Question for those who use a canoe....

[Big Ed]

Cool pics Ron!

[South MS Bowhunter]

Ron,

Those are so cool, i'm dreaming of a deer or hog pic in my future!

[VTer]

Canoes are not that heavy, they're just awkward to handle for there weight and shape. Once you learn how to properly carry a canoe on your shoulders they're quite easy to manuveur around. This includes learning the proper way to get it up on your shoulders. As well as learning proper tie-down techniques for your vehicle. canoeing is a lot like traditional bowhunting....there's stuff you gotta learn to do it right! Unfortunately, this stuff is hard to describe but easy to learn when you watch someone do it....like twisting a flemish string. Pick up a Bill Mason DVD and watch it.

[RRock]

17.5 wood and canvas canoe I built. Pretty light at 74 pounds and very quite. I think once you paddle one of these you'll never go back aluminum or plastic. They kinda fit right in with the stuff we shoot and are easy to look at.

It will carry two adults and a weeks worth of gear with no problem.

If your gonna carry a good load use a longer canoe. You will float in less water and you can manuver much better. At least that has been my experience. Also, they will pole a heck of alot better than a short boat. Depending on the water your in, poling is the only way to go, again, that has been my experience.

Something else to consider, again depending on the water, you may or may not want a keel. A flat bottom boat is less manuverable than a boat with some rocker. A boat with a keel is less manuverable than one without.

You know, canoes are kinda like bows, you can never have to many.

[Ron LaClair]

Note the carrying yoke in this wooden canoe. It has no seats and we had to kneel on a boat cushion.

You can probably tell that this is a pretty old picture. I had a dark beard back then and my young son in the picture is a grandfather now...        

   

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Ron, Your pictures are always the best and I never get tired of looking at them.    

Tracy

[uncowboy]

I just bought the OldTown 116Guide Unfortunatly it was to replaced my recent stolen 126 Guide that I have had for 3 years. I like the cannoe but I don't have a lot of seat time in it yet. The Front Plastic handle was miss fitted and I have to get a new one. I am not sure about haw much weight it can hold with hunting gear and my fat but  a deer might require 2 trips. J.Michael

[far rider]

X2 Ron!

[volcanomil]

I use an Old Town Guide 14' model.  I can carry myself, but it does get heavy.  Old Town Guides are built like tanks and are good boats - as many posters above own and have commented.

[olddogrib]

John,
Some good advice here.  While I don't generally canoe hunt (only because of opportunity) I pretty much do everything else in one.  That said, my current one is a used, plastic, canoe-rental cast-off beast and I feel your pain.  I used to have an Oldtown Tripper that was Royalex/ABS (I forget which or even if they're different mat'l)that I will forever regret getting rid of. It was longer, lighter, and way more manueverable than my current one.  The point is that light-weight space-age material canoes have been around for a long time. You will "slap-leather" for them, but deals can be had and now's the time to be watching Craigslist.  Peolpe buy top-of-the-line, use one season, and sell at steep discount when they need a little winter cash. Don't overlook older ones if the price is right. The aforementioned Tripper had been owned by a whitewater junkie and the hull was severely abraided at both ends.  The upside is that the alot of the "technoweenie" stuff could be patched quite easily with fiberglass cloth and marine epoxy compared to today's bombproof "plastic", which nothing wants to adhere to.  She looked like Fido's a**, but God I still miss her!

[seanF]

I have an old town 119 and while it is a nice little boat to float small creeks , I would not think of it as a good stable utility boat. I have had a several canoes and kayaks and would consider the 119 a cross between the two. Very tippy and rather narrow.  It is great for navigating small streams and fishing, but there are much better choices for what you want.  I would consider a major brand 14' royalex boat designed for fishing. Would be short and stable.
(I had to move the seat forward and lower it on my 119 in order to make it the most stable for fishing. And really no room to transport a deer) Good luck

[V I Archer]

I have been looking at getting a Sportspal.  Aluminum, foam lined, good flotation, reportedly very difficult to tip, under 50 pounds and pretty good payload.  Hard to find a used one around here though and I have a terrible disease; I have a real need to purchase a new bow first.

[South MS Bowhunter]

That Sportspal looks good and it seem that there is two different brands one made in Canada (thinner Aluminum) and one made in USA (Thicker and a little heavier).

[sou-pawbowhunter]

Whatever canoe you choose, you might want to consider a Weston canoe loader.  I can load an old 17' aluminum canoe on my Ranger slicker than snot on a doorknob with it.  No more worries about the paint on my truck, and no more folding myself into a pretzel getting out from under it after loading.

[nel]

Ron

that last picture is awesome...brings back memories...
I can feel the dampness and smell the fur...

[Bernie B.]

Unbelievable pictures Ron!  You really have a way of capturing a story in each picture.  Whenever I see your posts, I always check them out for the great pictures.

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[ron w]

The photo Apex Predator had early on showed a Native-ccraft Kayak. Really neat boat, I got one last spring and I'm very pleased. Kind'a half kayak/half canoe, very stable and the seats are really comfy....you can go all day. Next fall I may do a hunt in the Adirondacks out of mine!

To get back to the original question. If weight is an issue, plus the ability of the canoe to handle two people or one with gear and game, there are a number of canoes that fill the job nicely and they are all made of kevlar. A symmetrical canoe can be paddled backwards and rather quickly with either Bill Mason style paddling techniques or using a longer than normal kayak paddle available at a reasonable price from Red Rock Outfitters of Ely, mn. There are a number of designs that work from manufacturers like Souris River, Wenonah Canoe, Bell, or Mad River. My utility canoe is a high grade 16'4" Mad river Explorer in a lay up that is no long made is 42 pounds. The souris river Quetico 16 or any Prospector copy will be just as good. What you don't want is a spar behind the front seat, it gets in the way when using the canoe as a solo, but I would want something with reserve floatation for when things are not perfect for paddling or you get a heavier than normal load you need to get out.  Solo canoes and kayaks will not be very good at getting a deer out if there is current or wind driven waves. Call the man at Red Rock outfitters, he knows his stuff about using weighed down canoes in all conditions, no sense trying to reinvent the wheel on your own.  The folks up north live this stuff. You would be surprised how easy it is to get a canoe from the Ely, Mn canoe outfitters to almost anywhere in the country. Take a close look at the Souris River 17, it will do anything and hold up well doing it. Who knows maybe one day we will cross paths somewhere out in the Canadian wilderness.
  http://www.redrockstore.com/   or
  http://piragis.com/

[guspup]

1911 old towne I rebuilt for use up here. Love old stuff!!!

[mzag]

I have a 16ft Wenonah kevlar canoe - 39 lbs. It is easy for one person to lift, and control in the water, but can easily carry two people with equipment. Consider a set of outriggers. They cost about 200 dollars and will really allow you to move around in the boat or load a deer into the boat without worrying about the boat tipping.