I am a long time lurker first time poster. I have enjoyed the wealth of knowledge and info I have gained from the site.
I am considering purchasing a used Grumman G-17. The boat has a few patches in it. I am going to float it prior purchase to see if it leaks. The asking price is $300. Is that a fair price for a patched canoe?
I have limited experience in paddling (probably 20 outings) and I would like to get back into it paddling.
I have now taken up fishing as a hobby and I know I would love to float/fish some rivers again.
Thanks for your responses.
fitngoblr
patches?
That seems high for an aluminum boat that’s patched.
Do you intend to fish from this boat? At the risk of being flamed, I’d encourage you to reconsider any aluminum boat for fishing. They are just too noisy. Try this experiment - have someone in an AL canoe drag his sandy shoe’d foot across the bottom while you are underwater. Increase your distance from the canoe. Do the same with a lure or sinker striking the hull Now keep in mind that the fish can sense the sound vibrations at least many thousands of times better than we can.
Look for a fiberglass canoe for fishing!
patches re;
Good advice. I have never paddled an aluminum boat.
Maybe some fiberglass canoes are
quiet, but mine aren’t. A Royalex boat is pretty quiet, and a wood-canvas canoe would be quiet also.
Lots of people fish successfully out of aluminum canoes. However, I think $300 might be toward the high side for a patched Grumman.
I once sold a Royalex Old Town Tripper to some fishermen for $350, but I’m an idiot.
You can get by with aluminum
Look at all the people fishing out of aluminum rowboats, doing just fine! I fished all my life mostly from one aluminum boat or another and never felt like noise was in issue. Sure once in a while you will drop something and make a little “bang”, but with a little care you’ll be just fine. Besides, I don’t think it’s the sound that bothers fish in the first place, but waves of disturbance. You can clunk the bottom of any boat and watch the fish dart away, regardless of whether significant sound is produced, just like stepping too hard on the river bank (which makes no sound at all) will have the same effect.
I agree with the others, that for that price, I’d look for a boat that’s in better shape, unless the patches have been very nicely done and the boat looks “in good shape” overall. Usually, an aluminum canoe that has needed patching has been badly abused.
Fiberglass & kevlar boats not as quiet
as royalex or plastic, but probably quieter than aluminum.
I have an Alumicraft and a Grumman 17’ aluminum canoes that I keep at our small family pond and I don’t paddle them much, but I was pleasantly surprised with their handling when I test paddled them before buying.
$350 may be OK or not OK, depending on the boat condition and the local market. Around here, I’ve seen similar canoes advertised from $175 to $800 with varying accessories.
Where?
Don’t know what area the OP is shopping in, but around here $300 is a little high for a Grumman that has been abused enough to need patching.
I wouldn’t pay $300 for a patched
aluminum.
last year I passed up a old used fiberglass canoe for $150.
tell the seller you’ll give him a hundred dollars to take it off his hands.
If he refuses just keep looking and you will be the winner.
Cheers,
JackL
I paid …
$275 for a 15’ Grumman that was sitting in someone’s back yard for years. It had no patches and after cleaning it up, looked like it was barely used…plus it came with paddles/pfd’s
Grumman
I recently bought a very nice 17 Eagle for $450.
I use it for fishing with good results. I put pipe insulation on the gunnels and thwarts. I also put some thin plastic non skid material from Cabelas on the floor just in front of each seat. This cuts the noise down a lot.
I wouldn’t pay $50
for any aluminum canoe, unless I could sell it on the spot for at least $100.
just plain don’t like 'em.
when was the last time you tried a …
…good one?
I have a bunch of tupperware and composite canoes, and two years ago we rented two aluminum ones from the national park in Everglades City Florida and took some family members on the Turner river.
I was very impressed on their handling, weight and how well built they were.
[URL=<a href=“http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2665377490088080270vGXVYF” TARGET="_new">http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2665377490088080270vGXVYF</a>]http
Cheers,
JackL
I didn’t buy the Grumman.
The seller had bought the boat at a yardsale and it looked rough. It looked like the previous owner tried to patch up the seams in the deck with bondo. Between the testimonials posted here and the boat condition I passed on the Grumman @ $250. I chickened out. The search is still on.
I just missed out on a Blue Hole Royalex OCA 16 Prowler for $350. It sold before I could get there. I tried to buy it sight unseen from pics only, but the seller said he had some one coming within one hour to see it and I am 160 miles away. I think it’s going to be “the one that got away”. I am sick over missing it.
Thanks for the advice on the Grumman.
fitngoblr
missed deals
I know how you feel. I’ve missed (by that much) on some great deals. But keep looking and you will eventually connect. There are lots of good used canoes out there if one is patient.
same place, similar canoe
Turner River is the last place I paddled an aluminum canoe.
aluminum canoes
Prices on used aluminum canoes seems to have gone up a bit. With increases in prices of scrap aluminum, I think quite a few have gone that route.
I don’t much care for aluminum canoes either, but I took multiple trips in the Boundry Waters with them and they served me pretty well.
One thing that can be said for them is that they are as close to zero maintenance as a canoe can get. They can be stored outdoors with impunity, buried in snow, baked in hot sun, etc. Barring a pin that hogs the keel or breaks a gunwale, they can also take incredible abuse.