Looking to get a high-end canoe

[Vek]

I think you'll spend more time farting around on load lifter risers than you would finding an old kelty or camp trails frame to assign to canoe use! I don't think you'll get enough lift or separation from your back using typical internal load lifter risers. I wouldn't bother attempting this on my Kifaru, when I have a Dana external to use.

With my method, you need to leave the portage bar installed, and that leaves lots of headroom in the void fore or aft of the bar.

 

[Voyageur]

I know firsthand that a Clipper Tripper fiberglass will transport two people, camp and an entire 70" Alaska moose with about 4" of freeboard, at midnight, with no moon, across a still lake.

I own a 18'6" Wenonah fiberglass; the Tripper is my Dad's. The tripper is a better rig. More stable, lighter, faster. Best of all worlds. They're well regarded out here on the coast (they're made in lower mainland BC).

The Tripper is easily portaged and dealt with. Lots of options; ours is fiberglass.

Don't be scared of a scratched used one. Read up on repairing gelcoat scratches and fiberglass - no big deal. Should be able to get into a Tripper for less than a grand.

Be scared if the damage is structural.

For portaging any canoe for any distance,

1. Tie two loops of rope around the portage yoke, each loop about 3" - 4" in diameter.
2. Find a solid packframe with "horns"; the vertical tubes that stick up above the rest of the frame to hold the top frame hoop. Remove the hoop.
3. Slip the rope loops over the pack horns
4. ballast the back of the canoe so it's a bit rear-heavy, and use a rope tied to the bow to balance
5. walk for miles with a canoe on your back...portaging this way is a revelation, and opens up a lot of possibilities.

I like this idea. Any pictures of the rope loops around the portage yoke? I'm having trouble visualizing it.

 

[afdiamond1]

Another vote for the Souris River Quetico 17. Tough canoe and can cover a lot of water in day very easy.

 

[Vek]

no pictures...just tie a rope around the yoke so that it slides back and forth loosely. Slide it to one side and tie another. When you slip these over your pack horns, the yoke hangs from the ropes.

 

[Voyageur]

no pictures...just tie a rope around the yoke so that it slides back and forth loosely. Slide it to one side and tie another. When you slip these over your pack horns, the yoke hangs from the ropes.

Got it. Thanks.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I was close to pulling the trigger on a Bell Northwind today, but the guy sold it to someone else.
I did find a 1993 Mad River Explorer 16 fiberglass with wood trim, looks like its in great shape. The guy wants 1150 for it, which seems a bit steep for a 27 year old canoe?

 

[Clovis]

I agree that price is high for the Mad River Explorer even for Royalex, at least in my market. Even though those are great canoes, I would pass. Around here, there are new ads all the time and the pricing is all over the map. There are better deals. If you do get a look at one, bring a phillips head screw driver and check the gunwale under the decks--that is an area where the gunwale can rot if not cared for. Also watch for deep gouges through the outer layer that can lead to trouble with the inner layer. Other than that, if it looks good it is. If sound, the gunwales clean up nicely with sand paper and watco exterior wood oil and the canoe body can be cleaned with a variety of products and look almost new.

 

[DESERT ED]

Hey Titan... theres a Souris kevlar fir sale in Fruita. Check CL

 

[kuhn4]

Great information from everyone above. I have a Wenonah Champlain. They advertise it for "big people, big loads, big waters." I bought it in good condition, 2 or 3 years old, for half retail price from a northern MN outfitter. Two friends of mine have done the same since. All three of us are happy. If you decide on a kevlar, I would look at the Champlain, MN3 and Seneca models. All can be had in northern MN for a decent price, used. You could possibly pick it up in early March at Canoecopia in Madison, WI if that is more convenient for you. Several of the outfitters attend this event. Kevlar negatives: expensive, sharp rocks will damage them. Kevlar positives: lightweight, generally durable, noise you make on the floor is very quiet, efficient on the water, cooler in hot weather than aluminum, repairable. I crossed paths with a guy once whose Wenonah kevlar looked a bit like an accordian. He had it straped on the roof of his Jeep, rolled the Jeep, repaired the canoe and has still using it. The hull and sides weren't perfectly smooth, but it didn't leak. Pretty impressive.

 

[Antarctica]

I'd take a second look at the Mad River Explorer and try to negotiate a bit. In good shape, I'd say 7-900 is a fair price. I picked one up for 500 but it needed some rotted gunwales replaced. I made new ones, but you can buy them too.

You need to think about shape and what you intend to use it for also. The Explorer is not flat bottomed - it is slightly vee, so it will lack a bit of initial stability. Its more or less a general purpose hull - works pretty good in hauling loads, and ok maneuvering in a river.

For a canoe I'm going to own, I am partial to old royalex boats. They take a beating and last and last. I've paddled Kevlar boats in the BWCA, and they are nice also, but they do take a beating on rocks.

 

[Loper]

I can't speak to the high end kevlar canoes, but I have an Old Town Discover 158 and I've taken my family of 4 (two kids under 5 years old) out in it. It is super durable and I don't worry about it getting banged up. I will say I wish it was a little lighter as it is about 80 lbs and can be difficult to carry or portage over long distances.

I've also done a 3-4 day float trip in a 16 or 17 foot Mad River canoe 6 or 7 years ago, and I didn't think it was any better or any worse than the Old Town.

I'd have a hard time spending $3,500 on a canoe. I'd probably just continue to be patient until the right deal comes along for a larger canoe.

 

[tdot]

If you get lucky and find a good cedar strip canoe, I'd quite happily take one vs a Kevlar canoe. It needs to be well made, with a decent glassing by someone who know how to glass. But if you see one, take a look at it. They can approach the weight of Kevlar, in my experience they handle a beating a bit better. Atleast the ones I've seen often have excellent hull shapes for hauling weight.

 

[tuffcity]

Until you've padded a high end canoe you can't really appreciate how nicely they run. We bit the bullet about 8 or so years ago on a Clipper Tripper (~18') in the kevlar. It packs a load and is amazing to paddle even in the wind (within reason of course). It's about 54lbs and I can pick it up and load on to the roof racks on my truck by myself. From hunting to camping/paddling trips to even "walking your daughter down the aisle" they are money well spent.

 

[HankNM]

Had a Grumman to start, a tank but good canoe. Gift.
Then used big ol plastic one and that was way too heavy. Cheap.
Looked around & found a Winona Fisherman. 15'6" fiberglass with kevlar reinforcement,wood yoke,aluminum frame. Excellent canoe for what I needed. EZ to portage,very stable, 2 person & cooler or me, camp & a buck.
Used it in Sierra lakes & farm ponds. My local lakes.
Used $800,sold it with the Sierra cabin.Wish I had it again sometimes.

 

[huntineveryday]

If you have the resources to buy a top end canoe and will use it, pull the trigger and put it to use. Kids grow up fast, spend the time enjoying a nice boat rather than waiting for the right deal. A well designed hull paddles so much better than your typical flat bottom plastic or aluminum canoe. They accelerate faster, turn better, and can have a ton more secondary stability (depending on what type of boat you get). Used royalex boats are getting harder to find, and fetching a higher price because of it. It seems like $1,000 or higher is pretty common on a nice royalex hull thes days. You can get some decent deals buying used outfitter kevlar tripping boats up around the BWCA at the end of the season, but then you'll have the long drive to pick one up. Aside from that it's a crapshoot waiting for something used to pop up. You could spend a lot of time waiting for the right deal close by. I've been helping a friend look for a nice royalex boat for a while now. I'm in Nebraska, but watch craigslist along the east range in Colorado regularly.

My first canoe was an aluminum boat, and I've paddled in chop gun fiberglass canoes and Coleman ram-x canoes quite a bit. Now I'm paddling a royalex Bell Drifter (same hull as a Mornigstar but with a flared hull). My buddy has a Bell Northstar in kevlar (same boat as the Northstar Polaris). Those boats are just a pleasure to paddle compared to the flat bottom cottage canoes. I'm partial to the secondary stability of Bell (or now Northstar) boats. I'd love to have an IXP B-16 and a kevlar Polaris, that combo would get me on any water, solo or with a partner, but student loans get in the way of champagne taste!