Most stable canoe

Good points, jbd.
Doesn’t everyone want a lighter canoe? :wink:

Pontoons
Cabelas has pontoons that clamp onto the gunnals.

The rateings are all 5 stars.

At $259 ,the price may seam high; but it’s probably less than your losses selling or tradeing in your perfictly good canoe.

Physics…
If I take a 14 ft. log and try to stand up on it as it floats, it ain’t gonna be easy. If I have the same diameter log that’s 2 feet longer, it’s not going to be any better, it’ll still roll just as quickly. Now if I have a flat raft that’s 14 feet long and a flat raft of the same width that’s 16 feet long, I suppose that the extra 2 feet of “flatness” will make it a little more stable. Seems to me that a canoe is somewhere in between those two examples. A couple of extra feet might mean a foot or so more “somewhat-flatness”. Might make a little difference in that case, but I wouldn’t think it would be very much. I guess we’d have to paddle the 147 and the 160 and see what that extra foot and a half does for stability. I’d be surprised if it made much difference.

Physics makes longer more stable
A canoe is a displacement hull. As you heel a canoe the bilges and sides come into contact with the water and displace it. It takes force to displace the water. The force is coming from your weight in the boat.



If a boat is longer, there will be more total surface area of the hull in contact with the water as you begin to heel. This means the longer boat must displace more water in order to reach any given angle of heel. However, the amount of force – your weight – remains the same. Therefore, the longer hull will be harder to heel and hence be more stable.



Also disagree with your log example. A longer log will have a greater resistance to rolling for at least two physics reasons. First, it has more mass and hence more resting inertia. Second, its longer length will cause more frictional resistance with the water as it rolls. For both of these reasons, it will take more force to roll the longer log and thus it will feel more stable.



These differences might not be detectable as between a 14’ and 16’ log, but they probably would be to an experienced canoeist in the case of actual hulls of the same BWL but different LWL’s.

Not positve, but I think
the Guide has a shallow arch hull. If so, that’s why it feels unstable to you. Shallow arch hulls do secondary stability better, and as others have said, it sounds like you’re seeking initial stability. I was seeking the same thing so my wife and nine year old daughter would feel comfy when they went with me in my canoe. As it turns out my nine year old daughter feels comfy in just about anything, but I digress. I ended up buying a Mad River Explorer. At sixteen feet in Royalex/ash layup it weighs 68 pounds. It’s a dream to paddle and has rock solid initial stability, and believe it or not, really good secondary stability as well. It handles really well when I turn it around and paddle solo or when I’m in the stern with a passenger in the bow. I bought mine new for various reasons, but used ones are fairly easy to come by. Based on what you’ve said I think you’d be happy with one, but I agree there’s no substitute for decent technique.

Mad River Explorers are
very forgiving canoes. As a senior myself, I recommend the kevlar layup which is light enough to carry and lift for a few more years of paddling. They are not too uncommon on the paddleswap.com market and hold their value well.

Mad River Explorer
Mad River Explorer has very high final stability and its maneuverability is quite good.



Explorer has some weaknesses as well. Because it is quite good river tripping canoe and it has high sides, it catches some windage on lakes. Explorers solo performance is also limited due its width and high sides.



But as true mixed water tandem canoe it might be one of the best choices.



Pete


Okay, I can buy that…
but I’m not sure how much difference there would be in practice between two hulls with a foot and a half of difference in length and little difference in width or hull shape for somebody whose major criteria is initial stability. A few more inches difference in width or a difference in hull shape between flat bottom and shallow arch bottom will make a whole lot more difference.

I saw an ad on craigslist
I can’t find it now, but it was one of these: http://www.kidfun2.com/paddleboats.html



It’s not a canoe, but it looks pretty stable.

You didn’t mention weight
The older I get, the more I appreciate a lighter boat as much as for stability. Try test driving a Wenonah Champlain in ultralight kevlar with tractor slider seats. I think you’ll be hooked…

LOL!
My son made me take him out on one of those torture racks last year. Its was like pedaling a toddler’s tricycle. My legs were cramped up all day. We did not, however, tip over. Stable: yes. Fun: no!!!

Not a bad choice!
Tetonjohn’s choices look like definite players…fwiw.



$.01

he’s not "most of you"
The OP isn’t looking for what you use. He’s looking for stability and gave his reasons for doing so.

or a rowboat
Or a yacht. Why assume he wants a canoe?

these look stable also
http://www.krupas.com/proof/images/searay-l-1.jpg

http://www.laketravisgetaway.com/images/New/GetawayBoatDock.jpg

http://www.dimensionsguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ocean-Liner.jpg

stable canoe
I have an aluminum flat bottom canoe. Due to it’s weight and flatter bottem I’ve found this style to be most stable in the water.

Stable canoe
For the use you mentioned You should have a look at the Sportspal canoes made by Myers. I have a 14 footer that I use for fishing me and the wife . Very stable and lightweight .