Anyone have experience with these somewhat unusual canoes-good/bad, recommend or flee thee!
thanks.
The Cranberry
I have the Golden Hawk, which I believe is the same mold. It is a good canoe for powered movement. I use mine with a trolling motor for rivers of moderate current here in TN. The rear passenger will be busy controlling the craft, if not anchored, to let the foreward passenger fish. I find mine to be robust and quite stable. There is something quite pleasing about the tapered rear design under the transom and I do believe it adds to maneurverability. I have not used mine for paddling and I suspect there would be superior canoes for that purpose.
darn.
Thanks,
wanting to use it for general canoeing so sounds like perhaps not the best choice. Time for more research.
What are your long-term needs/goals?
– Last Updated: Feb-02-06 11:55 PM EST –
If you only need a boat that will move you short distances on small waters, this may do the trick for you. If you are serious about traveling longer distances (especially upstream or on bigger waters) or if you want to become somewhat skilled at paddling so you can really enjoy directing the boat to move you, I'd suggest something a bit more "serious". In case "serious canoeing" sounds too highfaluten, let me assure you that it need not be. However, a short, fat boat with a keel will never again be really "fun" once you get a little practice in a boat with features found on what most of us would call "real canoes." However, there is such a huge variety of canoe styles to choose from (not to mention individual makes and models) that picking a boat can be daunting.
My first thought is that it's too bad Mohawk is (I hope just temporarily) no longer making boats, as one of their smaller canoes would be a dandy starting point if you want something about this size, but which could run rings around any Cranberry Creek model.
Before you can decide what boat is a good choice you need to pin down your needs a bit. What kind of water will you paddle (this includes things like the need to maneuver around creek bends and slip between logjams - Hey, I've logged a lot of miles paddling in central Iowa, and I've seen some of your rivers and creeks!), and how far will you go on your trips? Will you be paddling tandem or solo, or both? How much gear will you take (day-trip gear, camping gear, fishing gear)? Would you like to become reasonably good at paddling in the near future, or is access to the water your only goal?
Lots of people show up here and ask advice regarding choosing their first boat. Provide enough background regarding your needs and you'll get lots of good advice. Be aware that most of the recommended canoes will be more expensive than those from Cranberry Creek, but there are good used boats are out there too.
So, how about filling us in on how you plan to use your boat?
more info
Certainly don’t consider myself an expert but also not a beginner. Had a great week in the BWCA last summer. I presently own an 18’ Grumman (nick named Silvertank) that is a fun tandom craft, especially as I canoe/fish with a lot of family novices. I’ve considered buying some stabilizers as I have been wet more than once, but can’t get mad at the brother-in-law. The Cranberry Creek brand was appealing due to it’s high stability factor, but I also don’t want to paddle a john boat. I am actually looking for two boats, a good tandom canoe and a good solo canoe.