What do y'all paddle?

[Stick in Mud]

The other thread got me wondering what you all paddle. I'm not exactly in the market for a canoe at the moment, but it's nice to hear what people like using--and maybe what they don't. I suppose it isn't surprising, but I do find it funny how some guys are diehard Wenonah or Souris River or Bell guys. I'm not that picky, but I am entertained by people who are.

I've got a nasty habit of collecting canoes, so depending on the situation I'm either paddling a Penobscot 16, Penobscot 17, a Bell "CJ" solo, a big ol' Osagian, or a Wenonah MN2. Excessive, I know, but I promise I can justify all of them. Maybe.

[delcecchi]

The other thread got me wondering what you all paddle. I'm not exactly in the market for a canoe at the moment, but it's nice to hear what people like using--and maybe what they don't. I suppose it isn't surprising, but I do find it funny how some guys are diehard Wenonah or Souris River or Bell guys. I'm not that picky, but I am entertained by people who are.

I've got a nasty habit of collecting canoes, so depending on the situation I'm either paddling a Penobscot 16, Penobscot 17, a Bell "CJ" solo, a big ol' Osagian, or a Wenonah MN2. Excessive, I know, but I promise I can justify all of them. Maybe.

After years of renting a buddy and I finally split the price of a Souris River. MN2 was too cramped for the bow paddler (him).

[Stick in Mud]

Yeah, the MN2 is definitely tight in the bow, especially if the person is tall. Doesn't matter much to me because I'm in the stern 99% of the time, and if someone complains, I just say we'll bring the Tank instead.

Those Souris River boats are really, really nice, too.

[OnAFly]

I've got a Penobscot 164 (Poly version which I wish I would have sprung for the Royalex version) and a Discovery 119 which I got off the list for a couple hundred bucks. I haven't paddled the Penobscot in forever, but the discovery gets used a between first ice out to about late October.

SIM - Have you paddled your Penobscots solo? I tried once and it was an utter failure. Though I was a very inexperienced paddler with a junky plastic paddle in the wind.

[Stick in Mud]

I have paddled the Penobscot solo. It isn't really that bad, honestly, though it's obviously not as nice as a canoe that's purposefully designed for it.

You'll have more luck if you sit in the bow seat facing the stern than if you sit in the stern because you'll then be sitting closer to the middle of the boat. That'll help a lot.

Proper trimming makes a big, big difference, too, especially if there's wind. The Penobscots do seem to catch some wind, and if you're sitting to the rear of a canoe, or if the canoe isn't properly trimmed, it'll tend to "weather vane," meaning the lighter/higher side will be very difficult to control because it'll be blown downwind.

[OnAFly]

This was about 6 years ago, so I don't remember if I was smart enough to have sit in the bow. I just remember the "weather vane effect pretty distinctly.

BTW, my sister got me a Sanborne paddle for my birthday last fall. Not sure if I should really use it as it just looks too nice and I'm pretty hard on my paddles. Right now it's sitting nicely on my wall.

[mainbutter]

I paddle a cheap pelican navigator.. bought it 50% off at gander when they were going to stop carrying them, so all in all an awesome buy. I like it because I feel comfortable standing and casting in it.

[Stick in Mud]

There's not much better than standing up in a canoe and tossing lures. I wouldn't want to paddle a Pelican--or my tank--for long miles, but for fishing, the fat bottoms sure are wonderful.

Let's give 'em some love.

[Stick in Mud]

After years of renting a buddy and I finally split the price of a Souris River. MN2 was too cramped for the bow paddler (him).

I've always wondered why so many folks rent canoes from outfitters. If you buy one, you've got to store it, which might be a hassle for those who don't have the space. But I know lots of people with big garages and lots of room in the rafters who'll fork out $40 a day for seven or eight or ten days each year--sometimes twice a year--when you can buy the same canoe for three times the cost of renting one for a week. If you buy one, three years later, you're even money, and you still have the canoe. Seems like a good deal...

[delcecchi]

I've always wondered why so many folks rent canoes from outfitters. If you buy one, you've got to store it, which might be a hassle for those who don't have the space. But I know lots of people with big garages and lots of room in the rafters who'll fork out $40 a day for seven or eight or ten days each year--sometimes twice a year--when you can buy the same canoe for three times the cost of renting one for a week. If you buy one, three years later, you're even money, and you still have the canoe. Seems like a good deal...

Your numbers are a little off. A kevlar Souris River in Le Tigre Quetico 17 is $3145 plus tax, or about $3400 off the lot. So $280 rental is less than 10%, so it takes 10 years to break even. I figure the wear and tear evens out with the increasing cost of new canoes, more or less.

We bought because it was getting inconvenient to rent, where we go. The outfitter we used retired from the business, and going all the way into Atikokan was a pain.

Used kevlar canoes seemed to be pretty scarce.

[CHM]

I have an SR Q17 coming in May. My first canoe!

[Duffman]

Used kevlar canoes seemed to be pretty scarce.

[Stick in Mud]

Your numbers are a little off. A kevlar Souris River in Le Tigre Quetico 17 is $3145 plus tax, or about $3400 off the lot. So $280 rental is less than 10%, so it takes 10 years to break even. I figure the wear and tear evens out with the increasing cost of new canoes, more or less.

Used kevlar canoes seemed to be pretty scarce.

Sure, if you're paying full price for a brand new one. I didn't know people actually did that. When I was looking for boats, there seemed to be lots of used ones around....I dunno why. Maybe time of year?

The best deals seem to be with the factory blemishes. That's how I got my MN2.

[CHM]

I looked for used. Most used ones were beat up from outfitters. I was able to afford new, so I went for it. SR does have some blems available but I wanted the Carbon-Tec.

[Stick in Mud]

No doubt the outfitters' boats are heavily used.

Congrats on the new canoe! You'll like it....I *almost* got one myself, especially after visiting the factory in Atikokan (All things being equal, I do think the Souris Rivers are nicer than the Wenonahs). If you're ever in that neck of the woods, take the tour...it's pretty interesting.

[Powerstroke]

I've got two since we mentioned the "tanks" in the other posting.

Coleman Ram-X 15'. Its a red plastic tugboat that you can stand up and paddle like a venetian gondola. Its not pretty or easy to take on a trip, but its a great beater boat for hitting rivers and spring creek runs. Its about 90lbs and yes, its been through the BWCA twice. That was enough.

My main boat is a Souris River Q17 in the red Le Tigre kevlar. It sbeautiful and I love the red color. I have refinished it once. Although, if anyone was following the winter thread, I need to have it repaired. My little brother damaged the side of the boat with a ratchet strap and crushed the hull where it curves to the boat bottom. It doens't leak, but the boat flexes from both sides.

I bought my SR new in the spring on an order. I got a great deal and Joe from Red ROck delivered it to the Sportsman's Show. I picked it up at the convention center and drove it home from there. Our friends bought one that same year by buying at the end of the season. Joe refinishes alot of the outfitter boats and you'd never know they were rentals. Thats one of the benefits of the SR epoxy deisgn. I refinished mine in my garage last winter.

[Duffman]

Powerstroke.....

Talk to Joe about what you need to do to get your SR fixed.

[Musky hunter 82]

I have a Colman Ram-x 15' that I've had to the BWCAW several times. Including a couple of mile long portages, while carrying a pack that weighted close to 50 pounds. The best thing about the canoe is that when you hit a rock in the middle of the lake (Gabbro) you just roll right over it, after using aluminum canoes, when you hit a rock it darn near tosses you over board, then to get it unstuck, no thanks. I'd love to have a Kevlar but I don't use mine enough as it is. I did make a trolling motor mount for it for fishing local lakes and the looks you get from people when you're pretending to paddle and you have a wake behind you is awesome.

[Stick in Mud]

Was it the rock a few dozen yards offshore from where the portage trail meets (Little) Gabbro? There's a doozy out there, and by the amount of paint and metal on that rock, I know I'm not the only one who's beached on it.

[Redlantern]

I have a 53 year old 16 foot alumacraft at the cabin, shaped and handles much like a bathtub. Also, a 24 year old 18.5 Alumacraft Quetico (got it new, dang, where does the time go?), don't think it's made anymore. Those two weigh the same at 65 pounds. Decided last year to cut some weight and help the economy so I bought a Wenonah BW 3 used from Piragis in Ely. More legroom in the bow than the Mn 2 and doesn't have the annoying braces behind the bow seat to get in the way of packs. I'm extremely happy with it and it can't weigh more than 44 pounds.

[BTL]

I normally paddle a Wilderness Systems Ride 135 SOT kayak.

Yesterday the GF picked up a used canoe. She wanted it so we can float together. It's a 15'9 fiberglass model (not sure of the brand) and I'm a little worried about durability. I feel like if we hit a rock on the river it might spring a leak.

Anyone have experience floating rivers in a cheap fiberglass canoe? Is it a disaster waiting to happen or are they tougher than they look?