I am a newbie to canoeing and have a 2 acre farm pond. Looking to get a canoe that 2 of us can go out and fish out of and just paddle around. I have looked for advice on the forums and just get back to the sarnac 14 but then read that it is not what many would choose for this application.
What opinions are out there to look at for this application that will lat a long time with proper storage and is stable for a newbie? I have been on kayaks and other boats many, many times but never bought one for myself.
Go aluminum
Go with an aluminum canoe. You can leave it by the pond with out worry. It will be plenty stable to fish out as well
Brian
Why not?
With a 2 acre farm pond you are looking at a beach chair for two. Fish etc
Usually I don’t look for cushy seats but again it’s for a happy hour use.
My two cents based on experience
I recommend getting an aluminum canoe. We did but I became addicted to canoeing so things progressed from there. Here’s my tale of woe.
About 30 years ago we bought a house on 20 acres that includes a 7 acre pond. At that time I had not been canoeing in about 20 years.
We bought a 17 foot aluminum canoe to paddle around the pond with our 60 pound dog. Soon we found ourselves doing nearby rivers with the local Sierra Club and other local groups.
As time went on my wife’s interest in canoeing waned and she did not want to go out as often as I did so I bought a kayak.
Then I started doing multi-night downriver camping trips and decided to get a solo canoe to haul my gear. While researching solo canoes I discovered paddling.net.
An old pnetter posted a trip report about meeting other pnetters and paddling the Edisto River in South Carolina. Someone responded to that post by asking if there were a place we could do something like that in the Midwest.
Wildernewebb and thebob suggested the Current River in the Missouri Ozarks in October. I had been on the Eleven Point river in the Ozarks with our local group once before and loved that river with its clear water (unheard of here in central Iowa) and beautiful scenery.
I said to myself: “An Ozark river in the fall? I don’t know these folks, but I’m going.” That was in October 2001. By then I had bought my first solo canoe.
I soon sunk deep into my canoeing addiction. I now have that original aluminum canoe, that kayak, and two solo canoes.
Now every year I go to both the Fall and Spring Ozark Rendezvous, and another annual trip with pnetters on the Namekagon in Wisconsin to honor our departed friend Darryl (AKA DuluthMoose on pnet.)
In addition since I retired I am out on a river, local or distant, every chance I get. My favorite rivers so far have been the Green River and San Juan River in Utah, and the Buffalo National River in the Arkansas Ozarks.
So to wrap up, I recommend an aluminum canoe to start with on your pond. But be forewarned, it will not stop there.
Aluminum pro & cons
Aluminum will last and last. Most designs are stable. Most are noisy, you drop a split shot and every fish within a mile is spooked. The two versions of the Sportspal Canoe are quieter and more comfortable. The floatation is a sheet of foam that lines the interior of the hull. And the bench seat Meyers Sportspal puts the foam on top of the seats. The foam lining also cuts down the interior reflection of a normal aluminum hull which becomes a reflector oven in sunlight and does a great job of cooking your legs. The last advantage to the Sportspals is a pair of foam sponsons attached to the sides of the hull. Really tough to capsize.
As far as the plastic canoes like the Saranac. They will also last a long time with care. For paddling around a pond they will do, most negatives concern their paddling characteristics, somewhat slow and very heavy to carry. For your use the built-in cooler would be handy.
Bill
Craiglist
No need to waste time doing research on a new canoe that will suit your needs.
Search canoes on Craiglist in your area.
You should be able to find a decent condition, aluminum canoe of 16 to 17 feet for under 400 dollars.
Store it near your pond; no hassle moving it around.
It may last you for 50 years…
Grumman, Osagian, and Lowes (to name a few) made some decent canoes.
BOB
The reflector-oven affect
Plaidpaddler rightfully mentions how you can get baked in an unlined or unpainted aluminum canoe. This is probably why some makers paint the inside bottom of their boats. But it’s worth mentioning that old aluminum canoes don’t reflect much since their natural color is a very dull gray. If you get a well-used aluminum canoe, don’t even think about restoring its original shine. Leave that faded metal as it is.
reflector oven cure
You can cut down the noise and reflector effect by lining the bottom of the canoe with a piece of cheap indoor-outdoor carpet. Not a good cure if the canoe needs to be carried, but for your pond application its easy.
Bill
Great Feedback
Thanks for all the quick and great feedback.
Aluminum
I’ve had my aluminum canoe for 40 years now and it works good as new!