brand new from a guy who will sell it to me for $410.00. I don't know much about this canoe but he told me it has the cane seats and is unassembled. Old Town website only shows a 158 & 169.
So, for $775.00 and the MR Explorer 16TT IQ2 with webbed seats versus the Disco 164, what do you think?
It will be used w/ wife, 2 kids (5 & 2 1/2) and 50 lb. dog on deep lakes or ocean bay and with friends on mild Class 1 & 2 rivers.
Thanks
great boat, but …
The disco 164 should not be considered to be a recreational family boat.
Reason #1 – the round bottom makes it a bit tender, not a boat you’d want to have small kids in if they can’t sit perfectly still.
Reason #2 – the seats are too high if she isn’t weighted down with 800 lbs. of gear. I have heard that some people have lowered the seats and have eliminated much of the tenderness. But with 2 kids and a dog, it probably wouldn’t matter much.
Summary – great boat. It can do flatwater and whitewater with ease. It is fast and a real workhorse, but unless you have the best-behaved kids in the universe you’d be best advised to get a flat-bottomed vessel because that round bottom will have you on edge the entire time as you lurch back and forth to counteract whatever the little ones are doing.
just stirring the flames
for the $365 in savings, get some great pfds and get the disco.; the kiddies will learn to be still or if they’re hot, will learn to tip you into the drink. That’s a big price difference and a great deal on the disco.
Discovery 164 is Penobscot in poly
The 164 Discovery is not that squirrelly a boat. It is the Penobscot hull in Poly-link.
Little kids are no problem for stability cause they weigh little and are short. Low center of gravity. the dog will throw you more.
As suggested above, buy it, get good PFD’s for the kids and if it feels unstable lower the seats a couple inches. If you don’t intend to kneel much. lower them when you assemble the boat. Buy some sling seats, hang them low from the gunwale, the kids have short legs and don’t need to be too high till you get used to paddling with them.
The 164 is the best paddling of the Discovery family and is more seaworthy than the 158 with its flat bottom. The 169 and 174 are better suited for the big loads and big water, but this boat is a steal at that price and you will be able to get your investment back years from now.
Bill
Thanks Everybody!
I will get the Disco 164 which i hear evolved into the Alagash 164.
The seat thing is a good idea as it is new and unassembled. Good idea Bill.
I appreciate everybodys help!!!
Bruce
great deal
if it’s a bit squirrely for you at first, you’ll find amazing stability and sporty handling can be accomplished by kneeling. This can overcome kids and the dog if need be, kind of reminds me of skateboarding for the (slightly) older crowd.If you get into the control afforded by kneeling, you may want to leave the seat up so your feet slide out easier.
2 kids and a dog
would make any boat squirelly. You got a heck of a great deal on a boat that will last long enough for you kids to grow up and paddle you around in it. Enjoy.
celia, we started our kids
in a much rounder-bottomed canoe. Each child was under two years old when starting out, and they did move around. We were in class 1-2 whitewater.
The secret is kneeling. New canoeists, and even experienced canoeists with small kids in a tender canoe, should KNEEL for control and stability. If paddlers do what they should do as intelligent people, the issue of initial stability completely disappears.
Thanks for all the help Everybody!!!
You have really made this an easy decsion.
I’m driving down Thursday morning to pick it up.
Bruce
congrats …
And welcome to the club of 164 owners.
The best part of your purchase – aside from getting a great boat at a great price – is that to save your marriage your wife will probably insist you buy another canoe with more initial stability.
And as two boats are always better than one, consider yourself lucky!