A friend and I are looking for a used canoe. We’ll mostly use it on small slow rivers with a fair number of obstacles like fallen trees. We both have young kids, less than 10 years old, which could also be considered obstacles. We were looking at the Old Town Discovery 158 (now Kineo 158) because of price, stability and durability. I rented a Discovery 169 and tried it out. It’s not perfecet but we can live with it including the weight. Then I saw some used Wenonah Explorer TT’s for sale and they appear to be similar to the Discovery series. Can anyone offer a comparison or give us any other advice? I would appreciate your help.
Wenonah Explorer TT??
I guess you mean a Mad River Explorer TT
You’re right
I meant a Mad River Explorer TT. Thanks.
Differences…
– Last Updated: Jun-03-05 7:27 PM EST –
The Mad River Explorers have vee bottoms, which reduces the amount of oil-canning by giving you a stiffer bottom. The Discos don't have the vee - the 158, in fact, has an almost perfectly flat bottom, and is prone to 'waving' as you paddle it. Old Town's crosslink build has a plastic foam core, which adds buoyancy; the TTT build doesn't have the foam core, but does seem a bit stiffer.
If it were me, I'd go with the Mad River.
I can’t compare the two,
having no experience with the Discovery, but Mad River says that the Explorer TT does have a foam inner core (http://www.madrivercanoe.com/design_and_construction.php).
My 16’ Explorer TT is heavy, but the hull is very tough. I like the way the boat paddles, but admit that I’m not fond of carrying it very far. The Kineo weighs about the same.