How to Choose a Canoe
7-minute read
When choosing a canoe, there are a few things to think about. The right canoe for you depends on how you’ll use it, where you’ll use it, and who will use it.
Choose the right canoe for your lifestyle (photo courtesy of Kenauk Nature)
It can be tempting to run out and lay cash on that canoe you saw on Marketplace because it’s such a great deal. It can also be tempting—if you have the budget for it—to lay out a lot more cash on the sleek beauty you saw at your local paddleshop.
Before you go out and buy one, there are several questions you’ll want to answer to make sure it doesn’t just end up taking up space in your garage or yard. You want one that will be a good fit for your canoeing lifestyle.
What Type of Canoeing Will You Do Most Often?
Let’s look at a few scenarios to see where you fit:
1. You want a canoe for the family cabin that everyone can use.
You don’t plan to transport it a lot, but will just leave it at your cabin or lake home for all ages and ability levels to enjoy for an hour or two at a time. Maybe the kids will take it out for some fun, or Grandpa will use it to fish a little ways offshore.
For this scenario, you can get away with a cheaper (often used) canoe made of aluminum or polyethylene. The weight isn’t a huge deal since you won’t transport it around a lot. You want it tough enough to take a beating, including from those who don’t know much about how to take care of a canoe. You also want it to be stable and probably large enough to fit a few people at a time.
A recreational canoe is stable for new paddlers (Photo courtesy of Kenuak Nature)
2. You dream of taking a canoe on multi-day wilderness trips that will involve a lot of portaging from lake to lake.
While any canoe can, theoretically, be used this way, would you rather portage a 55-pound canoe or a 95-pound canoe? Most trippers prefer a lighter, yet stable canoe with a high weight capacity for a couple of paddlers and gear.
If you’ll mainly use your canoe at the family cabin but will want to take on a Boundary Waters trip once a year or every other year, consider renting a lightweight canoe from an outfitter rather than spending a few thousand dollars
3. You have some experience and want to take your canoe on rivers, including whitewater.
Whitewater canoes are designed to be very maneuverable. They have a high amount of what’s called rocker, which doesn’t make them as ideal for a family canoe due to less stability.
Whitewater canoes are made of tough material, durable enough to handle some impact with rocks. This makes them heavier. Since you won’t be doing much portaging on rivers, that’s usually okay.
Where will your canoe take you? (photo courtesy of Paul Villecourte)
What Size Canoe?
The size of your canoe makes a big difference, too. If you’ll mostly paddle solo, consider a solo canoe—a canoe with the seat in the middle designed for one person. A 13-15 foot boat is perfect.
If you will mostly paddle with another person, then you’ll want a tandem canoe with a seat at the bow and the stern. Most tandems range from 15-17 feet long. Then you have your tripping canoes that can be up to 18 feet long. These can haul a ton of gear, and some have a third seat near the middle.
A canoe’s width (or beam) comes into play as well. Those narrower than 34 inches are faster and more maneuverable, but also less stable. Wider canoes, over 34 inches, are more stable but slower.
Solo canoes are designed for solo paddlers (photo courtesy of Mat Willder)
Faster canoes are best for experienced paddlers on a mission, such as whitewater routes and long, multi-day trips. More stable canoes are best for novice paddlers, families, anglers and others who will use them more recreationally.
What Materials is the Canoe Made Of?
It’s key to know what a canoe is made of because that material influences several factors:
- Weight of the canoe
- Impact durability
- Paddling comfort
- Price
The most budget-friendly and durable materials are polyethylene (plastic) and aluminum. Canoes made of these materials can last for decades if treated properly (i.e., not thrown around, dragged around or left out in the hot sun all summer).
These materials are also heavy. They’re a good choice in situations where they won’t be carried around a lot, like a family cabin.
Aluminum canoes have filled outfitter rental fleets for years. They’re still portage-able for physically strong paddlers and are easy on the budget compared to lighter alternatives. Because they’re metal, though, they’re hot or cold to the touch based on the weather and tend to be noisy.
Royalex and T-Formex are alternatives that come in the middle for price and weight. They’re not light, but they’re lighter than plastic and most aluminum boats. They’re durable, quieter and don’t feel hot and cold to the touch like metal.
Fiberglass canoes also sit in the middle. They’re lighter, offer good performance and have a moderate price tag. But they’re not quite as durable as some of the other options.
Kevlar (aramid) and carbon canoes are favored by wilderness trippers who take multiple portages per trip due to their extremely light weight. They’re much easier to carry—to and from your vehicle, to the launch and over a portage—which makes them a popular choice for smaller paddlers, too.
Kevlar canoes are super lightweight compared to alternatives (photo courtesy of Forged From the Wild)
The biggest drawbacks of these materials are the high sticker price and they’re less impact resistant if you encounter a rock in the water.
Your Budget, Storage Space and Transporting Vehicle
Canoes take up a lot of space. They’re 13-18 feet of rigid material that weighs a fair bit and is almost three feet wide at the center. So think about where you’ll store it. In a garage? In your yard? In a storage unit? Be sure you have room for the one you’ll buy.
What’s your budget? Entry-level recreational canoes can start at a few hundred dollars new, and you can probably find several options used in your local area via Marketplace or other seller-to-seller options.
When you move into better materials, you’re looking at well over $1,000 new, and on up. Then the Kevlar and carbon models will start at about $2,500 and can exceed $4,000.
Finally, if you plan to transport your canoe often (more than just from the store to the cabin), is your vehicle set up for that? Will the canoe you buy be light enough for you to handle its weight (usually with another person)?
Don’t Forget About Your Paddle
It’s so common for new canoeists to spend their entire budget on the canoe and only consider their paddle as an afterthought. So then they buy the cheapest one on the shelf because, after all, it’s just a paddle, right?
Choose your paddle just as wisely as your canoe! (photo courtesy of Caleb Young)
But think about it: Your paddle is your motor and your connection with the water. It’s in your hands every minute you’re in the canoe, working hard with your body to propel you where you want to go.
You want your paddle to be the right size for you. You want it to be light enough and comfortable enough that it adds to your joy of canoeing, and doesn’t cause blisters and shoulder aches.
(And it doesn’t hurt if it’s gorgeous to look at!)
Read: How to Size & Choose a Canoe Paddle
Happy paddling!
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or choose our online chat option.
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