Looking to get a canoe (aluminum, plastic, fiberglass)???

[steppinthrax]

I have a family (4 people). I'm looking for a good canoe. I'm looking on craigslist. I see a lot of aluminum canoes. I'm looking at a 16' one that has some dents on the bottom. I'm reading that this is somewhat normal and you would expect to find dents in a used aluminum canoe. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the different materials.

 

[Perknose]

Aluminum all the way, imho. They're the most durable and easiest to care for by far! Dents are quite normal, btw. Grumman (they made jet fighters!) made a lot of them. Don't know if they still do.

I guess it's not an reasonable option for you and your family, but I vastly prefer kayaks, and there are two seater ones, at least. Of course, buying two would be more expensive.

 

[lxskllr]

Aluminum keeps well outside. It's good for the lake cabin you visit a couple times per year. They're noisy, they stick to rocks, and are frying pans in the summer.

Plastic is medium weight, and cheaper versions have too much flex. Sun can damage them. They're cheap, durable, and very slippery on rocks.

Fiberglass is heavy, and has medium slippage on rocks. Not abrasion tolerant, but easy to repair, or even to build from scratch if you wanted a project. Shape is more customizable. Price is midscale.

Kevlar is very light, but susceptible to damage, including the sun. Not bad to repair, but unless you're skilled, you'll ruin the good looks. Very expensive.

For a general recommendation, I'd go with plastic. It can be used in more environments, and doesn't cost much if you aren't sure you'll be a paddler. There aren't many deals in boats. You really get what you pay for. Buy a cheap plastic boat, and take it from there.

 

[Sinsear]

I have an aluminum and a fiberglass; the aluminum has been in the family for more than 30 years.

 

[BoomerD]

I learned canoeing in a Grumman aluminum canoe 40-some years ago. I even taught canoeing at Boy Scout camp for a couple of summers as a scout.
I bought a Sawyer fiberglass canoe for me and my family. We used it for about 20 years, in lakes, streams, rivers, and even the ocean.
What kind you buy depends on what your use will be. If it's just lake use, any of them will suffice...What size you get will depend on how big your kids are...when mine were little, I tied a couple of small lawn chairs to the thwarts for them to sit in and fish...worked great until they were about 10 or so...then they had to sit/kneel on the bottom.
Be sure to get GOOD quality PFD's that fit each member of your family.

 

[Markbnj]

And then there are these...

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/classic_wood/

Wood has a lot of great properties, but its expensive and requires more maintenance. I would probably go glass or plastic.

 

[DrPizza]

We started with a large canoe, I bought a kayak, then we got 3 more kayaks for my wife and both boys. After that, the canoe sat there for years, completely untouched. We'd go to the lake and haul our larger boat - and take a couple kayaks with us as well. If I hadn't sold the canoe and were contemplating between taking the kayaks or the canoe - it wouldn't even take a second to think about it. The kayaks would see the water; the canoe would sit on shore while we spent all the time in the boat.

 

[steppinthrax]

Thanks,

I see mixed opinions on all different materials. Everyone says bad and good about aluminum, everyone says bad and good about fiberglass and plastic. I'm looking at a 16' smokercraft. It has some dents in the bottom from the pictures. But I see lots of information saying I can pop those out with a dead blow. Also I want to store it under my deck which I think would work best outside.

 

[herm0016]

i like aluminum or plastic and have used both. I like the older plastic with aluminum keel structure and top frame. it was an old Colman. tracked well and was very stable. aluminum gets very hot in the sun and dents, while plastic does not.

 

[purbeast0]

i recently got an inflatable boat to take out on lakes to go fishing in. it's tons of fun and doesn't take too long to setup, and best of all it actually fits in my tiny sports car.

one thing to think about - are you going to get a motor for it or just use oars? if you are going to get a motor, you will want a canoe that has a flat back on it so you can mount the motor to it. they probably sell motor mount kits for canoes with non-flat backs, but i'd guess that you would need one to specifically fit your canoe.

 

[lxskllr]

Thanks,

I see mixed opinions on all different materials. Everyone says bad and good about aluminum, everyone says bad and good about fiberglass and plastic. I'm looking at a 16' smokercraft. It has some dents in the bottom from the pictures. But I see lots of information saying I can pop those out with a dead blow. Also I want to store it under my deck which I think would work best outside.

I wouldn't spend a second trying to get rid of dents unless they were very deep. They don't hurt anything, and besides, it's hard to do properly.

All materials have benefits, and drawbacks. Where do you plan on using it?

 

[Thebobo]

ABS

 

[steppinthrax]

I wouldn't spend a second trying to get rid of dents unless they were very deep. They don't hurt anything, and besides, it's hard to do properly.

All materials have benefits, and drawbacks. Where do you plan on using it?

Planning on using it with my family. Myself, Wife, 8yo daughter and 3 yo. We plan to do rivers, lakes etc...

 

[Vdubchaos]

Unless you are going to be doing it on daily/weekly basis....rent it.

Also, I would rent it NOW (before you buy it) just to get a feel for your wife. She might not like it AT ALL.

Outside of above, what has been said about different materials is on point. Pick and choose, there is no perfection.

 

[JamesV]

What you should do, is go canoeing at a livery, and actually try out the different canoe material types and different brands. It's only $28 for up to six hours on the river at a livery near me, and that is how I found which kayak was best for me; by going often and trying everything.

Liveries also sometimes sell canoes and kayaks at the end of the season, if they are getting new ones next years, or just to phase out old models. I'd rather buy a canoe from a livery used, where it had proper upkeep, than buy off some random individual on Craigslist whose canoe might have been half underground for the past five years with badgers living in it.

 

[weadjust]

Most every place I have ever rented a canoe has aluminum ones. They take the abuse of hundreds of drunks every weekend slamming them into rocks, trees, dragging on gravel bars, etc. I helped a guy one time that was swamped sideways on tree with the part where you sit upstream and pinned against the tree by the current. I thought the canoe was going to break in half before we got it loose.

 

[lxskllr]

Planning on using it with my family. Myself, Wife, 8yo daughter and 3 yo. We plan to do rivers, lakes etc...

What I was getting around to is rocky areas aren't the best for aluminum. They're very sticky, and make traveling over rocks a PITA. Aluminum is better for things like lakes, but they aren't very stealthy for sneaking up on wildlife. Aluminum is best when you value durability over everything. You see them in liveries a lot because you can give them to people, and they have a hard time permanently damaging them. They're tolerant of dragging across parking lots, and abuse like that.

 

[Jadow]

I would go with lead.