I have a friend from long ago that owned a Challenger that used it on Class III-IV whitewater back when any Royalex boat was considered a whitewater canoe. Another friend just bought one and I had a short paddle with it on a lake a few weeks ago. It’s a very nice boat but it’s also a little wide. If you were a taller person, you should be able to handle it just fine. At 5’1" you won’t get a good verticle paddle stroke with a single blade paddle. I would think a kayak paddle would work well enough though. I would also say (without personal experience) that it would be one of the better canoes mentioned for hauling a 90 lb. dog. It’s NOT a lightweight boat, tho.
I paddle a Wenonah Heron with my 65lb dog (I’m 175-ish lbs). I realize you’re looking for a solo and the Heron is tandem, but the boat is extremely stable. I got it for the same situation you’re describing - long-time flatwater kayaker wanting to take the dog along and needing a canoe I could get on the car myself. I regularly stand up while paddling it in calm conditions and feel very comfortable doing so, even with the dog. I love this boat for it’s stability and versatility (I’ve had it on lakes, in swamps, and in swift rivers (Class I, II). Plus I can add a second paddler if I want. I’ve done two night trips with the dog, a second person, and all our gear with no problem. The boat is 15’6", I think.
The boat is royalex (no longer made, but I bought it used off Craigslist a few years back) and weighs about 50lbs, which I can handle getting on and off the car by myself. One of these nice pack boats or a kevlar would be dandy, but not in my price range.
I paddle the Heron backwards, sitting in the front seat. When my dog sits in the stern seat (which is at the front of the boat as I paddle backwards while soloing), it tracks pretty darn well. However, he moves around too much to have full run of the boat, so I now paddle with him behind me, in the bow-seat foot area. This makes us more stable because he can’t throw his weight too far off center, but the stern (front, as we paddle backwards) is way out of the water. We do just fine until there’s a headwind, when I switch to kneeling at the center thwart and using a double-bladed paddle to make headway. Again, it tracks fine once I’m kneeling center.
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PS - I second the note about getting a rubbed-backed rug (bathmats are a good size) for your dog.
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I did find a cheap sportspal nearby. It’s a duck hunting canoe, so not the most nimble thing, but it’s light and extremely stable, at least on paper. Going to test paddle it this weekend and as long as it doesn’t feel too much like a bath tub, I think this is the one. I’m not a good enough solo paddler to warrant dropping money on something too nice right now anyways and if I level up my skills enough to deserve a better canoe, I’ll upgrade then.
MicheleG Lots of us started in utility canoes like the Sportspal and did have fun… I had a Grumman for years till I got too old or it gained weight ( I will blame the canoe!) to lug it around the Boundary Waters.
Just put some bucks aside each week for a good canoe as if you love paddling you will be back!
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Thanks for that! During my research there seems to be a lot of hate for Sportspals out there, but it doesn’t claim to be anything that it’s not and as long as it gets me out on the water I’ll be happy.
Have you looked at the Tucktec folding kayak?
I just received one and am planning to take my dog. Worth a look at the website perhaps.
i don’t know how helpful this will be, but…
i have canoed extensively in northern maine, huge lakes and streams. i’ve taken an open canoe across the rosario straits in wash. twice and from port townsend to whidbey island. i don’t recommend anyone doing those things. (i kayak now).
on my several month+ trips in northern maine i have learned a few things.
1 get a flatter bottomed canoe with a keel. for the lakes.
2 personally i would not get a canoe that was less than 17ft. mine were 17ft 2 inches.
3 don’t get an aluminum canoe as they are cold and loud.
4 waves on lakes are wind waves and very different from from salt water waves. it can be difficult to keep the bow into the wind. always put ballast in the front if paddling alone. i have often had to get on my knees in 4ft+ waves. i’ve never had to do it but i have been told that lying flat in your canoe can help if the waves get impossible to handle.
5 i have always had either all fiberglass or fiberglass skinned wooden canoes. two old towns and two locally made canoes in maine who’s name you wouldn’t recognize.
6 if you are going to paddle in rapids get a material that is strong but flexible enough to withstand the rocks. in my day that would have been royalex or kevlar.
i have a feeling you already know these things. if so, sorry to waste your time. unfortunately i don’t know anything about the canoes you are asking about. but maybe this will help while looking at them.
It never hurts to make sure the basics are covered! I’m not a very adventurous paddler (at least not at this stage) so rapids are not an issue. Aluminum canoes get a bad rap, but I’m looking at one that has a lining so it really helps the cold/noise issue, even though it does add a little weight. Most of the time I’ll have 90 pounds of furry ballast along, which is the main reason I’m looking for a canoe right now.
How big is your dog? For me, we’d be well under the weight limit, but it looks like she would have to sit right in my lap. She’d probably like it, but I don’t go for 90 pound lap robes, especially in warmer weather.
The largest of the dogs that I would take is ~45 lbs - not because of weight - my largest dog hates water and would be miserable. However, other Tucktec users have larger dogs - the seat can be set further forward is you want your pup behind you and the design is very open. I guess it depends on your preferred weight distribution. There is a Facebook group for ‘Tucktecers’, primarily for those who backed the recycled eco-Tucktec Kickstarter project, but some others have joined and there is rich discussion about who is doing what with their Tucktecs with children and dogs.
Don’t knock Aluminum canoes too much. They do have their downsides but so does everything. A Sportspal doesn’t suit me but it sounds like it would fit your use case just fine. And, if you find it limiting you can either sell it & but something else or … keep it and start a fleet (like some of us here have).
Enjoy
The Sportspal does sound promising, but now the seller is back pedaling on meeting me somewhere for a test paddle. Don’t really want to go for it without the chance to get a feel for it first.
With the market being so hot and the pandemic, a test paddle might be tough. I had a committed buyer within an hour or so of posting a canoe for sale recently and if a test paddle was a condition, I would have declined, to be honest.
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That’s understandable from a seller’s viewpoint, but since I’m not in a rush to get anything, I’m willing to be wait until I’m sure I’ve found what I’m looking for.
I was about to say the same. I agree with KM. Especially if your dog is a bit active. My dog switched sides a lot which makes it interesting. Apparently he figured the view downstream from one gunwale might be different from the view from the opposite gunwale.
Out of curiosity - how much did you buy your used Heron for? I’m eyeing one now and haven’t a clue what a fair price ought to be. Thanks.
Michele, can you rent/demo any canoes anywhere within driving distance? It’s a great way to get some ballpark opinions on one or more canoes… *If you’re climbing the walls to get outside…you might wanna wait till spring and take in as many Demo Days as you can find.
$.01,
steve
Do manufacturers or retailers still have demo days where you live? I haven’t seen or heard of one for years now and thought they were a thing of the past, but I hardly live in the canoeing capitol of the world.
Agreed, to be honest there are only a few organized, multi-brand events in the NE, …a Boston(MA) shop …(Wilderness House<–name may be replaced) used to host a pretty sizeable demo day, but being a ways away I’ve been pretty lax on checking for it. KitteryTradingPost(southern ME) often will have a few canoes available…and a over in the ADKs(NY) there is MountainManOutdoors(?) and the Saratoga shop with available demos(not sure about a specific day), but there are a few shops that are located just off some of the big lakes around in Maine that often grab a boat or two from their inventory to have available on some daily events…not associated with the event and often just a royalex boat. Thing is they’re often they’re only announced in a local paper,…with the population possibly warming up to masking up by spring there just might be something small happenning somewhere, one definitely has to go to where any action happens. Yes, questionable for the larger shops and larger crowds…as people will be climbing the walls to get out.