Canoe/Boat

Get the right boat - OddMottt, be careful I lost a couple of good friends off Wolfe Island in Kingston almost 20 yrs ago. What I learned from this incident is know the body of water and wave conditions you will face traveling to and from hunt site. Make to wear life jackets, never wear the straps of chest waders over your shoulders while in boat. Wait it out on shore if conditions get bad. Very tragic day, Mike, Mark (brothers) and Paul Gracie, never to be forggotten. They were in a 12ft aluminum boat with no motor duck hunting, waves got first, then the gear they were wearing next, even before the cold killed them. All three drowned, very sad day indeed.

QUOTE=Oddmott;681552]My wife has told me I'm supposed to find us a family canoe. lol

I've never owned a boat of any sort and don't know the first thing about them... only jump in friends' a couple times of year for quick tours round various lakes.

We've got a family of 4, the kids are 3 and an infant, and both are quite big/tall for their ages. I'm thinking it's probably best to just go for a 16' right off the bat.

But my wife is not big on physical exertion outside of her triathlon training/racing. She won't help lift a heavy boat so portaging will be up to me. Something as light as possible would be appreciated.

What brands and construction materials should I be looking for? I'll probably buy used to save some $. Oh, and I don't think we'd ever want to attach a motor, so a flat back isn't necessary.

Thanks for any tips folks.[/QUOTE]

If you're looking for a canoe that you'll end up portaging, I recommend Kevlar.

The GF has a 16' Scott Tripper in full Kevlar. She solo's in it, as well as done trips with 2 adults and 2 kids (3/5). Spec says 53lbs... that's the model with full kevlar and no gelcoat. It's light enough to carry quite a distance, and it's nice and stable.

I've got a similar fiberglass canoe (Abitibi... cdn made back in the 80's)... weighs 75lbs... definitely a lot more work to carry. I rarely bother trying to carry it on my own, I value my back too much. It's also quite stable, and we use it just as much as the Scott kevlar.

I've found used Scott kevlar canoes for friends. A friend has the full-kevlar 16' Prospector that I found for them on Kijiji a few years back, they love it.

I've got my eye on the Sourix River Quiteco 18.5'. 3 seats, huge capacity, but full kevlar only weighs 49lbs. Canadian made (Ontario made).

Watch Kijiji for Kevlar canoes... sometimes you find deals.

Kevlar is as hard (or as easy) to repair as fiberglass. The fabric isn't that hard to source (little harder than swinging down to Canadian Tire for a couple yards), and you'll need to use epoxy resin. Sourced the stuff from a shop in the GTA and she picked it up on the way through one Friday afternoon. We put two small patches on the gf's canoe when she got it... not punctures, just impact spots that looked like they could use an extra layer. She hasn't had any problems with it since. Epoxy is nice as it doesn't absorb moisture like polyester resin.

-Always wear lifejackets on the water.
-Teach the kids to sit on their and don't move around too much. The two adults sitting up high can often feel what the other is doing and adjust... but kids will throw their weight around suddenly, often right over the edge of the gunnels in the widest part of a canoe.

Look at the canoes that the rental companies (Algonquin, Killarny, etc) use... they see plenty of abuse, and are chosen because of their durability and stability. Scott and Souris River are very common. (Although Scott recently went out of business... not sure if the name/molds have been bought yet). I've never used one of his canoes, but I know the owner of Clearwater Designs Canoes and Kayaks... his products are made here in Ontario, rotational molded plastic. We have one of their kayaks at the cottage. Stable and quick for a novice like me.

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Originally Posted by line052

Get the right boat - OddMottt, be careful I lost a couple of good friends off Wolfe Island in Kingston almost 20 yrs ago. What I learned from this incident is know the body of water and wave conditions you will face traveling to and from hunt site. Make to wear life jackets, never wear the straps of chest waders over your shoulders while in boat. Wait it out on shore if conditions get bad. Very tragic day, Mike, Mark (brothers) and Paul Gracie, never to be forggotten. They were in a 12ft aluminum boat with no motor duck hunting, waves got first, then the gear they were wearing next, even before the cold killed them. All three drowned, very sad day indeed.

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Having nearly drowned myself a few years ago when our boat anchor didn't catch on a windy day and we jumped in the middle of a large lake to cool off... only to have the boat blow 2kms down the lake faster than we could swim to catch up... I don't fool around on the water. Ever. Calm surface and shallow, close to shore trips for us only when we've got the kids along.

The whole reason i wanted a Sportspal and only a Sportspal was from firsthand accounts about how stable they are and unsinkable even when flipped. Big selling points for anyone considering taking young kids out on the water.