Canoes?

[Petescj]

During the Summer I like to cram in as much outdoor time as I can. Awhile back I got a raft that Ive used a few times on our local river. Its ok for 2 people but I was loking for an upgrade of sorts. I ran the idea of a canoe past Vicki and she says they are easy to tip. I have no experience with them whatsoever. Canoe guys give me some help please.

Heres what I was looking at:

Canoe, red 14.5 ft

 

[73CJ]

Good price on the canoe skip the wood paddles and get alum & plastic ones.

Looks like a good starter canoe. Tippy? Yes but but you learn to keep your weight towards the center. When learning, stay in the shallows. As you build experience vènture out deeper. Stay close to shore with waves over 1'. And paddle into them.

 

[BusaDave9]

I love canoeing. Been canoe camping in the Boundary Waters. Great time. It's not hard to keep from tipping them over.

Paddling tip: the one in the back can do all the steering. Let the less experienced canoer sit in front. At the end of the stroke push the paddle away from the canoe. This will keep you going strait.

If you straiten out your stroke you will turn to the right in the above example.
If the person in the front is paddleing on the opposite side as you then you won't need to stroke away from the canoe as much.
The bottom line is to realize you can turn either way no matter what side of the canoe you are paddling on.

Inexperienced canoers will alternate paddling on one side then the other trying to keep the canoe going strait. That can get to be a lot of work.

 

[73CJ]

I love canoeing. Been canoe camping in the Boundary Waters. Great time.

Used to go every year for many years. It grows on you.

And canoes fit on top of a CJ well.

 

[IOPort51]

you don't actually set in a canoe, you neal. those seats look like they would get in the way. 14' is a bit small for more that you and the wife. gear/kids/dogs, I would be looking for something 18' at least and with a little more beam. Strangly enough the longer it is the more control you have, it goes where you point it rather than side slipping.

 

[Petescj]

I love canoeing. Been canoe camping in the Boundary Waters. Great time. It's not hard to keep from tipping them over.

Paddling tip: the one in the back can do all the steering. Let the less experienced canoer sit in front. At the end of the stroke push the paddle away from the canoe. This will keep you going strait.

If you straiten out your stroke you will turn to the right in the above example.
If the person in the front is paddleing on the opposite side as you then you won't need to stroke away from the canoe as much.
The bottom line is to realize you can turn either way no matter what side of the canoe you are paddling on.

Inexperienced canoers will alternate paddling on one side then the other trying to keep the canoe going strait. That can get to be a lot of work.

Good tips I probably wouldve been alternating for sure.

And canoes fit on top of a CJ well.

Thats definately part of the allure.

you don't actually set in a canoe, you neal. those seats look like they would get in the way. 14' is a bit small for more that you and the wife. gear/kids/dogs, I would be looking for something 18' at least and with a little more beam. Strangly enough the longer it is the more control you have, it goes where you point it rather than side slipping.

If you have to kneel all the time thats a definate deal breaker. I thought you sat on those seats. I liked that it had that cooler built in the middle, but your probably right about it not being big enough. You mentioning the dog going really makes me want one though. Hed deflate my raft less than 5 minutes in. The poor guys 13 yrs old and I need to spend more time with him too.

Good price on the canoe skip the wood paddles and get alum & plastic ones.

Looks like a good starter canoe. Tippy? Yes but but you learn to keep your weight towards the center. When learning, stay in the shallows. As you build experience vènture out deeper. Stay close to shore with waves over 1'. And paddle into them.

Why stay away from the wood? I think I have a wood set in the garage besides the ones mentioned in the ad.

 

[Petescj]

I was just told that its a little late in the Summer for that and I should focus more on Jeep parts since I'll get more use out of them between now and next Spring.


Im confused but still in love.

 

[Old Dog]

IO might be right but we sit on the seats in ours.
If you check them out there are some that are wider in the center than others. They are a little harder to tip.

 

[IOPort51]

look for a used Grumman aluminum or an Old town fiberglass.

 

[BusaDave9]

look for a used Grumman aluminum or an Old town fiberglass.

Aluminum is nice and strong but it's heavy. If you won't be portaging that may not be an issue.
Old Town makes good, high quality lightweight canoes.

Just like the debate on CJ bodies. Metal is strong and if you really bang it you will only dent it. If you get fiberglass it will be nice and light but if you bang it the thing will crack and need to be replaced.

 

[Hedgehog]

In my experience Grumman makes a very stable canoe, the plastic ones like you are looking at are light and quick inthe water, but will turn turtle on you in a flash. Been there done that, it was fun at the time, but not fun if you don't want to get very wet.

Getting a canoe like your doing is exactly what my eventual plans are. The Witch will have a receiver in front and rear. One of the uses for them will be for a canoe rack.

 

[CJAKE7]

Look for a canoe fall into winter. I got a $1,000 canoe for $400. Get a 16' canoe - 14' too small, 18' too big. If you will be occasionally canoeing on flatwater(lakes) a plastic coleman is fine. If you think you may do some river runs with rocks, think about something thicker(Old Town, Dagger - Rolex construction). Type of canoe really depends on what you will be using it for. If you live near a river, look up canoe liveries that rent them. They replace there fleet at times and the canoes are usually not too banged up(depending on the river).

 

[Peanut Butter]

One thing most people dont understand about a canoe is that you can not turn them uoside down. If you stand on one side of the too rails with your hands on the otherside and rock back and forth, the canoe will fill with water, but not tip completely over. It will just fill with water and not sink. You may get wet in a conoe, but you can always stay afloat in one, and if you are really good you can empty out the water in it should you ever tip it enough to fill it up. Rod

 

[Hedgehog]

Sorry Peanut Butter, but I must disagree with you on that one. A thin beamed canoe most certainly will flip over, done that, been there. I have noticed that wider canoes are far more stable.

 

[Peanut Butter]

I'm sorry, guess I let my age get in the way. I didn't consider some of the newer style canoes. I was remember back to my days as a Boy Scout. It was part of our canoe training. We had to purposely try to swamp a canoe. Couldn't do it. But that was back in the day. I stand corrected. Rod

 

[BusaDave9]

Tip a canoe over. Stand on it's side so water goes into it. Most canoes will still float with one person on it no matter how much water is in it.

Thats because most canoes have Styrofoam in both ends of the canoe, under the deck. You will notice most (not all) canoes have the bow and stern enclosed. There's styrafoam in there.

 

[BusaDave9]

 

[IOPort51]

Have you tried renting one two or three times?? Just to make sure you are committed to having a canoe in the back yard for the rest of your life? They are a great place for a dog to get out of the sun, if they are on horses. I have one that I have hauled around for about 40 years. It is setting on the bank of my stock pond, has been for 15 years or so. A canoe is forever pal.:laugh::laugh:

wouldn't be without one.

 

[Hedgehog]

I agree a canoe won't really sink and I have gotten in and out of one several times. I say one because many years ago a friend of mine brought one of those narrow plastic canoes to a pond. We played with the darned thing for a few hours. We must have flipped the darned thing a dozen times, it never sank. It was great fun to flip it, turn it over, refloat it and figure out how to climb back in, all while in deep water. I actually learned a lot about canoeing. Now while using a Grumman Aluminum canoe it took great deliberation to swamp it, I honestly can't remember swamping one at all and I've spend days and days in Grumman canoes.

It is interesting to talk with you northerners. Down here in Tucson the summer is not the time to play. We tend to play in the fall, spring and less so but definitely more than summer, in the winter. All but maybe a month and a half when it can be called cold.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Yep, you wouldn't spend a whole day swamping a canoe in the mountains, unless you want to turn into a popsicle! Rod