Looking thru the reviews the Minnesota IV is the longest. Is this correct? Does anyone know of one longer?
Looking for one that will haul 4 people plus gear. Lots of gear.
Thanks
BG
Have a gander at tis…
Might be a little bigger then yer want…
http://www.clippercanoes.com/montreal.php
FE
except for the kind
FE sent you already: probably not.
But are ou sure about this?
Talking 4 adults? Or 2+2?
If the latter: there are better, more versatile canoe choices for tripping than the Minnesota 4…If four adults: I would discourage you.
And: depending on were you gona use that canoe, you have legal implementations in some places with canoes over 20ft.
In Canadian water ie you would be requierd to carry a rescue float and a pump in addition to the already for ‘normal’ canoes requiered stuff. Some PP don’t allow canoes over 20 ft length. And at 23 ft-holy cow-how would transport her? I’m scared a lot of times with my 19footer on top of my cars…
Sawyer once offered a 24 footer, but
it was for speed, not load hauling.
Thanks FatElmo
I think that’s a longer canoe than I’d need, not to mention it’s way out of price range. Heck I could get a pontoon boat cheaper. I bet some of those 34-41’ would catch a lot of wind too, guess that’s why they need 8-20 paddlers.
Gives me an idea, I could use a longboat as an option instead of a canoe, but portage would be a real pain…
This would be for 2 adults, 2 kids.
Hmmm, 34’ would give them plenty of seperate space.
Thanks
BG
my thoughts
on two adults, two kids:
Wenonah Itasca (my choice),
Clipper Mc kenzie 20 (bit slower than the above but more freeboard)
Esquif Miramichi (20’-only available in RX=heavy)
havn’t tried one yet
I’m sure, there are more out there in the 20 ft range…
How about the MN III
If you are looking at the MN IV, what about the Minnesota III? 20’ long, should hold two adults and two kids with room for gear and still handle well, on and off the car
all the Minnesotas
are without any rocker. They have a turning radius when laden that’s nothing short of the one of USS Enterprise… 
MN III and MN IV do have rocker
Its really small compared to a WW boat or a Prospector type, but the MN–III has 1 1/2" and the MN-IV has 2".
From a few miles of experience in the MN-IV; over 250 in competition and several hundred more tripping, I will offer some insight.
It will handle 4 adults and gear, room and not weight has been our limiting factor. Between the #2 and #3 seats is about the same length as in the MN-III between the bow seat and #2 seat. There is a lot of length under the seats and you are not paddling with your feet under the seat ahead of you.
We paddled this canoe with paddler weights of 160#, 265#, 180#, and 185#. Thats 790# total paddler weight. We took a cart, 6 gallons of water, the usual race gear, so maybe 75# of total gear. Not a tripping gear load for sure, but about 850# total load. There was plenty of freeboard for open lakes. We took less water than the tandem teams in 18’6" canoes. The extra length in the midsection means every inch of displacement is a lot of load. The canoe does not dive into waves as you would expect a narrow bow to do. It bridges several waves. Only the sharp boat wakes came close the top of the bow. And as the wakes passed along the hull and hit the wide and long midsection, the hull would rise. The MN-IV is 14.5" deep in the middle, and its a long middle.
What is nice about this boat compared to going in two tandems, is that you can go out with two inexperienced paddlers and not lose time waiting for them to catch up. Usually going with two inexperienced paddlers meant splitting them up and GW and I each taking one. It meant a workout for each of us and not getting to paddle together. Now we can put the new guys in the middle and not have to worry if they know all the strokes. They just paddle and watch GW in the bow and learn. They learn the route, the technique, can look around and enjoy the trip, and if they tire, the boat does not stop.
We did the 90mile Adirondack Classic with two people who could not have managed a boat on their own. One due to back problems, and one due to lack of paddling experience. WE did fine as a team. 4 people to carry a 64# boat is no challenge. On trips we can single carry portages, saving a lot of walking. Now its only the length of the carry, not 3 times the distance. 4 people do not carry twice the gear of 2, at least our crew has not. Lots of cooking gear, the tarp, water filter, stoves, clean up gear, does not need duplication.
As far as turning, Canoecamp is much more WW oriented than myself, I find the Minnesota IV only longer than the Minnesota II, not harder to turn. Picking your course in narrow streams takes more planning ahead and a good set of eyes in the bow. Someone coming from a Canadian 16 footer with rocker will think they are in a long,long, supertanker. Coming from an 18’Jensen, or Minnesota II the change is not much.
As far as speed, 4 mediocre paddlers in a loaded MN-IV can pace the best racers in a loaded 16’ or 17’ rec or touring canoe. You can take along the inexperienced and cover a lot of water without killing yourself. With 4 good paddlers you can cruise for miles at 6.5 to 7mph. Cranking it at sprint pace Team Darryl had it up to 8.5mph on Long Lake in windy, wavy conditions. It does have a slight speed edge on the MN-III with 4 paddlers in each.
Bill
Minnesotas
They have a long turning radius when you don’t know how to paddle. When you paddle with a partner and both of you know turning stokes it is no problem with a 18’6" boat. Leaning gives the boat rocker, a bow post or bow rudder combined with draw strokes in the stern snap the boat around. I have a DVD with people paddling the MII that turns almost like a slalom boat.
Palkro
folks;
– Last Updated: Jan-17-07 4:13 PM EST –
we're talking novices if I'm not mistaken.
Family with two kids. They want to be able to beach for lunch in that nice cove that they just passed without having to plan for it at breakfast......
I've paddled a MN3 and compared to my boat or the Mc Kenzie the MN is a rocket that's fast and loves the straight trajectory it was made for.
But it's not the kind of canoe I would recomend for a family..
Volume in Tripper
I have a Old Town Tripper XL. It is 20’ long, and has plenty of volume. Compared to the Minnessotas, it isn’t nearly as fast, and is quite a bit heavier. However, it is more manueverable and more seaworthy.
I like this canoe, but it is really heavier than I would like to carry.
Why not put your family in two standard canoes?
Bell Northshore
It’s pretty new and I haven’t paddled it, but the optimal load is 600-1000lbs. Should be all a family of 4 needs for tripping
http://bellcanoe.com/products/canoes/northshore.html