Solo Canoe Or Kayak

[BassMaster#1]

Looking into buying either a solo canoe Old Town Guide 119 Canoe or a Ascend™ FS12T Sit On Top Angler Kayak for fishing small lakes. Has anyone had any experience with either of these two. I'm curious if the canoe would get blown around by the wind more than the kayak.

http://www.dicksspor...box&003=3933188

http://www.basspro.c...10213830/118791

[eric1978]

I have the 119. Works fine for day trips, not so great for overnights. Small and light enough to float just about any stream. And it's cheap and totally serviceable. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend the extra money for something more like 14' and Royalex. Good starter solo for sure, though.

[Gavin]

Out of those two...I'd go with the OT Guide 119...I had the OT Pack (same boat in Royalex) at one time. It always felt kinda wobbly when you were getting in and out..but its pretty good little boat when underway. I will tell you that you are not gonna like that OT Guide if you above average in height or weight. I'd opt for a longer solo canoe or sit on top kayak if its in your budget.

The Wenonah Vagabond is a great flatwater boat for an average sized person. I had one of those too..but its not a very deep boat...and it took on water every time ran a good sized ledge or a section of 2' standing waves...Its not the boat for the NFoW or 11pt but it worked great everywhere else in MO... I sold it to a board member last spring. Its replacement will probably be a Jackson Coosa Sit on top or a Wenonah Wilderness. Good Luck!

[BassMaster#1]

How is this canoe for standing in and fishing out of? Can you go upstream as well as a kayak in this canoe with a kayak paddle?

[Al Agnew]

Yes, any canoe is affected by wind somewhat more than a kayak. Enough to make that your decision to buy one or the other? Perhaps not.

With a double bladed paddle, you can go upstream about as easily in a canoe as a kayak...although it depends upon the canoe and the kayak, but generally that's true.

No, you cannot comfortably stand in a solo canoe to fish. You can stand in it for short periods of time...I do so to stretch my legs, to better see what the rapid I'm approaching looks like, occasionally to make a few casts. You can also stand in a canoe to pole. Poling is a lost art, but I've done just enough of it to know it's a good way to go up strong riffles, something you can't do paddling with either canoe or kayak.

The OT 119 is a small canoe, as Eric said. And like the Pack, it will feel tippy. You can pretty much fix that by moving the seat forward, to where the front edge of the seat is about even with the very center of the canoe. Putting your weight in the widest part of the canoe instead of a somewhat narrower area will help immensely with initial stability. It also helps the canoe track better with each paddle stroke. It's still a mystery to me why many solo canoes have the seat placed too far back.

Some kayaks are stable enough to stand and fish. If it's really important to you to be able to stand and fish, and/or if the wind is a huge factor, you probably should get a kayak that is stable enough to stand on. If carrying lots of gear is more important, or if you're one of the many people that are much more comfortable sitting on a chair than on the floor (and getting up is easier from a chair than the floor, too--although this somewhat depends upon whether you get out of your craft up against the bank or in 18 inches of water), or if lighter weight and easier carrying is important, get the canoe.

[gotmuddy]

If you intend to be on a lake get the canoe. I have two of the FS12 yaks and they are decent yaks but I have quit using them in favor of soloing my 16ft buffalo canoe.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I have a solo and a sot kayak and for lakes the yak would be my choice. The only other craft that I might consider would be small tandem canoe with a trolling motor. A canoe would be a bear in any wind without some help.

[dpenrod]

just my two cents. i have had both a sit on top kayak and a canoe and got rid of both of them in favor of an inflatable pontoon (outcast oncilla). you do sacrifice some speed on the water, but unless you're fishing large impoundments, it wouldn't be noticeable. no issues of anchoring while fishing. simply hold myself in place with my fins while i cast. can move slowly and quietly while i fin along a shoreline and if i need to cover some ground, just hammer on the oars for a while. have floated the white and norfork tailwaters several times. in my experience, the pontoon drafts in skinnier water than the kayak or canoe and depending on the water depth on the river, if i see a promising spot, i just stand up and fish or put my feet down and hold myself on place where i am instead of beaching. i think the pontoon is a lot more versatile craft and depending on the model, most will break down small enough to fit into the trunk of a compact car. my buddy has an outcast fishcat panther that he routinely transports in the trunk of his honda. just something else to think about.

[RSBreth]

I have a Pack and I love the little thing - like Al said unless you're a huge dude (I'm 6' and 200-pounds) you'll do O.K. with the Guide - and I see that Dicks has them for a great price these days - Old Town Guide 119

You don't say where you're at - if you were close to Springfield I'd let you paddle the old bomber some weekend.

[tjulianc]

It's still a mystery to me why many solo canoes have the seat placed too far back.

When I was doing research on buying a canoe, I found a lot of forums/websites where paddlers complained that Wenonah, specifically the Vagabond and Wilderness models, placed the seat too far forward, making the canoe bow heavy and causing the canoe to plow through the water. But these were paddlers that kneeled while canoeing. Wenonah explained that they designed their canoes more for sitting in the seat, but that they did push the seat back enough to allow for kneeeling, but for most of these guys it wasn't placed back far enough.

So I guess its just different strokes for different folks.