unstable roll of Canadienne
Question: I bought an Old Town Canadienne about a year ago, its in excellent shape, just need to recane the two seats. I am an experience paddler and my question is: the canoe seems to roll or rock to either side very easy causing a moment of terror for those aboard (two adult passengers with no gear). Does this seem right?
Iâve owned a fiberglass Canadienne for over 30 years. Downsides - itâs heavy (about 80 lbs), hard to turn and tippy. Upsides - huge carrying capacity, tracks better than any canoe Iâve paddled, whisper quiet in the water, fast in a straight line and very pretty. It turns heads. The tippiness gets better once you have about 400 lbs in it.
Turns out I never did get this Canadienne. I actually decided it was worth what he was asking so told him I would give him his asking price. I thought it was a done deal and we were scheduling a pickup and I never heard back from him. Finally talked to one of his kids and his family didnât want him to sell. Something like that.
Iâve paddled the 17â only, not the 16â, but I found it a wonderful boat loaded up for tripping (a real favorite) and a pain in the butt when heading out lightly loaded, with poor initial stability and very little secondary. It can go over fast on an unwary paddler. If youâre going to use it exclusively as a tripper, youâd be hard-pressed to choose better; it holds a bunch oâ gear, tracks very well and moves along faster than its shape would seem to indicate. However, as a lightly loaded âpleasure craft,â especially with smaller paddlers, Iâd encourage you to look elsewhere. No matter what, this is a boat you need to test paddle before you make a decision.
I have an Old Town Canadienne. It is 17â2â with wooden gunnels. It is forest green fiberglass. I bought for it the âwâ seat - a fiberglass seat that sets on the gunnels to allow the canoe to be used with oars. The hull has some gravel scratches but is rock solid. I would like to sell it.
I have the original brochure here somewhere, but if recall correctly it has a 920 lb. capacity.
Itâs serial number is XTC32131M80G, so I suspect it was manufactured is 1980.
The most glide of any canoe I have ever paddled, even more than a Sawyer Cruiser. The gold ones are kevlar. The 15â7" model is around 48 pounds.
I bought the 15 foot model in kevlar recently for $250. The hull is now patched near the stem with several rolls of fiberglass tape epoxied on the ends. It is fast, really fast. I took out the thwarts and tandem seats and put back a solo seat and new thwarts. Then a coat of green marine paint. It looks new and has the gold interior.
If I sell it, the price will be around $800 at least.
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Sounds like my kind of boat. Perfect length for a solo.
Any Pics?
Sorry I am not good with photos on computers.
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I am looking at a 17ft fiberglass Canadienne. The seller has agreed to sell it along with three paddles for $500. He sent me pictures where it looks like the Gelcoat has scraped off but the fiberglass remains intact.
I can only post one image per reply so hereâs the first.
Should I worry about that damage? Is it easily repairable?
There is also a 16ft kevlar version for sale nearby. But that buyer is asking $1,400.
All advice and opinions are greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Are you sure it is an Old Town Canadienne?
Doesnât look like the one I had 34 years ago.
Yes that looks more like it,
although an older version of the one I had.
Was yours fiberglass? Would you worry about the gel coat damage shown in the pictures?
If you are not afraid of taking on a new kind of project, I doubt that you will find the repair of that damage to be difficult at all. Granted, Iâm not a highly experienced person in this regard, but I did do a total rebuild of an 8" width and 18" length of the keel line of a small motorboat a couple years ago (so complete of a rebuild that I had to build a removable mold for the inside, before starting), and it turned out fabulously, so now at least I have some âfeelâ for this kind of work. If your boat were mine, Iâd probably opt for an epoxy coating (likely a few layers of application, perhaps made a bit more âskid-friendlyâ and less markedly harder than the surrounding gel coat by the addition of graphite) to replace the zone of damaged gel coat, after first widening and tapering the edges of the zone of missing material so the repair would be done in a symmetrical pattern. I would not worry about color-matching, but if you wish to, itâs probably best done with paint.
Thereâs some very good info on doing all sorts of composite repairs yourself, including stuff like this on the website for âWest Systemsâ. âWest Systemsâ is a manufacturer of adhesives for composites and additives for adhesives, especially for boats, as well as a supplier for a wide variety of fiberglass patching materials. I canât remember for sure but they might even sell gel coat, if that is your preference. You will likely need to read through the relevant sections of their instruction manual a number of times before you really âget itâ, in terms of all the relevant details and how you might apply their products to your project, but in the end, the work is suitable for first-timers.
Thank you!
Mine was fiberglass and I wouldnât worry much about gelcoat damage.
One of the greatest canoes designs ever made. Ralph Friese was very talented. I had the 15â7" version and converted it to solo use. Rocket fast and little tender. I just sold mine which was my last canoe.
I bought it for $250, did some fiberglass repairs, painted it and sold it for $700.