Advice on New Canoe

I’m a newbie to the forum (and to paddling) and have a question that I thought I might put out to other paddlers. My wife and I have been talking about getting a canoe for some time (mainly for peaceful lake and pond paddling with a kid) and recently there was a house auction that included some canoes. I wound up getting two older Millbrook Boats kevlar canoes for a great price. I’ve sold one and am thinking about selling the other, but wanted some advice from forum members. So, here is my dilemma–do I sell the second canoe or try to convert it for family use? The Millbrook canoe seems to be closest to the AC/DC, though it might be lighter and a bit wider than that model (and is probably about 15 years old).



Given what I want to spend (basically no more than $500, unless I manage to sell the second canoe for a lot of money), I am now realizing the limited selection of canoes I can buy. I just looked at a used aluminum canoe today and have looked at some used and new polyethylene canoes, but came away somewhat unimpressed, particularly by how heavy they are. So here is my question, is it possible to convert a boat with a lot of rocker and a solo setup to something that my family could use on a lake for an hour or two every week or two? Or would I be better off with something like an aluminum canoe?

Probably NO
I would think you would not be satisfied with the paddling characteristics of this canoe as a tandem on flatwater. Best to make it as presentable as possible and sell it for a good price, then find a high quality used tandem made specifically for flatwater paddling. Seeing that you are now used to the lightness of a Kevlar solo canoe,… finding a similarly lightweight tandem in good shape might be a little expensive ($850-1500 probably) The used canoe market is pretty good right now since its paddle season so here on pNet, Craigslist, eBay and other regional websites might reveal some good buys.

Get an exact length and width of the
“AC DC”. The Millbrook Coho is roughly similar in dimensions, but entirely different in purpose.



The AC/DC would work well on lakes for competent adults, but is not a great kid carrier.

AC/DC

– Last Updated: Jul-21-14 12:05 PM EST –

A Millbrook AC/DC would be a fine boat for quiet river and pond paddling for two adults and a smaller child. Not that different from the many Prospector canoes out there.

I would recommend getting some flotation in it, either airbags or you could glue in some minicell foam.

You will be hard pressed to find a lighter better built canoe.

There used to be another tandem on the website. The Swamp Hen I think was a down river racer? You could contact John Kaz at Milbrook if you wanted to know more.

A lot of rocker and a solo setup does not sound like an AC/DC though (or the Coho for that matter). Millbrooks web site says the AC/DC measures 16'2" x 33".

Thanks
Thanks yatipope, ezwater, and TommyC1 for your advice. I e-mailed John Kaz and he told me the boat was an AC/DC. It currently has a solo set up with thigh straps, but I’ll add a bow seat and stern seat and give it a try. In any case, it will likely be more valuable to someone with a tandem setup than as a very oddly configured solo boat should I decide to sell it for something more stable.