I am an advanced beginner paddler with a decent amount of varied experience in both kayaks and canoes, as I used to work as an outdoor guide. My husband (predominantly a land sport guy) and I both have kayaks (13’ Old Town Cayuga 130 and 12’ Wilderness Systems Pamlico 120, respectively), but I’ve wanted to get a canoe for family outings. We have a 3yo human child, and will likely have a dog in the future. The Pamlico 120 is super stable and has a very large and open cockpit area, so I’ve used that to paddle with either our late dog or our kid, but it would be nice to have a bigger boat we can all sit in together and use for short trips. I imagine we’d primarily paddle flat water, maybe some rivers and larger lakes, up to Class II rapids but probably not more than that.
I’d really like something that has a yoke for portaging but also a third seat for a third person. Do they make a boat like that? Are there other options for comfortably seating three people while still being able to do a single person portage?
Big family needs a big canoe. Are you going overnight?
Wenonah makes some large canoes that might be suitable.
For a day trip you can put 2 adulat, a 3 yo and a dog in a 16-17 foot boat.
For overnight you would be better off with a larger canoe in the 17-20 foot range or a beamy boat like an OT Tripper which is 17 !/2 feet.
16-17 feet sounds about right. I’m trying to figure out what boats I used for canoe trips at two previous places of employment well over a decade ago. Looking through old photos, I definitely used Old Town Penobscots (and possibly OT Trippers, some of the boats have molded seats vs woven ones) for a week long trip in the Temagami Wilderness of northern Ontario. The canoes were stripped of their decals but I can see an oval “Penobscot” name plate on one. That trip is most similar to the max I’d plan to replicate with our family, and I really liked those boats. I’m planning to scour Craigslist, FB Marketplace and similar for a used canoe (vs buying new) if that matters, as I’m not looking to spend $1000+ on a boat I’m not sure will get much use. An older Royalex boat no longer made would be a possibility for us. If it is easy to add a third seat (possibly temporarily) to a standard boat that might be the best option. So maybe the question is, what boat can I easily add a removable third seat to?
Realistically, we’d be paddling flat water for day outings or maybe a couple of nights out. Hubby and I have not actually canoed together yet (and he’s 100 lbs heavier than I am but I have significantly more paddling experience, so that it itself may be a big challenge to overcome). Fortunately I’ve done a lot of backpacking and an unsupported cross country bike tour so have ample easily packable lightweight gear for camping. I imagine once our kiddo is older and can functionally paddle any overnight+ trips would be one solo kayak and one canoe with two people so we don’t necessarily need a canoe for three adults.
The royalex Penobscot 16 is an excellent boat, and would work for your listed needs. I own one that is 27 years old with thousands of miles under its hull, and though it isn’t that pretty it is still great to paddle. You can get hardware and a seat that with a little DIY can be put in as a center seat. I haven’t looked in quite a while, but Northwest Canoe Co used to sell what you would need.
As suggested, older Royalex boats like an Old Town Penobscot or Tripper sound like great options. I have a Tripper and a Penobscot 17. Both are great family canoes.
I would strongly suggest you check out the Old Town line of canoes or the Swift Canoes. I have had great success with both in the 35 yrs. I led wilderness canoe trips in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Kevlar is the best. It is strong and lightweight, making portages easier as well as loading it onto car tops for transporting it. You will want a 16-17 ft. canoe. If you decide to do class II rapids, I would suggest you get a second canoe with a Royalex hull - they are heavier, but will take a beating and bounce back.
Thanks for all the insight. Our family got to try out our friend’s Royalex Old Town Penobscot 17 today (which is kind of the boat I was thinking we’d like) and it went well. Apparently hubby had a bit more canoe experience than I realized so it wasn’t a total disaster. If we could find the same boat, I think we’d be very happy!
From looks alone, how can you tell if a boat is made of Royalex or poly? And if we can’t find that same boat what models are similar that we should consider?