Canoe Info Requested

Canoe Info Requested

Post by Don Lundqui » Wed, 07 Aug 1991 06:49:41


I'm looking for a canoe to use mostly on flat water(lakes) large and
small in northern California. Sometime later I may decide to attempt
rivers but not until my co-pilot(7 year old son) gets a little older.

I've shopped mainly at REI and California Canoe and Kayak. Although
the people at REI try to be helpful I find that they don't really
know a lot about canoes, other than the ones they sell. CC&K really
know their stuff but their prices are $100-200 more. I'm going
to get a better long-term deal going with a store like CC&K? Or
should I take the better price and run?

Either way I've narrowed my choices down to the following:

        Dagger
                Reflection 15'4" royalex

        OldTown
                Penobscot  16'2" royalex

Has anyone had any experiences with either of these, or others?

I've stayed away from any of the crosslink canoes that OldTown makes  
because I've heard that the material can start cracking after 3 years.

Has anyone ever heard about the Navarro line of fiberglass/wood canoes
the REI sells? They're made up in Mendecino county. The wood on them
looks great but I question the flat bottom and the fact that they don't
look like they'd carry much weight.

I also have an '87 Pathfinder 2dr. with the factory mounted rack which
according to the manual can carry 80lbs. I've considered Yakima racks
but the model they propose for Pathfinders

Don Lundquist

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, this communication is    |
|  personal and does`t represent the views of Sun Microsystems.         |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 
 
 

Canoe Info Requested

Post by Russell Randol » Fri, 09 Aug 1991 01:06:18

Quote:

> I'm looking for a canoe to use mostly on flat water(lakes) large and
> small in northern California. Sometime later I may decide to attempt
> rivers but not until my co-pilot(7 year old son) gets a little older.

>         Dagger
>                 Reflection 15'4" royalex

The better whitewater boat (better hull shape AND shorter).

Quote:
>         OldTown
>                 Penobscot  16'2" royalex

The better fla***er boat (little rocker, longer, narrow, should be faster).
Would work for mild whitewater (class II).

If you're really going to stick to lakes or flat rivers, I would avoid royalex
(very slow and very heavy).  Look at fiberglass.

Russell Randolph
nCUBE, Beaverton, Oregon


 
 
 

Canoe Info Requested

Post by Dan Dunp » Sat, 10 Aug 1991 05:34:48

If you are thing at all about whitewater, in the future, the Dagger
Legend might ba a better choice than the Reflection. The reflection
probably has a faster hull, though.

None of these plastic boats will last if stored outside in the sun.
They are subject to UV damage, the higher you live the worse it is.

Wood gunnels(gunwhales) have been a problem on Mad River royalex boats
in extreem cold weather, the expansion coefficient is different.,
and will crack the royalex near the ends.
Loosen the gunnel screws for winter storage.
 ---
 --
 __     ___
|   \  /   \  |\  | (My advice is probably worth what you paid
|   |  |___|  | \ | for it!) IHMO should be assumed, lest I forget.    
|___/  |   |  |  \|    
                        Don't forget I'm back here, folks!      
Dan Dunphy              

DoD #0281