ,excellent,am i right in thinking you just bought a tipi as well .great minds think alike eh!
 

happy camper

Nomad
May 28, 2005
291
2
Scotland
yes :D
i was lucky enough to get a tapp varrie 5 second hand, i've had a couple of nights in it so far and i'm delighted with it, i haven't seen a 7 but the 5 feels huge when you're inside and the atmosphere is great, i can't wait to get out again! I'm sure you'll be delighted with yours when you get it! I now find myself in the same boat as you with your stove question, so when i pop up on that thread aswell, don't panic, i'm not a stalker! :D
 

Doc

Need to contact Admin...
Nov 29, 2003
2,109
10
Perthshire
Great links Andrew and Happy camper - thanks.

Gill - the centre at Killin are/were selling used Allagashes (Allagashi? :confused: ) for much less than new.

I'll probably be going to the paddling exhibition at the end of Oct in Perth.
 

philaw

Settler
Nov 27, 2004
571
47
42
Hull, East Yorkshire, UK.
Does anyone have any experience with geodesic aerolite boats? They're a kind of ultra-modern skin-on-frame design using man made materials. The main seling points seem to be that it's easy to make it yourself, it's cheap, and most of all they're EXTREMELY light.

I don't know about you, but when I see a canoe that weighs 10-15kgs the first thought in my head it that I could take it on the train to the lakes and carry it up a mountain. It could open up a lot of new territory, especially to car-less people, like me. This is yet another thing that I can't do until I get back into britain in at least six months, but it's so interesting I couldn't help bringing it up! See www.gaboats.com
 

MagiKelly

Making memories since '67
Hi Gill

I have the same sort of requirements as you, well except for the wife, there is no way she would get in a canoe. Anyway I have the Coleman Journey. I have used it with two adults and two kids. Two adults and loads of kit (including the 7 man TenTipi Varrie ;) ). I have had it for a year now and despite the reasonable cost it has put up with loads of abuse. Also I find having three seats very useful.
 

happy camper

Nomad
May 28, 2005
291
2
Scotland
philaw said:
Does anyone have any experience with geodesic aerolite boats? They're a kind of ultra-modern skin-on-frame design using man made materials. The main seling points seem to be that it's easy to make it yourself, it's cheap, and most of all they're EXTREMELY light.

I don't know about you, but when I see a canoe that weighs 10-15kgs the first thought in my head it that I could take it on the train to the lakes and carry it up a mountain. It could open up a lot of new territory, especially to car-less people, like me. This is yet another thing that I can't do until I get back into britain in at least six months, but it's so interesting I couldn't help bringing it up! See www.gaboats.com
nice!! :D
they look great, these folding canoes and kayaks look quite interesting if transport or storage are an issue..
http://www.pakboats.com/
and here's a link to a kayak i fancy trying, you can build in the field using a tarp... http://www.shelter-systems.com/kayak.html

:)
 

george

Settler
Oct 1, 2003
627
6
61
N.W. Highlands (or in the shed!)
One of the best places to pick up cheap used canoes is the newsletter that the Scottish canoe association publish - free to members.

Doc - take your cheque book to the canoe exhibition and try for a deal on an ex demo boat from one of the exhibitors, often very good deals to be had.

I'd echo some of the others who say that Mad River are the bees knees - I've got several different boats for different purposes, but my favourites have got to be my Prospector and my Mad River explorer.

Gill - a 17 foot prospector would fit the bill for what your looking for perfectly

George
 
P

pfmueller

Guest
Great Canadian canoe is the Fletcher Bill Mason Special (wood/canvas traditional construction). Web address is :fletchercanoes.com. I have one on order and it will be ready in the summer of 2006.
e-mail me and I'd be happy to e-mail photos that are not on their web page.
Regards
Peter

p.s. cost is $3000.00 can dollars = 1435 brit. pounds
 

GrahamD

Need to contact Admin...
Mar 2, 2004
58
0
Sussex
gill said:
, i would ideally be wanting one to cater for 2 adults and two small children and sometimes two adults.QUOTE]


Hi Gill,

So are you looking for;

A canoe to take 4 people occasionally

A canoe which can be paddled either by 2 adults or 2 children

Coz if you want something for all four of you it will probably be too big for the two children to paddle?

Cheers,

Graham.
 

Carcajou Garou

On a new journey
Jun 7, 2004
551
5
Canada
A 16ft+ canoe of the prospector style is great. I used to use a 17ft fibreglass Scot wilderness canoe for trekking until it got crushed (really) under a combination of ice and snow from a freak storm 6ft+ downfall. Re-placed it with a lighter 17ft Kevlar Langford getting older have to mind the weight. Give yourself enough room to carry extra kit and people. I know of 4 hefty lads plus their kits, in one 16ft canoe, tipped within 15 min. :eek: not good. Carry extra paddles at least one tied to the twarts in case of a lost paddle. CG :yo:
 

aquanaut

Member
Apr 19, 2005
22
0
52
Hebrides
added to some of the ecellent advice above, i'd recommend you go for royalex over PE if you can afford it particularly if you're going to be doing any portaging. Old town, mad river (which I have), wee-noh-nah and novacraft are all good makes for a general touring canoe i dont think you can beat the prospector model (or its equivalent depending on make).

interesting to see a recommendation for coleman - havent paddled one myself but have heard from a few people that the handle really poorly and are very heavy.... :confused:

if your unsure try a few out - theres plenty of places on the spey if you're near there - highland canoes in Aviemore for example and there's also snowgoose in Fort William and stirling canoes in erm stirling :rolleyes: (I assume you're in Scotland).

might be a good time of year to pick up a second hand one from an outdoor school, be worth asking around bear in mid by the time you buy paddles (go wooden if possible - i like the beavertail design) bouyancy vests and bouyancy bags you'll add another 200 - 350 pounds
 

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