I am going to purchase my first canoe and will be using it for fishing. I’ve been checking out the Old Town Predator C133. I plan on using a smal outboard or trolling motor with it. It is 13’3"L 40"w 14"deep. I want to use it everywhere; Lakes, small streams, and slow to moderate current rivers. I’m not sure about loading/unloading a 78lb canoe and how it may perform solo with the motor (30-50lb).
I am a boat owner but completely new to canoes. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
If you will be using it solo
and doing any paddling at all, a 40" wide canoe will not be an easy canoe to paddle. If you are only going to use a motor and never (or almost never) paddle then I would suggest a square stern canoe. If you plan to do any paddling, I would not suggest a square stern nor a canoe as wide at 40". Keep in mind you can put a trolling motor on any canoe. If you think you will be fishing primarily and solo most of the time there are several other models to consider. Is weight an important factor? Polylink is heavy. Other materials are equally durable and lighter, for example Royalex. Do you want tandem capability or only solo? Here are some models I would suggest you look at for fishing in tandem models: Old Town Osprey 140, Nova Craft Bob Special, OT Stillwater 14, Wenonah Fisherman, Wenonah Heron 15, Wenonah Kingfisher. For solo you might consider a Wenonah Vagabond or an OT Pack although any symeterical tandem canoe can be paddled solo by paddling reverse from front seat assuming you get the web or woven seats and not the molded seats.
You may also want to post this in the advice forum as it gets more traffic then this one.
old town predator
Mike,one question is what are you carrying it in?
A suv or pickup,if it’s the first,i hope you’re a
stronger man than me to lift it up there.I had a
esquif mallard which had a square stern and paddled like a tank!It probably did well with a motor and was only 45 lbs.The above models suggested are also good ones.I bought a scott lil canoe in slimline version,but have only used it
three times so can’t give a lenghty rating on it.