Help Id Needed on Canoe

-- Last Updated: Jun-22-14 4:16 AM EST --

I am looking into buying my first canoe and am looking at one that is fiberglass(I have done a lot of research and found i think fiberglass will fit my needs).
The one I have found is called a traveller. I tried searching the net and cannot find anything on them. I don't know who made them, and cannot find anymore info on them.

The price is in my range and it looks like a good one. I just need some opinions from more experienced people. Is fiber glass good? I was comparing fiberglass vs poly vs aluminum. Those were the 3 types in my price range.

Has anyone ever heard of a traveller and are they good or should I avoid it?

Traveler canoes
There have been a bunch of canoes called “Traveler” including high end boats form Stewart River Boatworks, Merrimack Canoe, and Northwoods Canoe. The only fiberglass Traveler I know of was made by Mad River Canoe but there are probably others I don’t know about.



Look for the hull identification number (HIN) which is often engraved on an aluminum plate towards the stern, or sometimes stamped into the hull material. The first three letters will be the Manufacturers Identification Code. If the first three letters are “MAD” then it is a Mad River Traveler.



If so, it is a large volume 16+ foot solo canoe. There are some reviews of the Mad River Traveler here on pnet which you can check out. If it is not a MRC Traveler, you will be more likely to find an answer if you post the HIN, or if you can’t find one, put up some pictures and dimensions such as overall length and maximum beam.



Well built fiberglass canoes are fine, better for most uses than aluminum or polyethylene.

You need to be very specific about
what you’re looking at, if our “expert” opinions are to be worth anything.



There aren’t many high quality canoes made today out of pure fiberglass. Good builders mix materials, like Wenonah’s Tufweave blend, a mixture of fiberglass and polyester.



It’s possible that you’ve identified a “traveler” that is decent, though inevitably heavy, being made of fiberglass. Let us know exactly what you’re looking at, and we’ll try to help.

traveller
As mentioned there were several manufacturers who made a model called traveler. Dimensions would be helpful, along with what you can see of the interior. The HIN number as mentioned would be most beneficial, though this canoe could have been made by a small builder and not labeled with a HIN. The type of trim; are the gunwales wood, aluminum, vinyl? Are the seats wood framed or aluminum; are they cane, laced, webbing? Are there any ribs inside the hull? How is the surface of the interior? Is it a woven pattern of fine or coarse cloth? Is it a mass of short fibers with no pattern? These things will tell us a lot about its construction and its weight and how good a canoe it might be. There are many defunct canoe builders; some were very good, some made bad canoes.

Bill

Traveler
I am new to this forum and am unsure how to post pictures. Looks like you have to be a paddling perks member.



I haven’t seen the boat in person yet and from the pictures i don’t see a HIN.



It looks like it would be for more than one person from what i can tell it has what looks like 2 seats. I have only ever owned one canoe and for a short time and it was a coleman so i don’t really know a lot of about canoes yet.



Here is the guys link to his ad on CL (mods i am not sure if its allowed to post links on here so if its not please forgive me)



http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/4531521114.html



I have yet to hear back from him about it.



It is hard to see from the picture about the HIN but he has pics of the canoe its self as well.

From the pics it looks like a good fiberglass canoe, and from what i can tell it looks like an older made one.






Traveler Boat Division, Stanray Corp.
Well, it is a so-so canoe. It is probably a model called the “Scout”, a 15 1/2 foot tandem, 3 feet in maximum beam. The model and serial number are probably scratched onto the aluminum plate but not visible in the photo.



It has the shape of a Prospector type canoe which is not bad. It is a popular hull style for river and flat water use, better for the former than the latter. What is not as good is that it appears to be of chopper gun construction in which fiberglass fibers are cut into short lengths, mixed with resin, and sprayed into a mold. This type of construction was very common is entry level boats and was easy to manufacture in a consistent fashion, but is resin rich (meaning heavy) and because the fibers are short, not particularly strong.



The boat has a keel, which again was very common in entry level boats, as the keel added some rigidity to an otherwise floppy hull bottom. But a keel is not a particularly desirable feature especially for river use. The flat, solid aluminum seats are probably not going to be comfortable to sit on, and they will be hot in the summer, and cold in the cooler months. And the boat is going to be pretty heavy, expect around 80 lbs.



But if you are intending to use the boat on flat water and lazy streams, don’t anticipate having to carry it any distance, it might suit your needs. If you are interested, I would probably offer the seller about $150. I think in overall quality it is roughly comparable to a three layer polyethylene boat or an aluminum boat but no better.

canoe
Yeah i doubt he will go below 200 for it as it is summer time canoeing where i am now, and there arent any boats/canoes around here to be had for under 200 ish.



I found a 16’ Grumman Aluminum Canoe. His ad says…

“Great canoe. A little rough, has been repaired a few times. But still very functional.

Ready for you and for the water.”



http://corvallis.craigslist.org/boa/4495669301.html



No pictures of the damage/repairs, and hes asking 150 for it although he said he would take 125. I am not sure if its worth 125 for a beat up one.



Is aluminum any good? I have heard a lot of pluses and minus for aluminum.

I want to fish with it on flat water lakes, and that’s about all. I don’t really like calm springs or rivers as i had a canoeing trip from H*** on one and lost a lot.



thanks



JP

I’d go with the Traveler
Dear jp,



Of the two boats you are considering I’d definitely go with the Traveler.



That Grumman is absolutely hammered. I don’t think I have ever seen one in worse condition except for one that was lost in a flood and washed up on the river bank.



The Traveler will probably be a bit on the heavy side but it should work fine for lake fishing.



It’s difficult to buy a used canoe for $ 200.00 - $ 250.00. They can be found but you might need to look for quite a while.



If you do buy a $ 200.00 canoe and don’t damage it then if you find that you want to progress to a newer lighter canoe you can probably get your money back out of it.



Regards,



Tim Murphy AKA Goobs

The Grumman is misshapen and
has met with too many rock lovers.



It needs to go to aluminum recycling. Aluminum canoes are fine. THAT one is not.

Yes, I agree
If you are in the Pacific Northwest, you are in sea kayak country and your selection of used canoes may be limited.



If it comes down to the fiberglass tandem or the aluminum boat, I would go with the fiberglass canoe. The aluminum canoe might float, but a tin boat that has been hammered that hard is almost bound to have a bunch of leaking rivets. Those can be fixed but let someone else do it.

no aluminum

– Last Updated: Jun-22-14 6:49 PM EST –

Thank you guys for the reply's.
I will definitely pass on the aluminum one then. I was thinking that but was unsure.

I still am unable to find more info on the fiberglass one other than what was posted by the above poster. I wont be portaging it and it will mostly be used on calm lakes.

canoe
Are Prospector type canoe’s good?

my last canoe i owned for a few weeks was a Coleman poly and it was 16ft i believe.



And yes i am in the Pac NW and def seems like more yakers than canoers and its especially hard to find em during the summer months around here since the lakes become popular.

they are deep
tend to be round bottom and have close to symmetrical rocker.



They are excellent load haulers for deep rivers and also good for learning canoe strokes as they are responsive. Sometimes for new canoe paddlers too responsive.



There is a good bit of variation as the “Prospector” title is shared by several makers and the designs are not the same.

thanks for all the help guys :slight_smile:
thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate all the advice and input.



He ended up selling the canoe out from underneath me after hours of communication!!



Oh well i guess the search continues maybe it was for the better.



JP