Are you in the market for a Canoe?
New or used there are many Canoes to choose from.
Why are you getting a canoe? If it is for a particular purpose, then you will want to look for a canoe that works well for those parameters.
For Camp use, you want a canoe that scouts can abuse year after year after year. The won't know how to take care of them and will bang them up pretty hard and do all kinds of crazy stuff in them. They may gets stored outside in the sun for years.
Best choice:
Metal canoe
If you need to carry your canoe a long distance to get it into and out of the water, weight is huge.
Choices:
Composites such as thin fiberglass and kevlar are hard to beat
Composites such as Royalex and T-Formax are better than poly or metal
River use may entail your boat colliding with rocks or trees. You want a canoe that will survive collisions
Choices:
Composites such as Royalex and T-Formax can take a hit. They can bend and will generally pop back out. They also float.
Poly is used on some smaller river boats. Poly can take a real beating and may be the best option for a smaller boat that you intend to constantly bounce over and against rocks
Lake are generally pretty calm (except when the wind picks up in the afternoon). It doesn't really matter what you get as long as it floats.
Choices:
Longer canoes will travel faster
Poly canoes cost less
This really depends on your unit and what your leadership is able and willing to do.
Abusive Scouts:
Old poly boats can take a LOT of abuse
Metal Boats will also work.
General Adventure Use
Composites such as Royalex and T-Formax are lighter to carry and portage. They will survive impacts against an occasional rock. They are a little harder to find used and will cost more.
Fiberglass - these can be found for very little and vary a lot in weight. Some are pretty light.
Fiberglass can be a great option for starting out a troop since you can get a bunch of these used for very little. But they are easily damaged by abusive scouts. If you have control over scouts or unusually nice Scouts, these will work.
You can purchase an entire fleet for the price of a single new canoe. The fleet may not look pretty or be perfect, but you can hit the water for some awesome adventures.
Places to look:
What to look for:
Depends on what you end goal is
Forever Fleet:
Looking to have durable boats that last forever without repair or protection?
Adventure Fleet:
Is Adventure your thing and you want to hit more than just flat lakes and lazy rivers? You want something that can take a little abuse but is also not too heavy.
Future Adventures Fleet:
Start off with what you can find, and then replace them as you find "treasures" locally.
Start:
Replace with:
Largest and best known American canoe manufacturer.
Make Triple-Ply polyethylene boats
Boats look great and can take a lot of abuse
Boats are really heavy
Old Town made a 12 foot "PAC" out of Royalex - this is a great find for a solo Scoutmaster canoeist
Handcrafted on the banks of the Mississippi River in Southeast Minnesota
Well known canoe manufacture
Make a mix if composite and laminate boats
Canadian company run by Jacques Chasse
T-Formex Boats (developed by Jacques Chasse)
Sold at REI which allows for a 10-15% discount if you are member and using an REI credit card and want the option to return it if you made a major mistake.
Founded by 1971 National Whitewater Open Canoe champion Jim Henry. Moved to North Carolina in 2001
Sell a mix of Canoe types
The Explorer canoes have been made in Royalex, Triple Tough (TT) polyethylene-foam-polyethylene, fiberglass, kevlar and now in T-Formex (starting in 2017)
They also make recreational canoes in regular polyethylene
Canoe production was halted or paused in 2022
near London, Ontario, Canada
Several different materials
aka Grumman canoes
Metal boats
Hand crafted canoes
Hand crafted canoes
Made to order in Kevlar, fiberglass or a combination of fiberglass and Kevlar
Sell polyethylene boats
Affordable and very durable boat
Warp if left in the sun
Heavy canoes
Great for cub scouts
Plastic Boats
Great for cub scoutsEasyRider
Seattle company made both fiberglass and Royalex boats.
The 15-8 Ouzel is a nice all around boat to get
Mohawk
Made both fiberglass and Royalex boats
Looking for something really portable?
Packrafts Designed and Handcrafted in Mancos, Colorado
inflatable canoes
neoprene material
Preinforced PVC skin held under tension by an interlocking framework of tubular aluminum
Very versatile canoe that can take a beating, but is lighter than poly or metal
Tandem - Esquif Prospecteur 16 Canoe
Scoutmaster Solo - Esquif Adirondack
Down River / Prospector 15
Down River / Prospector 16
Scoutmaster Solo - Wilderness
Explorer 16 T Formex
Jasper, Arkansas
Light weight for easier portage and loading and unloading. These are generally too expensive to consider for scout units. But Scoutmasters with extra personal money to burn can consider getting a one for themselves.
Race Ted Bell and designer David Yostin La Crosse, Wis.
Resin can either be vinylester, polyester or epoxy.
Ultra-light racing and tripping canoes for 35 years
woven Kevlar fabric with a fiberglass skin
Master instructor Bob Hellman
near London, Ontario, Canada
Several different materials
Option for those with limited budgets or want something really durable.
3-layer polyethylene plastic know as SP3.
Triple layer poly - Polyethylene and thermoformed polyethylene.
Esquif has plastic canoes for whitewater use
Polyethylene recreational canoes
Some of Explorer canoes were made from TT (triple layer poly)
Estonian Company with HDPE kayaks and Canoes
Looking to take on some heavy abuse?
Grumman Canoes (Marathon Boat Group)
Linder Canoes (Sweden)
Osagian (Denmark)
Sportspal Canoes – Meyers Boat Company
Adrian, Michigan
