Sounds like the 16'-17' Prospector would be a good choice for you. Chestnut built them for decades and it was their biggest seller. It was also Bill Mason's(The Path of the Paddle) favourite. Lots of freeboard and stability and enough rocker to be very maneuverable. We built quite a few strip built versions from 15'-18", but the 16" was the sweetest. BTW read that book, it will give you a better understanding of canoes. Look for a Prospector design built in Royalex, tough stuff.
Canoe advice
- Thread starter savagelh
- Start date
Sounds like the 16'-17' Prospector would be a good choice for you. Chestnut built them for decades and it was their biggest seller. It was also Bill Mason's(The Path of the Paddle) favourite. Lots of freeboard and stability and enough rocker to be very maneuverable. We built quite a few strip built versions from 15'-18", but the 16" was the sweetest. BTW read that book, it will give you a better understanding of canoes. Look for a Prospector design built in Royalex, tough stuff.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Be very careful in the used market. Their are tons of cheap canoes that folks by for their cottages out there. Not only are they poorly constructed, they don't respond well to being loaded to the nuts. Where canoes of better design actually get more stable with weight the cheap ones become nightmarish.
This is my current back country canoe: http://www.swiftcanoe.com/dumoine-rivertouring although I picked the Kevlar fusion construction, with cuts the weight to about 40lbs.
You can see in the picture it has a bit of rocker end to end, that helps with turning when you are on rivers and streams. If it has a disadvantage it's on lakes, where the lack of keel, that makes it great on streams, makes it more prone to wind shoving you around. My old Grumman, 17' and 85lbs, is much better in that area, as it has a heavy keel, but when you pack that a few miles over steep portages, you certainly know you've done it, and it's a bear to turn in the tight confines of a meandering stream. Rated capacity of either is about 650lbs, but it's true capacity is around 1000. Both are stable under heavy loads.
This is my current back country canoe: http://www.swiftcanoe.com/dumoine-rivertouring although I picked the Kevlar fusion construction, with cuts the weight to about 40lbs.
You can see in the picture it has a bit of rocker end to end, that helps with turning when you are on rivers and streams. If it has a disadvantage it's on lakes, where the lack of keel, that makes it great on streams, makes it more prone to wind shoving you around. My old Grumman, 17' and 85lbs, is much better in that area, as it has a heavy keel, but when you pack that a few miles over steep portages, you certainly know you've done it, and it's a bear to turn in the tight confines of a meandering stream. Rated capacity of either is about 650lbs, but it's true capacity is around 1000. Both are stable under heavy loads.
IF money is no object take a look at NovaCraft with Tuffstuff.
They beat the crap out of Tuffstuff and it stands up better than Kevlar.
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https://youtu.be/e47frGNaVfg
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https://youtu.be/2JYXMpA19sI
They make models for every type of paddling.
They beat the crap out of Tuffstuff and it stands up better than Kevlar.
[youtube]e47frGNaVfg[/youtube]
https://youtu.be/e47frGNaVfg
[youtube]2JYXMpA19sI[/youtube]
https://youtu.be/2JYXMpA19sI
They make models for every type of paddling.
Some time ago, there were pics of two canoes made into a catamaran & a small outboard posted on the board. They used it to get in & out of their moose hunting area & IIRC one pic they were dragging the bull back to camp behind the canoes... Anyone?
Cheers
Jay
Grabbed a pic off the net so you get the idea.
Cheers
Jay
Grabbed a pic off the net so you get the idea.
Attachments
this one? This is our set up, we now have an aluminum set up
we use our canoes to access our hunting area, travel by water is quieter and more scent free, once we connect and dispatch our moose we catarmaran our canoes to float the animals back to camp.
we use our canoes to access our hunting area, travel by water is quieter and more scent free, once we connect and dispatch our moose we catarmaran our canoes to float the animals back to camp.
They sit low, so they don't tip.
I have capsized more than my share when shooting rapids on river runs, but have never capsized on flat water. Canoes are only as stable as their weakest link... the thing that always wears the PFD.
this one? This is our set up, we now have an aluminum set up
we use our canoes to access our hunting area, travel by water is quieter and more scent free, once we connect and dispatch our moose we catarmaran our canoes to float the animals back to camp.
We just put the bull IN the canoe...
Canoes don't tip people do!
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
Awesome pics guys!
I have no experience with hunting by canoe but I have a 16.5' 'Holy Cow Canoe Company' kevlar prospector. I like it and I bought it as a factory second for under $1500. Has served me well so far and is very stable.
I have no experience with hunting by canoe but I have a 16.5' 'Holy Cow Canoe Company' kevlar prospector. I like it and I bought it as a factory second for under $1500. Has served me well so far and is very stable.
Trimmer 905
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I love canoes,especially,the stability of a canvas covered cedar strip. Yeah,I know they're heavy and high maintenance,but,I still think there's nothing on the market that can beat 'em. Too bad we can't find good ones,anymore.
Nice pics and nice moose.
We always try to get the moose out of the kill site with as little disturbance as possible since we continued hunting the area.
Plus it was easier to gut,skin and quarter back at our base camp, we had all of the necessary equipment there. We have cut up a lot of our moose where they fell if it wasn't handy to the water and packed them back to the canoes or atvs. Most of out spots were water access only so the float method worked great.
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
Do you guys prefer Keel or no Keel on your canoes? I bought my prospector with a keel on it and it makes for great tracking on the Lakes. But it makes it useless on rivers
A well designed and executed shape does not need a keel to track well. Keels tend to be a compromise of either the structural design to make it strong enough, or to make something track that is the wrong shape to do so.
My Chestnut Trapper 12' solo was/is 38# Sold it in a moment of weakness. That sucker could turn on a dime and give you the change!
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
Interesting, I never thought about it like that. My canoe can be ordered with or without a keel. I wonder how the same model handles with out it? The Nova Craft I used to use a lot was a 15' made out of Royalex Lite and did not have a keel.
I went with a sportspal 12’ aluminium in camo. It’s 38” wide and holds 500lb. Weighs only 35lb and is tough as nails. It’s made in Canada and I found one new at a local supplier, paid $1100 all in. They come with paddles and a trolling motor mount... they’re purpose built for hunting and fishing. It’s stable, you can stand up and walk fore and aft no problem. It’s been great for fishin with the kids. I plan on getting after ducks with it this fall.
I had a 15” old town before that was plastic, I hated it.... it was way to heavy (80lb plus I think) and no where near as stable as the sportspal... If you need more weight capacity step up to the 14’, it holds 800lb and weighs only 41lb.
I had a 15” old town before that was plastic, I hated it.... it was way to heavy (80lb plus I think) and no where near as stable as the sportspal... If you need more weight capacity step up to the 14’, it holds 800lb and weighs only 41lb.
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Royal-X and Royal-Lite, or any of the triple layer polyethalyne materials, such as Mad River's "Triple Tough," are hardly "junk." While they are heavier that Kevlar, they are far, far tougher, and resist punctures and compression cracks... they are also easy to repair in the field. I have use pretty much every material used for canoe construction and would recommended triple layer poly for most hunting/river applications. A good yoke goes a long way to managing the extra weight.
For flat-water/Portage tripping, it is hard to beat Kevlar.
