scel Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Over the last summer, I had a good chance to use a pontoon, kayak, and canoe. The kayak is my favourite. It is fast and effortless to move around still water. I am willing to wait until I have enough money to buy the new fishing kayak I want (or if the exact model comes up second-hand). The pontoon is great for rivers and very small bodies of water, but it sucks to row any more than a few hundred metres. The canoe is a simple compromise. It is relatively light, requires no set up, and has a great payload. It is not as fast a kayak, but it is a crap ton faster than a pontoon to paddle around stillwater. I am looking for something that I can paddle for a couple of kilometres, holds a days worth of gear, and is stable enough to cast from. I was surprised how few canoes were on Kijiji, and it felt like they were overly expensive. I do not need a $1500 cedarstrip canoe. Some dude on kijiji was selling a fishing canoe that leaks for $350. I dunno...a leaky canoe seems...broken. I used a 1973 14' aluminum canoe all summer. It was noisy and heavy as heck, but it was great. I know canoes stand the test of time. It was no fishing canoe. It was certainly stable and comfortable enough for a whole day on the water. I know there are a few paddling enthusiasts on the forum. What should I look for and what is a good price for simple, used canoe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Have enjoyed a few canoes. I had a Clipper fiberglass 14' for a great a great many years, it was solid, paddled and tracked well on lakes and rivers. Ran the bow many times without problems. Also owned a Sportspal Aluminum square stern wide transom, very solid, covered with foam inside with side floats, they have many options . Very quiet for an aluminum & nice to stand up in on lakes. A small electric kicker sent it along pretty good Bought it in 81' and passed it to my son and grand kidlets and its still going strong endured lots of abuse and rock dings. Extremely solid although a bit clunky at times because of the square stern. My favourite and first love was a Chestnut canoe, wood and canvas. Owned it since 65'. best handleling one by far. Used it on Lakes calm and wild Rivers in Ontario, BC and here in Alberta. It did require maintenance every 8 to 10 years. It was a favorite and really became a part of me. It unfortunately was borrowed from my yard never to be seen again. Tried kayaks but its for younger guys. Canoes do tend to hold their value, especially the better brands that have good paddling characteristics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ÜberFly Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Are you going to be paddling solo, or tandem with someone else (having someone help you transport it)? My opinion, is there is a reason why there are a ton of "Coleman" and crappy tire specials on Kijiji and few if any Clipper, Hellman, Wenonah, etc. You get what you pay for, but that depends on what you want and what you are going to be using it for. You can also get pontoon (outriggers) so that you can stand up and they add stability. If you have any specific questions, please ask. I'm no expert, but have purchased 3 clippers, 1 evergreen and grew up paddling a grumman and I am also on the hunt once again for yet another canoe. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scel Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 Are you going to be paddling solo, or tandem with someone else (having someone help you transport it)? My opinion, is there is a reason why there are a ton of "Coleman" and crappy tire specials on Kijiji and few if any Clipper, Hellman, Wenonah, etc. You get what you pay for, but that depends on what you want and what you are going to be using it for. You can also get pontoon (outriggers) so that you can stand up and they add stability. If you have any specific questions, please ask. I'm no expert, but have purchased 3 clippers, 1 evergreen and grew up paddling a grumman and I am also on the hunt once again for yet another canoe. Peter Cool. The one at the cabin in Saskatchewan is a 14' aluminium Grumman. I was really surpised how easily I could get around in it. It is a little heavy. I can carry it alone, but only for a hundred or so metres. I would be solo and I would be using it primarily for stillwater fishing. I have a Subaru Outback. I guess I would just want something stable that I could get onto my car by my own power. By the looks of it a $1400 new Clipper canoe would reasonably sell for $800 second-hand. Do you agree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ÜberFly Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 PM sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachako Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Pm sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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