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?
Some boats will say Royalex on a badge or decal. Otherwise, the best way to tell is weight. A 17 foot Royalex canoe should weigh around 60-75 lbs. depending on design while a comparable poly canoe will be more like 85-95 lbs.
Besides Old Town, another brand to look for in your area is Esquif. They are in Quebec and make canoes of T-Formex, which is a composite similar to Royalex.
Thanks! I know weight is the big difference but I don’t know how I’d tell that in the field unless comparing two side by side. I could probably tell the difference between a 65 lb boat and a 90 lb one but not sure I could discern between one that is 70 and one that is 80.
I’m not confident I could tell the difference in person by look and feel. The weight is the main difference, and maybe poly scratches easier. Another clue might be the date. Royalex production ended in 2014.
I see several OT Trippers on Marketplace when I set location to NH. There are also several Mad River Explorers (16’ but can carry a 10 day load for two adults). There are also several OT Discoverys there as well. Those are poly but are the best of the poly hulls.
I know that you have reasons for keeping the $$$ low but there is a Northstar B17 in IXP there. We have a B17 in Black Lite & love it. Huge capacity and you can get a removable center seat. The B series are moving water focused and so require some attention on lakes.
Kari-
I think the simplest approach would be an inflatable canoe or kayak seat for your child. Since your husband weighs considerably more than you, the kid could go forward of the central carry thwart (or yoke).
I wouldn’t rule out fiberglass. I have a 16 footer that weighs 54 pounds. Or an older Kevlar boat - my 17 foot Wenonah weighs 43 pounds.
Royalex boats are commanding premium prices now, because the material is no longer made and the replacements are heavier.
Any boat you buy should be stored out of the sun, but If by chance you find a Royale boat with wooden gunwales, that would also need to be protected from very cold weather to prevent freeze cracks (the Royalex contracts, the wood doesn’t, the Royalex cracks.)
The problem with a third fixed seat in the boat is it tends to be exactly where the portage yoke needs to be. Carrying the 186 was painful as I had to use the seat for the yoke and that didn’t work very well. I’d recommend a clip-in / drop-in seat instead, the kid’s weight isn’t going to affect the boat trim noticeably with 2 adult paddlers and a dog in there.
Penobscot 17 in Royalex would be a fine boat. IIRC the Penobscots were always Royalex. The OT Discovery is poly, they are very good family tripping boats but heavy.
We had an OT Discovery 158 which was poly. This was 3 feet shorter than the Penobscot and weighed the same 85lbs… carried a lot easier though, as it had a proper portage yoke.
Or, the Mad River Explorer would work well, I’d like it better in whitewater than the Penobscot. The clip-in seat from the Penobscot (sold on to a younger family) also fits in my MRE. These were made in Royalex, Kevlar, fiberglass and now there are new ones in T-formex, similar weight to poly, about 80lbs. My Royalex MRE is 65.
The clip-in seat we have is from Old Town, I don’t remember paying this much though…
The Spring Creek one is slightly cheaper, should also work
Actually like this one best of all the designs I find, but UK-made so shipping would be expensive… I like this since it will adjust to fit anywhere in the boat, and looks to be lighter and more easily carried/stored than the big plastic one from OT.
The Penobscot 17 is Royalex. They made a Penobscot 174 made of 3 layer poly. I have a Tripper and a Penobscot 17. They are both great family boats that can often be found at reasonable prices.
The Discovery 169 is a poly boat made from the same mold as the tripper. The poly shrinks a little more so it ends up at 16 feet 9 inches instead of 17 feet 2 inches.
It all depends on your budget. Lighter kevlar new boats will cost more money and be more fragile. Older Royalex or poly boats will be cheaper and tougher, but heavier.
Thanks! I wish there was a comparison chart or something to see which canoes are most like others. I know Mad River and Wenonah both make good boats, just don’t know how those models compare to models I am familiar with. I’m wary of getting something that might be too tippy or too challenging to manuever, as I think it would ruin canoeing for our family. Upon your advice I looked and there is a 16’ Mad River Explorer (not sure of material) in good shape about 1.5 hours from us at a reasonable price. Initial online research suggests it might be a good boat.
$2500 is way outside our budget. I wouldn’t even be considering getting a canoe if that was the $$$ we had to spend to get one!
