canoes

[PKCSPT]

Thinking of getting a newer lighter canoe if possible. My current one I got from my parents when I was 12 back in 78. Great shape and great canoe but heavy (for me) and I haven't been getting any stronger. It is a 13 foot aluminum wide body canoe, anybody have experience with a lighter weight canoe? I am not into white water rafting more like drift along the shore looking into the water and along the shore so it easy use. Not interested in a kayak,, don't think my dog would like that. Are they durable with easy use or used up pretty quickly?

[alex k]

have you looked at the sea eagle inflatables ? more like a canoe than a kayak . stable light weight , and easy to inflate .

[Kathy53]

How about Pack it is made by Old Town canoe. It only weighs 33 lbs and is 12 ft long.


http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/p ... HOP_438771

Sometimes you can find them used for around 350.

The Sea Eagle is a good inflatalbe one. The Sea Eagle 385 Fast Track gets good reviews.

http://www.inflatablekayakworld.com/rev ... ble-kayak/

[Shadow Catcher]

We have four canoes above the rafters in our garage from an 18'4" Mad River Lamoile to the 14' Kevlar solo and two Mad River Explorer royalex hit every rock and bolder white water canoes that I have used in up to class IV white water. the ultralight version of the Explorer is 45lbs the Royalex is 72lbs. It is only when you get into Kevlar or carbon fiber that you really lose a great deal of weight. Another example a Wenona 16' Adirondack ultralight weighs 37lbs where the same hull in "Tuf-weave® Flex-core" is 54lbs and the price difference is $2399 vs $1529.
It is interesting that something that is pointed at both ends, can, based on hull design can have huge differences in performance. Our 18'4" Lamoile can easily beat a 15'11" Explorer in a straight run same hull design but with a sharper bow and stern, but the Explorer can out turn our lake freighter.
There are two kinds of stability in a canoe hull primary and secondary, the wide flat hull has good primary stability, feels steady but once you lean it past a certain point, secondary stability, over it goes. the Mad River canoes have great secondary stability, you can lean them to the point where water is coming in over the gunwales and they will not tip, but they feel less stable.
Narrower is faster, fatter is slower! The Mad River is 33" wide good primary stability great secondary.

[rowerwet]

build one! http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/store ... /index.htm made from ply as designed these are quick to build fairly light and easy to use. last year a group of people, including the designer, flew to france and built a few of these and then camped their way down the Loire river. http://www.storerboatplans.com/wp/boat- ... in-france/
If that isn't "canoe like" enough for you he also has his fancier design, http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/store ... /index.htm , at 34 lbs I don't think there is much lighter.

[Treeview]

Karen,

I see that you're from MN! I lived there until 8 years ago and I truly do miss being there...cold and mosquitos too.

You're in luck! Make plans to attend Midwest Mountaineerings Expo:

http://www.midwestmtn.com/current-event ... nture-expo

If you haven't attended you'll enjoy the time. Besides all of the gear being on sale they have manufacturers reps and demos on site. Look at the schedule and be sure to take in some movies and specials too.

When it comes time to buy a used boat might be a good solution. Use this Craigslist compiler to find what you need: http://www.searchtempest.com/

I'd make you a sweet deal on my 17' Old Town Discovery but the transport from Austin, not Hormel-Austin, down here in the 'Live Music Capital of the World' would be spendy. That said...I might be coming to MN late spring/early summer. Let me know.

Tom