I purchased a used Old Town Guide 147 canoe tonight and it looks to be in great condition. Only problem is when I got it home and in the garage and sat in it, it feels and looks like it is leaning to the left side a little bit. It is freezing cold here in the Chicago suburbs and I am wondering if it could have something to do with the cold or something. Is it possible the canoe is warped a little bit? Can you adjust it if it is? Anyone have any ideas? Will it effect the canoe in the water or is it just while it is sitting on a flat surface? Just concerned since I just got it and its used. Any info would be appreciated!
It may be just fine Mad River Canoes have a bit of a V bottom, so I would expect it to lean one way or the other when resting right-side-up on a flat surface. Look closer and see if that’s what’s happening.
I’m with guideboatguy. Try it out in the water. I’m betting all is well with your canoe. It’s hard to measure, balance or even sit a canoe upright on a bench or pair of saw horses. No straight or plumb lines make them hard to measure. Your boat is not likely to be warped or bent. Take it out and see how it paddles when it warms up. My MR Guide has a vee bottom which makes it sweet on the river and like a twisted sister on the floor.
Turn it over Put it on a couple sawhorses or something similar and look down the hull. If there is any warping that might affect boat performance, it should be evident. If a man on a galloping horse won’t notice it (if you see any slight imperfections), I bet you won’t have any problems on the water.
That changes things At the time I posted my answer, there was no mention of the brand name, and now that I think of it, I don’t think Mad River’s Guide has numbers in the name.
I had one I used to own a 147 and it did the same thing. The bottom is a shallow arch and will not flex too much when really cold so it will be like trying to balance in the middle of a teeter totter. I wouldn’t sit in it too much on dry land in this cold as it may crack but in the summer the 147 will be fine on grass.
About the OLD TOWN GUIDE 147 I own one and have used it extensively. It’s a tank, I seriously doubt it’s actualy bent/warped.
Keep in mind that while it’s flat across the very middle of the bottom, it has a very sharp bow and stern (like a knife edge). Like someone else said, depending on where you sit in it, you may actualy be teetering on an edge.
No worries, it’ll be great in the water (incredibly stable, and pretty stiff for a poly canoe).