Looking For Solo Canoe Modifications For Fishing

[eric1978]

Eric... that canoe is almost to pretty to fish with, the finish on the wood work is awesome

Thanks bro!

[BadKarma]

this is a timely thread as I'm lookin for a canoe also. I'm lookin pretty hard at this one,

Old Town Saranac 146 Canoe

I'm not a small guy and this will just be for our local streams and such. And yes, it will be fishing pimped!!!!

[Gavin]

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/generalFamily/saranac_146xt.html

I'd be very concerned about the durability of that boat..Thermoformed Poly..single sheet....plus its shaped like a bathtub.If $550 is your budget...I'd look for a good used tandem canoe on craigslist. You will be better off in the long run.

[BadKarma]

I was a bit sceptical too. Now, granted this is their website, but:

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/anatomy/materials/index.html

Supposed to be just as durable as Royalexe, better abrasion resitant, but heavier and not as stiff. And some cheaper.

And I can also get one brand new out the door for a bit over $400.

But I'm still watching CraigsList for another week.

[Guest]

It can't be repaired, so I would look for something else. Plus, it will warp if left out in the sun. I would rather have an aluminum canoe.

[Al Agnew]

Yep, it'll serve the purpose and if that's all you find and all you can afford, go for it, but Gavin and Siusaluki are absolutely right. The single sheet poly is more abrasion resistant than Royalex, and it's cheaper, but other than that it's a far, far inferior canoe material. It flexes unnecessarily bad, it's heavy, and it can't be repaired if you put a hole in it, which isn't too unlikely. My advice would be to wait for a deal on a good used canoe, or wait until you can save up enough pennies to buy a better canoe. One of the things to consider is resale value, too. A lot of people buy several canoes during their lifetimes, as situations change or they happen to paddle somebody else's canoe and realize that they like it a whole lot better than their own canoe. A good canoe of Royalex or even whatever Old Town is calling their Discovery canoe material will hold its resale value very well, while the single sheet poly canoes are seldom much in demand in the used market, and will not be worth much.

But like I said, it will serve the purpose of a fishing canoe after a fashion, and a bad canoe is better than no canoe!

[BadKarma]

Some friends!!!!!!

Well, I had a monkey wrench thrown into the mix last night. Went to a friends place and we got to talking about fishing and I brought up that I wanted a canoe to float and fish the streams around down here. Well, one thing led to another and I ended up sitting in a couple of his 'yaks and I may have just changed my mind about the canoe. Going this weekend to try a couple out on the water. I'm doomed!

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Some friends!!!!!!

Well, I had a monkey wrench thrown into the mix last night. ....... I'm doomed!

.... And so it begins..... :-) Good luck to you, and as Al said," a bad canoe is better than no canoe!" I guess the same applies to the yaks.

[woodman]

You guys and you're PLASTIC ....wood can be repaird super easly...they are lighter weight...and they give American boat builders something to do...

[Jack Jones]

That may be true woodman but finding someone to craft said boat is a whole other story. Trust me, if there were woodworkers out there bulding nice solo canoes that weighed less than 45 pounds and were reasonably priced, I'd consider them. They certainly look nicer.