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Canadian canoe?


Ricko
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I'm thinking of buying a Canadian canoe. I have kayaked for a number of years off and on. It would be for 1 or 2 people on lakes and rivers.

Has anybody got any buying advice or experiences?

Many thanks

(Please no references to Deliverance, squeal like a pig etc etc)

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1 hour ago, Ricko said:

(Please no references to Deliverance, squeal like a pig etc etc)

You can't make a comment like that and not expect this...

 

banjoboy.jpg

Answering your question seriously, not got any specific advice to offer, but have had a good experience with these people.  They had a store fairly close to me in Perth.

https://www.go-kayaking.com/

Edited by grrclark
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1 hour ago, Ricko said:

I'm thinking of buying a Canadian canoe. I have kayaked for a number of years off and on. It would be for 1 or 2 people on lakes and rivers.

Has anybody got any buying advice or experiences?

Many thanks

(Please no references to Deliverance, squeal like a pig etc etc)

Fibreglass. Ash gunwales add a classy feel. Try to design with a high freeboard to avoid capsizing. Make sure you have sufficiently robust Anchorage for watertight cargo that assists when you capsize. We took ours and two dogs on white water for two weeks through France. Fantastic fun. Camped in walnut orchards on the side of the river etc. Bliss. 

5B380B3B-45CB-489A-A204-CD728FF558C5.jpeg

5A88B172-49D7-42BA-868C-65F5C1FDE6FC.png

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Looks brilliant.

I seem to have acquired a few plastic mango chutney barrels with screw on lids for this purpose.

I'd love to make one but my skills lean towards metalwork rather than woodwork.

(Would the person who pm'd me about the banjo state a price...🤣)

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16 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

Fibreglass. Ash gunwales add a classy feel. Try to design with a high freeboard to avoid capsizing. Make sure you have sufficiently robust Anchorage for watertight cargo that assists when you capsize. We took ours and two dogs on white water for two weeks through France. Fantastic fun. Camped in walnut orchards on the side of the river etc. Bliss.

That is a fantastic holiday.

Tumblehome is the term for relative stability in a canoe, i'm a saddo geek.

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My canoe has been sat in the garage for almost 3 years now. I last took it out with some German friends, Kai is some sort of chief “forester” and responsible for controlling deer etc on his region. Anyway, we took it out on the sea on a dead calm day with Jonas, his 8 year old son, the three of us paddling from bay to bay about Holy Island. They wrote later to say that paddle was the highlight from their 12 month secondment in the UK. The sea was like a mill pond but we were still almost swamped by a small fishing boat speeding across 150m away as it’s wash was 6-8” when it got to us. If you are based near me I would be happy to let you use my canoe for a weekend so you can get to see what you like. On the Wirral/Cheshire boarder. 
 

http://apachecanoes.com

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The old town ones are good but very heavy and over time the hull becomes 'lumpy' which makes it run slow. A double used alone or with a child will have significant windage on the bow making j stroke painfuly slow. A better bet and still low maintenance is one of the glass ones or even one of the grumen alloy boats (very light and strong but not so nice to handle), so much nicer to paddle. A well made wooden one can be lovely if you can care for it. I would be looking to fit a sail if you plan on doing a voyage such as the Caledonian. 

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I have a Venture Ranger 16 canoe.  I didn’t have much canoeing experience when I bought it so I went off the advice of a friend who takes canoeing camping trips for his work.  It’s very stable and great for either me and the wife or one of us and the two kids.  It’s fairly difficult to carry any distance for one person (wife has MS so can’t really help) so I invested in a 2 wheel  trolley that straps to one end .  I’d thoroughly recommend both the boat and the trolley.

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My canoe is light enough for a single man to carry with ease. There is a knack to getting it up, then can alternate indefinitely between carrying on your arms or shoulders (via the yoke). Before we were married it was the ideal vessel.

 

Now we have three boys a project I need to undertake is making an outrigger float, one with enough buoyancy to float a capsized canoe and enough stability to reduce the risk of capsizing in the first place. We have float vests but need life jackets for the boys and us if I am to ever take them out on water. A father up in Scotland allowed his children to drown after capsizing, trying to keep himself afloat to save his children became impossible in cold water. Float jackets just make it easier to swim in rough water or aerated rapids, they are no help if you are incapacitated. 

I miss remembered the details, but it was eight years ago. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk/2012/sep/23/canoe-tragedy-father-scotland-interview

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On 26/04/2020 at 10:31, WalkedUp said:

Yes there have been a few, Loch Freuchie as well which is near me.

@Ricko Don`t forget that there are some magnificent Lochs and rivers in Scotland to explore, we spent several days on Tummel at a time and easily could have spent 2 weeks enjoying it even more.

Spaniel trying to capsize us as she saw some ducks...

IMG_0806r.jpg.16fa46b674772823bc4078047fbfff10.jpg

And sometimes if you are lucky you can have this island to yourself and enjoy the stunning scenery

IMG_0811r.jpg.9469cff8ad8c9b5a90ecc2295df43134.jpg

IMG_0830.JPG.63576c94419941bdd750d14df533596e.JPG

 

Have fun, stay safe!

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On 25/04/2020 at 07:14, Jonty said:

I have a Venture Ranger 16 canoe.  I didn’t have much canoeing experience when I bought it so I went off the advice of a friend who takes canoeing camping trips for his work.  It’s very stable and great for either me and the wife or one of us and the two kids.  It’s fairly difficult to carry any distance for one person (wife has MS so can’t really help) so I invested in a 2 wheel  trolley that straps to one end .  I’d thoroughly recommend both the boat and the trolley.

We have the same, I bought it for the kids to explore the estuary/lagoon at the end of our croft,  tough and strong it works perfectly,  some reserve buoyancy  would be a good idea though

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A wooden built one looks nice, makes sense when glassed over inside and out. Less to maintain but nice to look at.

I'd want a small outboard to cross open water then paddle the nice calm bits. 

Don't forget some soothing rear cream. Just saying in case you hear the banjos.

Edited by figgy
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Just happened to glance on FB Marketplace and saw a decent looking Coleman RamX-17 for £250, seemed a decent price and local too, so I snapped it up.

Many thanks for all your offers/advice/inspiration etc. 

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