I purchased a used 16’6" canoe it doesn’t have a brand marking. It is redish orange the hull is made of a kind of polyester and is very flexable. The frame is made of aluminum. It has a aluminum tube down the center which fits into the slot which is the keel. It also has plastic green seats mounted on aluminum tubeing. What make is my boat?
Sounds like a coleman…
…the tube down the center is called, I believe,
a keelson.
Coleman
– Last Updated: Dec-26-06 3:23 PM EST –
Most likely. Milkjug an' lawn furniture boat, but it's somethin' dat'll git ye on de water. An'... it'll make fer a nice waterin' trough fer de cows when yer git sick of it.
Fat Elmo
Coleman
Throw it back quick! ;^)
Mick
What is the HIN?
What are the first 3 characters of the Hull Identification Number (HIN)? All commercially manufactured and imported canoes in this country have a 12 character HIN permanently affixed near the starboard (right) side of the stern (back).
The first 3 letters are the manufacturer ID. Your canoe does indeed sound like a Coleman, which would make the first 3 characters either CNP or CP2.
If newer, it would be a Pelican (ZEP) which bought out Coleman.
If the characters are different than those, post it here and I (or someone else) can look it up for you.
FYI - The last 2 digits of the HIN is the year the canoe was manufactured, so a “96” would mean it was made in 1996.
Sounds like a Coleman or Pelican.
Don’t throw it back, just use it. I hope you didn’t pay much. We can get them in N.IL new for $200-$300.
The hubby and I fished out of a borrowed one and it got him interested in canoes. After that we borrowed a Smokercraft. Then we were given a Grumman Eagle. All the boats were about 17’. We did some river paddling and finally bought a Penobscot16. It’s a good all purpose boat if you kneel or lower the seats. Sitting in the factory installed seats is like sitting on top of a bobber.
Another option is a Prospector style boat. As others have said, you need to try some different boats. Aluminum is pretty durable if you need to store outside, but it’s also attractive to scrap metal thieves. We prefer Royalex because it’s lighter than poly and takes more abuse on rivers w/rocks than composite. Composite doesn’t like it when you stay in the boat and ride over logs. There’s trade offs with every choice.
Use your boat and see if you and your girlfriend want to continue paddling. If you’re only paddling a couple times a year, the boat you have will work. It’s a bit unpredictable in wind and chop, so paddle small lakes on calm days. It will slop down little streams just fine, but be careful of the metal frame. Stuff can get caught in it and if the frame breaks, the metal is a sharp object. That said, it floats and gets you to the fish. 