yeah, the old style flat poly seats in
....... in the "old" Oldtown canoes are hard on the butt and need a pad at the least . I carved out and contoured the bow seat in our 84 16'-10" Royalex Oldtown , very comfy now , but seats can be changed easily if one desires .
I'm not going to argue with you gbg , there's no comparison between an Oldtown Expedition 169 (Discovery 169 ??) (or any other Oldtown for that matter) and the best Grumman ever made ... the Oldtown wins hands down by miles in every category without question ... I know the difference . If one wants to upgrade to something lighter and faster from there , well that's about what you get for the extra bucks , but that's all you get , lighter and a tad bit faster (maybe) .
I know of a fleet of old Grummans , rented and paddled them long ago for down river runs , over nighters , etc. ... they look like a train wreck , leak some , and have been banged and banged ... but they still float ...
I don't recommend either a RamX or an aluminum canoe ... there is no reason to buy either when other much more preferable canoes exist , both new and used . One might have to be a bit more patient or drive a little farther to find one but that will be worth it after the fact .
OP , if you can call any one of the Bass Pro Shops in the boardering states to AR (AR doesn't have a Bass Pro) ... I strongly suggest you consider riding over the boarder and purchasing an Oldtown Expedition 169 or other Oldtown from them ... they should give you a 10% discount on everything you purchase from them the first time if you sign up for thier Bass Pro credit card (cut the card up afterwards if you want) .
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?appId=94&storeId=10151&catalogID=10001&langId=-1
click "Stores" when page comes up ...
ps., ... you'll have to call the Bass Pro (Outdoor World) store and talk w/ them about the Oldtown canoes they have in stock ... they won't be listed or shown on the website
ed: ... link corrected