Need family boat suggestion

OK, this is my situation. I have three boys, 10, 8, and 2 years of age. Up until now we have been using a 2-3 man plastic kayak with me in the back and my 10 and 8 year old up front and in the middle. I am the only one paddling. This has worked fine until this this year, its getting a little crowded…and soon the 2 year old will want to join in. We use the kayak for day trips on large lakes/rivers and for overnight kayak camping trips. I recently bought a QCC kayak for myself for when I go out alone.



What is my solution for the near future.

A. Tow the boys in the 3 man kayak with my QCC

B. Get a cheap canoe

C. Get an inflatable

D. Continue using the 3 man kayak and limit my QCC trips to when I am alone.

canoe
Get a halfway decent used canoe that is really stable and at least 17 feet long.

canoe
I agree.

well
Definitely the second part of D…keep the QCC for when you want to go out by yourself…



I wouldn’t try to tow 3 kids with the qcc…the age of the youngest just completely puts that one out in my mind, he needs an adult IN the boat.



I would say



A. a canoe



B. get a small yak for the 10 year old and keep the two younger ones with you. you can tow the 10 year old as needed while he paddles along, and the middle son should be able to do at least some paddling with you in the bigger boat.

Get right-sized yaks
for the 10 and 8 year old. When they grow out of them, the two year old will eventually grow into them.

Get a really good canoe so you can
understand why canoes are the SUVs of personal watercraft. For multiple people and lots of gear, for loading and unloading ease, canoes rule.

Get a canoe.
Canoes are much bigger than kayaks witch means they can hold alot. All the boys and you could probally fit in a 16 foot canoe.

another option to a canoe.
you could make the boys pirogues. I Like the canoe option as well but a boy older than 6 can help build and maintain his very own boat. I built an 8 footer for my 7 year old 11 years ago. It was very short and he quickly learned how to make it go straight but it never went fast. next time I’d start them with 12 foot boats. Although we do still use a few 9 foot rec kayaks for river play

get the canoe
and you need to get the 2 older boys to help paddle! i have 3 kayaks for 2 adults and 2 kids (oldest one is 7) and i’ve found long distance travel in the kayaks is torturous because i try to let the oldest one paddle as much as possible so he can develop the skills and the endurance, but that usually means very slow going. also, buying multiple kayaks with adequate storage capacity for overnight gear is much more expensive than one canoe.



as to the length of the canoe, i wouldn’t settle for anything under 18’ for overnighting because of all the gear.