OB Canoe Talk

  • HTML tutorial

Elzevir

Rank I

Enthusiast I

231
Portland, ME, USA
First Name
Jesse
Last Name
Young
Service Branch
US Army Veteran
@NotGumby and I were chatting on the Member intro thread, so I figured why not start a Canoe thread. For some background I have an Old Town Charles River 159 and an Old Town H2Pro.

That Old Towne is a nice boat. The Royalex needs a heap of gear inside to keep her on track. We’ll have to start a canoe thread. Tell me what you think about the Ally DR 16.5. I don’t have room on the RTT for a ridged.
I love the idea of a takedown canoe. This is my first time seeing the Ally, but it has pretty good looking lines. From the reviews I've read it appears to be a pain to put together. The rigid canoe is one of the 2 big reasons for me building a teardrop and not going with a rooftop tent. The other being I like to set up a basecamp most of the time. I'm curious what kind of paddling you do with it and how it has held up.

I have previously looked into the PakCanoes, but I'm not convinced I'd go that route for that price.
 

NotGumby

Local Expert Germany
Member
Investor

Influencer II

3,682
Frankfurt, Germany
First Name
Rick
Last Name
Voth
Member #

2380

Service Branch
Army Veteran 11B 54E
I’m not convinced with inflatables. The Ally though - that’s a different story.

We like to move just about every day so the RTT made sense. But the leaves no room for a ridged canoe. We had a NC Prospector 16 that’s now gone.

That’s why we’re looking at the Ally dr 16.5. We can fit that in the storage well of the James Baroud RTT, or inside the vehicle. Worst case is she’s light enough to strap on top of the RTT and remove every night. We don’t have the Ally yet. No one had it in stock here. Won’t be long now!

I’ve heard the setup is only tough the first few times. You can reduce that by setting it up in the sun and leave it hull up for a day, baking.

Research tells me she’s a good tourer, fast maneuverable river boat and can take category 2 WW. She flexes a bit with the waves making her comfortable and stable. Unloaded, light, she gets hammered by the wind making her a tough lake craft in windy conditions.

I’m pretty excited about getting back in the water more often and not in a rental.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: El-Dracho

NotGumby

Local Expert Germany
Member
Investor

Influencer II

3,682
Frankfurt, Germany
First Name
Rick
Last Name
Voth
Member #

2380

Service Branch
Army Veteran 11B 54E
@NotGumby and I were chatting on the Member intro thread, so I figured why not start a Canoe thread. For some background I have an Old Town Charles River 159 and an Old Town H2Pro.

That Old Towne is a nice boat. The Royalex needs a heap of gear inside to keep her on track. We’ll have to start a canoe thread. Tell me what you think about the Ally DR 16.5. I don’t have room on the RTT for a ridged.
I love the idea of a takedown canoe. This is my first time seeing the Ally, but it has pretty good looking lines. From the reviews I've read it appears to be a pain to put together. The rigid canoe is one of the 2 big reasons for me building a teardrop and not going with a rooftop tent. The other being I like to set up a basecamp most of the time. I'm curious what kind of paddling you do with it and how it has held up.

I have previously looked into the PakCanoes, but I'm not convinced I'd go that route for that price.
Thanks for moving this to a new thread.
 

Elzevir

Rank I

Enthusiast I

231
Portland, ME, USA
First Name
Jesse
Last Name
Young
Service Branch
US Army Veteran
I agree with the idea of inflatables. A lot of cons for only 1 pro. The Pakcanoe caught my eye because it's more of a hybrid of the two. The Canadians make a beautiful boat. I paddled/poled an Esquif Miramichi 20 while guiding an Allagash trip a few years ago and it was beautiful in every way. I just can't justify a 20 foot boat for every day tasks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NotGumby

NotGumby

Local Expert Germany
Member
Investor

Influencer II

3,682
Frankfurt, Germany
First Name
Rick
Last Name
Voth
Member #

2380

Service Branch
Army Veteran 11B 54E
I agree with the idea of inflatables. A lot of cons for only 1 pro. The Pakcanoe caught my eye because it's more of a hybrid of the two. The Canadians make a beautiful boat. I paddled/poled an Esquif Miramichi 20 while guiding an Allagash trip a few years ago and it was beautiful in every way. I just can't justify a 20 foot boat for every day tasks.
I agree A 20 footer is just not practical unless your really loading it up - like expedition loads.

I’ll bet the Esquif was a nice boat to paddle! I haven’t seen one yet. Interesting build material.
 

Tundracamper

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer I

3,068
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
First Name
Steve
Last Name
Shepard
Member #

22670

I used to have an OT Penobscot 16’. I think I’ll regret selling it for the rest of my life. It was so stinkin’ light. All the new models (sans ridiculously expensive kevlar) seem heavy and the inflatables do seem like a pain no matter how you look at it. Are those using inflatables storing them wet? Seems like you’d have to figure out a way to dry it really well at the campsite or take the canoe out again when you get home. At my age, I guess I’m just not patient enough. Longing for a 12’ royalex - and some space to carry it!!
 

El-Dracho

Ambassador, Europe
Moderator
Member
Supporter
Investor

Inventor I

13,232
Lampertheim, Germany
First Name
Bjoern
Last Name
Eldracher
Member #

20111

Ham/GMRS Callsign
DO3BE
Nowadays there are really good inflatable canoes. They are even used for expeditions. Those boats are of course not comparable with the cheap inflatable boats from the DIY market or so. We have an inflatbale canoe, a GUMOTEX Scout since quite some time. It is great. Easy and quick to inflate and deflate, enough space inside, very robust and stable. All this with a reasonable pack size to put it into the rig or carry it on the roof.

A picture of our Gumotex taken while enjoying one of my favourite places in Canada, the Algonquin Provincial Park:

Nordamerika 2 344.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: EBasil and MazeVX

Dilldog

Rank V
Launch Member
Investor

Influencer I

2,358
Spokane, WA.
First Name
Dillon
Last Name
Wilke
Member #

20298

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KJ7LVO/ WRQL275
Service Branch
USAF
How is the stability of the inflatables? Also have you had it in a situation where you need to portage or with mild rapids?
 
  • Like
Reactions: El-Dracho

El-Dracho

Ambassador, Europe
Moderator
Member
Supporter
Investor

Inventor I

13,232
Lampertheim, Germany
First Name
Bjoern
Last Name
Eldracher
Member #

20111

Ham/GMRS Callsign
DO3BE
How is the stability of the inflatables? Also have you had it in a situation where you need to portage or with mild rapids?
Stability of this boat is about comparable to a rigid hull boat of this size and design. You'll see the fixed bench seats and the T-bone bracing against the floor, in addition to the three air chambers. This construction makes it really stable. We have also paddled with the boat light rapids with uneven current, light turbulence and small steps (I guess between whitewater category I and II), even with low water where it slid over stones - no problem at all. If I remember correctly, the manufacturer says that this boat is suitable up to whitewater category III. It is a bit more exposed to wind than a comparable rigid hull boat.

But there is really a wide range of inflatable boats with very very different characteristics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EBasil and Dilldog

M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
I want to get either a canoe or a kayak. I’m not sure which way I will go yet… probably kayak just because they are more maneuverable for floating solo.
 

FishinCrzy

Rank V

Advocate I

2,595
South Carolina, USA
First Name
Rob
Last Name
Duncan
Member #

19015

Service Branch
StateHazmatResponder
I want to get either a canoe or a kayak. I’m not sure which way I will go yet… probably kayak just because they are more maneuverable for floating solo.
Check in with @Road he has a really nice and light handmade job. Here is a link to some interesting inflatables:

Been thinking I need another boat to fill a gap. Been looking at these:


Thinking of heading down to Titusville next month and look at them. Lead time is over a year.


http://www.gheenoe.net/
 
  • Like
Reactions: Road

M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
Check in with @Road he has a really nice and light handmade job. Here is a link to some interesting inflatables:

Been thinking I need another boat to fill a gap. Been looking at these:


Thinking of heading down to Titusville next month and look at them. Lead time is over a year.


Gheenoe Manufacturing, Titusville, FL
I don’t want/need another inflatable… I have several to choose from. Inflatables are fine for a float trip, but when on the move and I see a body of water where the fish are jumping, I need to get out there right now… not 20 minutes later… and then when it’s time to come back to shore another hour to dry and repack the inflatable.

I already have my eyes set on several different fishing canoes and kayaks. I am just at the evaluation stage right now. I’m still leaning more towards a fishing kayak than a canoe… like I said, it will be for me only to fish out of. I have spent many many days solo on a canoe as a kid, and I remember how difficult it was for me to maneuver it by my self, but I have seen some new designs coming out of Alaska that have peeked my interest.

As a DIYer, I would love to build another boat… but the wife says no more boat building. I have built several canoes, kayaks, and even a wooden runabout. So building is nothing new to me. I have even made foam boats.
One of these years I will be building another fish and ski runabout built around a 110hp outboard. But that will be after I get a garage
 

Longshot270

Rank V
Launch Member

Experimenter I

1,453
DFW, TX
First Name
Colby
Last Name
M
Member #

5160

Old town expedition is an awesome canoe if you can find one. It is probably the most stable canoe I’ve ever had. For solo stuff I prefer kayaks, just be sure to get the right one for what you want to do. There are many specialized shapes that do some things better than others.
 

Attachments

rho

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,031
SF bae area
First Name
Juliette
Last Name
Penning
Member #

18700

Ham/GMRS Callsign
AG6YB
As a DIYer, I would love to build another boat… but the wife says no more boat building. I have built several canoes, kayaks, and even a wooden runabout. So building is nothing new to me. I have even made foam boats.
One of these years I will be building another fish and ski runabout built around a 110hp outboard. But that will be after I get a garage
YES! Handmade wooden boats!
I built a 12' stich-and-glue kayak over the summer and I've been thinking about having a go at making a cedar strip OC1 (one person outrigger canoe!) sometime... Its a different beast than what you'd normally find in lakes, but I've put a bunch of years in as a steersman on a six person outrigger canoe and almost as much time paddling the things in the #3 seat, so doing an OC1 is something I'd likely get more use out of because of my proximity to the ocean.

On the other hand I have some family I might be able to talk out of an older Coleman 16' canoe one of these days... Its not high performance, or light, but it floats and it tracks well when you're solo in it and we spent a lot of time paddling that around when my brother and I were younger. But for now, the small watercraft itch has been satisfied by my stand up paddle board and the kayak we built. Both are super high performance watercraft and it shows when it comes time to work out and get a move on with them in the water. The sup is 24lbs, with a carbon fiber paddle and the kayak is 39lbs with a somewhat lower end, but more impact resistant paddle as my kid is the main user of that boat.

But back to more traditional styled canoes...
For the inflatable vs fiberglass vs carbon vs Kevlar canoe discussions, it comes down to weight, storage, performance and frequency of use, to me.

I SUP a lot and do some surfing on it, so I opted to go for a hard board for it, however inflatable SUP's have been making a huge inroad with their performance due to advances in drop stitch construction of the boards. I've seen similar advances in the construction of inflatable kayaks, with the higher performance ones having drop stitch floors, and AL frames that pack down plus the other inflate-y bits. I'm not so sure how it'd work out in canoe land where you're often looking at 2-3 people and gear in a average canoe trip and most of that load being supported in the floor. They might work out, who knows, but i don't expect them to fulfill my expectations for a paddle craft performance wise.

Road has a REALLY high performance, ultra light solo canoe that is made out of Kevlar, and its a a pretty incredible option if you have the $$ for it.
Fiberglass and plastic is still around really common, and they often give acceptable performance at the expense of being heaver and somewhat harder to move around if you're solo.

The inflatables totally win if you have storage concerns or don't need a higher performance watercraft. Electric pumps for inflatables are a thing, and make the job of inflating them fairly painless, you can use an onboard compressor as well, but you have to be very aware of over pressurizing them and blowing them up.

The kayak we built for attention:
PXL_20211016_150649308.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: Road and Dilldog

EBasil

Rank VI
Member

Influencer I

4,707
San Diego, CA, USA
First Name
Erik
Last Name
Basil
Member #

30094

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KK6LBE
I went with an inflatable kayak, for a few reasons: packability, storage (of the folded kayak), and price. Our want is essentially for very occasional use, such as to goof around in the Colorado before then rolling across the Mojave Road, and I already have a garage full of bikes & gear, with space on the roof rack a premium, as well. $200 for a Sea Eagle 330 with pump and oars, it weighs under 30lb and will float two people plus the dog no problem. Crystal Rapids, here we come! :smiley:
 

Elzevir

Rank I

Enthusiast I

231
Portland, ME, USA
First Name
Jesse
Last Name
Young
Service Branch
US Army Veteran
Great to see everyone chiming in. I purchased my boats years ago, and with setup time, wind push, and tracking inflatables were never an option. I got both boats for under $500 each, the H2Pro was used (it's literally as old as I am, stopped production in '93 I think) and the Charles River was brand new with a heck of a sale. I do a fair amount of lake fishing in the Charles and river trips in both. Can't really justify buying anymore boats as I also have 2 Sea Kayaks. 2 questions:

1: For those with hard shell canoes, do you take them on your Overland adventures? This is one of the reasons a RTT isn't a great option for me and I'm curious if you use them with it. The only tent option I found is the Alu-Cab Gen 3.1 Expedition Tent with it's weight rated at 50kg/110lbs which would suffice for both kayaks or one of the canoes with weight to spare.

2: For those with inflatables, have you done any multiday trips with them? i.e. the Allagash Widlerness Waterway or the Boundary Waters. How did the craft handle the gear, the weather, and overall on the water?
 

BlackDog1

Rank II

Enthusiast III

473
The Mitt
First Name
John
Last Name
C
Member #

0

I use a 12’ nucanoe frontier. Most stable fishing platform I have ever owned. Been in ocean. Bays. Rivers. Lakes. kinda Heavy at about 80lbs. but worth it.
I too have a f12. I fly fish from it. Standing site casting is duck down stealth is money. Im in michigan and the f12 is perfect size for floating down a tight river. Ordered a 2.5 gas motor for it to fish lake saint clair and motor up some of the deeper rivers etc. Great solo platform. Also do float/camping trips from it and I can load it down pretty well with everything I need and don't need. Love it
 
  • Like
Reactions: FishinCrzy