Need tips on buying/transporting a canoe

Hey guys. In the next month or so I’ll be buying a canoe for my son (age 12) and I. I’m looking to spend about $300 to $500. Probably 14 to 16 foot. I live in southern MN and we’d primarily use it to fish small pounds/streams. And maybe some Mississippi backwater areas. Probably one with a flat back to we could maybe someday put a trolling motor on, too. And probably need one that can transport 3 people (for the times when my daughter, 10, comes along).

So…I’ve looked at Dick’s, and they’ve got 2 basic choices in my price range. A Coleman canoe and and Old Town canoe. Beyond that, I don’t know much about what’s considered “good” in that price range. And not sure if I should aim for a certain width for stability etc. Any advice?

The other question…what’s a good way to transport a canoe with a Ford F150 pick-up? I can’t really just stick it out the back end. I’ve heard there’s some hitch attachment you can get that sticks up and allows you to rest canoe on that? And then i assume you strap the other end on top of the cab somehow.

Thanks for any advice, guys.

Stick with a durable material. Something you don’t mind beating up. Keep your eye out for a used one becausue they show up quite a bit. Id say you have a little time before you will be out with a canoe so shop a little bit. I’ve never used one with a motor so I don’t have an opinion there.

You can strap one down in the bed of a truck pretty easily even without the hitch deal. You can make a rack like a ladder rack so the canoe sits above the cab. This works well for trips where you want the space in the back of the truck. Obviously a topper solves this problem too. You just need pads. I use foam pipe insolation or the foam pool floaties.

Check this one out.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/boa/3583002138.html
Foam blocks on the roof of your pick up will work fine. Ropes front and back. Or you can buy a roof rack or build a rack for the back of the pick up.

You can make a rigid bracket that fits in the sockets found at the corners of the track near the gate. Make it high enough that its level with your cab. The canoe can ride on that and the cab real easy. Use a couple foam blocks to support the canoe at the cab.

When tying the canoe for transport, tie two ropes to the front and run one to each corner of the front of the truck…this will prevent the canoe from swinging if you get some cross-wind.

I trailer my 14 foot kayak. My back loves it.

I have an Old Town. I hate metal canoes. Mine is a round bottom which makes it easy to paddle but tippy. Square bottom likely a better choice for you. I have a bracket that fits in my trailer hitch to hold up one end of the canoe while the other rests on the cab. Made by Thule.

These are great tips, guys. Thanks. Keep em coming.

Suzuki, are you happy with that trailer hitch you refer to? How much do those go for?

Almost $200 now. I havent used mine in years since I bought a topper but I am about to get a new truck without a topper so I finally have a use for it again. They work great. Actually a little better than just strapping to your car because you dont have to worry about damaging your vehicle on that end of the canoe. Here are some images of the product.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-900&va=thule+canoe+hitch

Is there a reason besides price that you are looking at a 14-16 foot canoe? That’s definitely on the short end of the scale. I would consider 17′ minimum especially since you say that you want something stable and might have a third person.

If it were me with your requirements, I’d be looking used. A used Old Town or any aluminum can be had in that price range. They’re heavy, stable, and can take a beating. You might find that the seats could use some repair/replacement but I think you’ll find that you get something that fits your parameters much better than the ones you’re seeing at the sporting goods store.

Afterthought: For a trolling motor get a bracket instead of the square stern. You don’t want the trolling motor directly behind you. You’ll have much less fatigue/strain if it is offset to the side which is what the brackets do.

I bought a used 16ft Mad River canoe couple years ago for $600. It weight 60+lb, but after a summer of carrying over the shoulder to the reservoir and back, i gave up and bought me a canoe carrier. I made a stabilizer for windy day,choppy water and i can stand up and cast.
I wouldn’t recommend using the foams over the roof top carrier, unless you have an older truck and don’t mind scratching the paint.

Good to know. Someone else suggested that side mount for a trolling motor, so I’ll give that some more thought. And keep my eye out for decent used ones. Haven’t seen much yet, but will keep looking.

I used canoes for about 20 years and found that a longer canoe is much easier to paddle as it does not sink into the water as far as a shorter canoe. The square back is not desired as a side bracket to hold the electric motor works better for your arm to reach. Get long cables (I used battery jumpers) so the battery can sit in the front of the canoe to distribute weight better. I liked the lighter weight aluminum canoes for ease of loading onto the vehicle. I see the Alumacraft QT 17 is 17′ long and only weighs 64 lbs. That style canoe may be an ideal canoe for your use. If you plan on doing rough water canoeing down shallow rapids filled with rocks then you would need a much heavier and durable canoe.

http://www.alumacraft.com/qt-17.php

How often will you go anywhere where you need to paddle any significant distance? Excluding drifting down a river?

The reason I ask is that ever since I fished out of KWP’s Grumman Sportboat, I’ll never fish from a canoe again if I can avoid it. These are freaking awesome! Bigger and more stable than a canoe, but smaller than a full on v-hull boat. Small enough to car-top, but big enough for a 7.5 HP outboard, but you can still canoe-style paddle them if you aren’t going very far.

They’re spendy and harder to find than a square stern canoe, but they never go down in value.

Last year KWP and I opened up the walleye season on a river in Northern MN that’s too shallow and rocky for conventional boats. KWP brought the Sportboat and I put my 7.5 Johnson on it. We had the whole river to ourselves. We fished miles of river for the whole day and didn’t see another soul and we were within 45 minutes of the utter chaos that is Mille on opening day.

Grouse