I need some help choosing a canoe for my family, we have had all kinds of power boats from a 20’ Mako to a current 13’ Ghenooe and I’ve decided I’m sick of outboards and the troubles they bring.
Currently it’s my wife, daughter, two 30lb Boykin Spaniels and me. We like to go out and spend the day on the local creeks fishing and hanging from hammocks just relaxing. Wife and I are both in good shape and weigh about 350lbs combined. Aditionally I will use the canoe hunting during the winter months both waterfowl and big game.
Creeks we frequent (Brier Creek) are mud bottom fairly slow but can be choked down by log jams and be pretty swift at these points, additionally we will have to pull logs where the creek may be blocked. We will also ocassionally use the canoe on flat water for camping trips.
Budget is pretty much unlimited I just want to buy once, cry once and be happy. Obviously the less I have to spend the better but I don’t want to regret my money spent. I am mostly concerned if we would be happy with something like a Old Town Saranac 160 or if I need to be looking at more high end canoes. Mainly I wonder how much better the higher end stuff will handle the moving water and without testing them in my conditions I will never know. Locally right now there is a Predator 160 available that I considered looking at but I’m not sure if it suits me. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks Aaron.
Welcome to paddling! I feel that given your needs you would be better off without the center console of a Saranac. I paddle similar situations as you describe and just a center thwart gives you more room to pack gear. You would be able to lay a deer in the bottom more easily, or pack camping gear under the thwart. I paddle a Mad River Kevlar Explorer 16 my dog is 43 pounds. I have yet to haul a deer in my canoe, but have packed for several days of camping for 2, and this leaves very little room for my dog. If you plan on camping gear, 2 people and, 2 dogs you might want to consider a bigger canoe. That would mean a heavier boat and be harder to handle alone. Otherwise a 16 footer should work well for your day trips and hunting. When I was younger the canoe weight wasn’t as much of an issue, but now days I want to stay under 60 pounds (that’s why I have a Kevlar canoe at 53 pounds). I am not a fan of the poly hull because of weight. I am a fan of spending less so have bought used on Craigslist. Lots of good boats out there. No one boat does it all so by saving money you could buy more than one to cover your paddling needs. I have 3 canoes now, but have owned as many as 6. I would read the reviews of the boats you are interested in here in the review section before pulling the trigger on one, and ask for input here like you are doing. The link below are reviews for the Saranac 160. Btw Boykin Spaniels are great dogs!
Here is my 16’ packed with camping gear and an ice chest.
@castoff said:
Welcome to paddling! I feel that given your needs you would be better off without the center console of a Saranac. I paddle similar situations as you describe and just a center thwart gives you more room to pack gear. You would be able to lay a deer in the bottom more easily, or pack camping gear under the thwart. I paddle a Mad River Kevlar Explorer 16 my dog is 43 pounds. I have yet to haul a deer in my canoe, but have packed for several days of camping for 2, and this leaves very little room for my dog. If you plan on camping gear, 2 people and, 2 dogs you might want to consider a bigger canoe. That would mean a heavier boat and be harder to handle alone. Otherwise a 16 footer should work well for your day trips and hunting. When I was younger the canoe weight wasn’t as much of an issue, but now days I want to stay under 60 pounds (that’s why I have a Kevlar canoe at 53 pounds). I am not a fan of the poly hull because of weight. I am a fan of spending less so have bought used on Craigslist. Lots of good boats out there. No one boat does it all so by saving money you could buy more than one to cover your paddling needs. I have 3 canoes now, but have owned as many as 6. I would read the reviews of the boats you are interested in here in the review section before pulling the trigger on one, and ask for input here like you are doing. The link below are reviews for the Saranac 160. Btw Boykin Spaniels are great dogs!
Thanks for the input I agree I’m not worried about the center storage and I would rather not have the fancy seats so I think I can rule out the Sanarac 160. Used canoes are slacking around me and most are poly, I have yet to see a composite canoe for sale used. While lightet weight is a plus I’m a young fellow and am in above average shape so i feel I can handle a poly canoe OK when it comes to loading however a lighter canoe would be nice for getting to those hidden hunting spots. A trip to the Okefanokee is high on my list where do you live and how often do you make it out there?
I live in SC. I have been to the Okefenokee 3 times, launching from the 3 different landings. I also paddle in Sparkleberry Swamp here in SC. I have a couple of 17’ sea kayaks I paddle. I have used my canoes for getting into places to deer and turkey hunt mostly with my longbow. I have done very little waterfowl hunting. There are lots of interesting places to paddle in SC, but I usually paddle at least once a year in FL anywhere from the everglades to the St. Mary river on the GA/FL line.
I would look for a Royalex canoe rather than a poly. It isn’t available new anymore, but there are lots of them around still. it is a little lighter and easier to patch if you need to patch it. There are new replacement materials for Royalex. Both Novacraft and Esquif canoe companies have their own laminates replacing Royalex that are superior to poly. You might want to check their web pages.
Evergades
@castoff said:
I live in SC. I have been to the Okefenokee 3 times, launching from the 3 different landings. I also paddle in Sparkleberry Swamp here in SC. I have a couple of 17’ sea kayaks I paddle. I have used my canoes for getting into places to deer and turkey hunt mostly with my longbow. I have done very little waterfowl hunting. There are lots of interesting places to paddle in SC, but I usually paddle at least once a year in FL anywhere from the everglades to the St. Mary river on the GA/FL line.
I would look for a Royalex canoe rather than a poly. It isn’t available new anymore, but there are lots of them around still. it is a little lighter and easier to patch if you need to patch it. There are new replacement materials for Royalex. Both Novacraft and Esquif canoe companies have their own laminates replacing Royalex that are superior to poly. You might want to check their web pages.
Evergades
You are killin me with those pictures they are making me want to get out there so bad! Beautiful places and exactly the kind of areas we like to frequent. I live right on the GA/SC line near Tuckahoe WMA which is where we will spend a lot of time, I too enjoy trad hunting bit I’ve yet to be successful at taking game thus far.
As I add things up, you, your wife and the two dogs put the load over 400 lbs. I assume the daughter does not add much, but then you mentioned camping gear for a few days. I’d suggest that you ought to be looking at a 17’ canoe to comfortably carry that load. There are currently two available in the classified section here: a Tripper and a Penobscot. Both are Royalex boats by Old Town. The Tripper will be easier to turn, while the Penobscot will be easier to keep on course. Both will comfortably carry your intended loads. The prices being asked are typical for these boats and, no, I have no interest in them.
Long ago - early/mid '90s -my brother-in-law & I spent time running class III rapids and tripping in a MR Explorer. The two of us together were around 410 - 420 at the time. That seemed to be a fine load for that hull. I don’t know about the Esquif although the specs look interesting. For newer boats, I’d be inclined to favor the Esquif over the MR if the MR was after they sold out to Confluence.
@aarolar said:
Looking a an Esquif Avalon and a Mad River Explorer locally. Any opinions on which would be better for my uses?
Before I bought my Esquif Presage a couple months ago, the place I bought it from (Appomattox River Canoe in Farmville VA) had a used Esquif Avalon. I was interested in it, but the guys there discouraged me because they said it was really tippy, (poor primary stability). So much so that the (experienced) couple who had bought it, brought it back and traded it in for something else more stable for family paddling.
