Hello Folks: I am researching a canoe for fishing; Here are a few requirements. Capacity to hold 2, 250lbs adults and 1 or 2 childen. Use would be an small inland lakes of Michigan. Possible one man trips. Eletric trolling motor an option. Maybe a square stern. I have seen " outriggers " on both sides of canoes on the lakes that prevent rollovers, do they work? Do they slow the canoe to much? Who makes them? What are they correctly called?
Now, for materials, everyone I speak to advises an indestructable aluminum canoe, If so what brand or what other material would you suggest that would last long. Canoe would be transported on my truck via a “one man loader.” Thank you for your input good people.
Aluminum is not indestructabe.
Good welded aluminum canoes like Grumman are tough, but do dent, can rip if they hit rocks right, and are typically heavy. also a bit noisy for fishing, especially if kids will be in the canoe. Royalex seems to be a pretty tough material. I’ve a fiberglas canoe over 20 years old that has held up well, except for a tree limb falling on it necessitating repairs.
If…
you need a canoe that will be used for both tandem and solo, I would go with a double ender instead of square stern. A double ender will allow you to turn the canoe around and sit in the front seat when solo…you will be closer to the middle and have better control. I prefer a side mounted trolling motor vs. stern mounted because of comfort reasons (twisting the body gets old after a while) and I mount my TM in the front of the canoe instead of the back. I have better control when the TM is in front of me, especially when its windy, and the canoe actually goes faster using “front wheel drive”
You obviously need a canoe that can haul some weight and with room for 4 people I would think you would want a canoe at least 17’ long. I use an Old Town Tripper which fits your criteria perfectly. Wide…tough…stable…did I say tough? With the extend-a-bed attachment that fits in my trailer hitch receiver, I can haul this 17 footer in my pickup.
I agree with Hog
He is pointing you in the right direction. I also dislike square sterns, they are a real pain. And Jeri is right about aluminum being noisy although i have a friend who purchased a used aluminum really cheap and painted the inside with an off brand DIY truck bed liner purchased at the Home Depot to quiet it down. Also non-skid but tough on bare knees, if kneeling he uses a cushion. Works great even though i’m not a fan of aluminum canoes.
Some Double Enders
Aluminum canoes have their fans, but I’m not one of them. My 1st canoe was a 17’ aluminum Lowe canoe. They’re noisy, hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Better to go with royalex or even ‘glass or kevlar on small MI lakes. I have a Mad River 16’ royalex Explorer. Stable, handles a load, gets even MORE stable with a load. Not difficult to handle with only one person. Used to have a Mad River Revelation (I think it’s called an Explorer 17 now, since Mad River has decided to confuse everyone by naming half of their canoes “Explorers”). It’s also very stable and can haul your clan and gear for a week. The Wenonah Adirondack would do the job, but with TWO 250lb adults plus kids, the Mad River’s would be a bit more stable for you. There is a new Wenonah, the Kingfisher, that I would like to try myself, but haven’t and haven’t been able to find anyone that has, save for a couple short reviews. The best fishing canoe I ever owned was a 14 Great Canadian Adirondack Sportsman, but 14’ canoes are tough for the person in the stern to fish from; the bow person might end up with a lure for an ear ring! Here’s a link to a couple pics of what a double ender looks like with a trolling motor. And, BTW, it works better if you can put your battery in something like a cooler so you can keep it from moving arround. I have the battery case in an old soft-sided cooler, strapped to the center yoke. And I would like to see some pics of Hog’s rig, I’m really interested in the “Front wheel drive” concept. Good Luck! WW
http://community.webshots.com/photo/375906672/381217136ShbDOs
http://community.webshots.com/photo/375906672/377883466VvztlH
Canoe
– Last Updated: Jun-28-05 4:57 PM EST –
Check into Old Town's, "Ojibway".
The boat has become very popular with families who fish here in Florida and we sell quite a few at the shop where I guide.
The boat paddles well and tracks very straight.
www.ospreybay.com/chrystalweb
canoe
You wont a out riger … You can get them for any boat , canoe, kayak … They work to slow down a roll over . Not any thing well stop a roll over so stay safe and teach every one to stay centered …