I was wondering if anyone out there could give mesome information on an Oscoda canoe that I bought used for $200 from a coworker. I know it is a 16ft model, white gelcoat? hull, appears to be made of some composite material (fiberglass, kevlar, etc), and from what I have discovered so far, may have been made by Sawyer Canoe company. Can anyone tell me what material the canoe was made of and a little more about the company that made it. As I happened to see another vehicle with a green colored Oscoda canoe and hasme wondering now. Thanks!
sawyer canoes
This co. must be closed. The research I did led me to find that the canoe is fiberglass and no mention of the newer fibers on the market but they can be used to repair. Be aware of UV exposure on the glass and keep it out of the sun. I had a 22’ Jensen model and it would fly on the water. It is not to hard to steer. With a bent-shaft paddle it was a joy to paddle.
Sawyer Canoe Company
Sawyer made an inexpensive 16’ fiberglass canoe in the late 70’s that was sold at places like K-Mart and large sporting goods stores. They mostly produced high end, high priced, high quality canoes but made at least this one attempt to break into the low end market. Father of a friend of mine bought one new. Not a bad boat, but I’m pretty sure it was a polyester resin/woven roving layup.
Thanks
Before I bought it, it was stored outside, I now keep it in my garage. The weight isn’t bad and it handles great, especially if I take it out solo, though if its windy out I it tends to spin due to the lack of a person in the front. It is fairly fast on the water as well. It is also strong as I backed into the side of a stop sign I didn’t see at a livery and it just slighty bent the gunwale that I bent back. I couldn’t believe it didn’t do any more damage than that. Seems now like a great bargain at $200, as some the prices for similar models, new, would be much greater. I do think I will stick with watercraft made from composite materials in the future, as I am well pleased with this one.
sawyer canoe…
Go to …miracing.com… Michigan Canoe racing web site and put up a posting, I’ll bet someone there can tell you all about that boat!
I had an oscoda
Oscoda canoes were made by Sawyer. I had a 17’ model called the Family 17. I had it from about 1988 -1996. It was a very good canoe made of fiberglass with black aluminum trim and nice tractor style seats. It was a symetrical design, about 3’wide at midships and performed pretty well for what it was, a solid utilitarian canoe. It reminds me sort of the wenonah spirit, only maybe a touch slower.
There seemed to be fewer layers of glass than some of the Mad Rivers of that era and probably would take a beating if you use it for rocky areas but for flatwater stuff these were very good, functional canoes and unless you’re racing should serve you well.
What is the hull ID? Should be a 12-character ID, combination of numbers and letters.
13 years is a pretty good resurrection from the dead! I’d be surprised if they are still looking for boat information, but hey, you never know I guess.