The drawbacks of a canoe.

[Ratherbefishing75]

I’ve been fishing out of a canoe for years now  and I’ve always been doing different things to it every year to make it more stable  ind it worked very well   My 16.5 foot ascend DC156 square stern  has had a 4 hp Jonson on the back of her and yes it was way too much motor for her lol  but running a 55 pound thrust motor on her works perfectly.  

this thing is quite stable even when I’m standing 

[Way2slow]

What I always liked about my canoe; it was a go anywhere boat, even if you couldn't get a vehicle near where you wanted to fish, you could still get the canoe there.  Growing up as a country boy and all kinds of farm ponds and small rivers to fish, that was critical.   Farmers would let me fish their ponds, but they didn't want you driving a vehicle across their fields to get to them, and some might not even have a path to them.  Even by yourself, it was no problem carrying or dragging the canoe around.  

One little trick for those not fully trained on canoe use.  In a long canoe like my 17' and by yourself.  The way you normally sit in one the rear seat is close to the back of the boat, and it makes it difficult to handle without throwing a bunch of weight in the front.  To get around that, you use the canoe backwards.  The front seat is a little off center from the middle so if you sit in the front seat facing the rear of the canoe, it has much better weight distribution and does not throw the opposite end way up in the air.  When you are traveling light pond jumping and don't have a battery and bunch of other junk along, it makes fishing a whole lot better.

 

[Darth-Baiter]

are there stable canoes where you dont have to modify them to be?  stable to stand on..right out of the box?

[volzfan59]

12 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

are there stable canoes where you dont have to modify them to be?  stable to stand on..right out of the box?

The Meyer's Sportspal is supposed to be an extremely stable canoe. 

[Darth-Baiter]

3 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

The Meyer's Sportspal is supposed to be an extremely stable canoe. 

I see.

 

I love this thread since I am a canoe..virgin(?).  I dont think I have EVER been in one.  I see two camps here. 

 

 canoe fans that love them because you can easily move them about.  carry/drag them to fish wonderlands.

Canoe-fans that can modify them with ingenuity and downright smart engineering to make them stable.

 

the two are mutually exclusive.  you can't have both..right.  that is the drawback.  the answer to this thread no?

[volzfan59]

For me, there is room for both. I love canoe's and canoe fishing. You can definitely get one in places that you can't get a boat. I've owned two and enjoyed them. I would like to find a used Sportspal in my area, but they are few and far between. It would be a nice addition to my boat.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

are there stable canoes where you dont have to modify them to be?  stable to stand on..right out of the box?

I stand in mine , very stable no mods. 15’ alumacraft. Honesty you can stand in darn near any of them right out the box 

[Swamp Girl]

On 12/23/2022 at 11:19 AM, TnRiver46 said:

I stand in mine , very stable no mods. 15’ alumacraft. Honesty you can stand in darn near any of them right out the box 

My Bell Rockstar is 15' 6" long, but one would either have to be a circus tightrope walker or an idiot to stand in it. Its initial stability is poor, which means it feels like you're sitting on a fence rail. Being 32 pounds, that's akin to having a sailboat keel made of Styrofoam. That sailboat would flip in a breeze, as my canoe would flip if someone tried to stand in it. 

 

On 12/23/2022 at 10:00 AM, Darth-Baiter said:

the two are mutually exclusive.  you can't have both..right.  that is the drawback.  the answer to this thread no?

 

Agree. You have to choose. I see some of these canoes bristling with pontoons and electronics and rod holders and microwave ovens (Okay, I'm stretching on this last one." and then I think about some of the places I'd portage. Maybe the Rock could portage such a tricked-out canoe, but not this old woman.  

[gim]

14 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

but one would either have to be a circus tightrope walker or an idiot

Well we already know that @TnRiver46 isn’t a tight rope walker, so…

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Well we already know that @TnRiver46 isn’t a tight rope walker, so…

Now that he's married - he better learn soon...

[TnRiver46]

32 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Well we already know that @TnRiver46 isn’t a tight rope walker, so…

32 lb canoe is definitely not meant for standing, note I said nearly any of them 

 

when you walk on steep roofs all day at work, balancing in a canoe ain’t so bad 

[TheSwearingAngler]

I have an older 14 foot Radisson (Sportspal made of lighter gauge aluminum at the time) it weighs 44 pounds and can be stood in stock. That said I built outriggers for it to be even more stable. They attach quickly and are pretty light.

 

I take the canoe, paddles(strapped inside) and PFD(wearing it) to the water in one trip, the outrigger setup, claw anchor, anchor poles, and tackle bags next trip. Fishing rods and leftover miscellaneous on a third trip. I plan to add a motor and rig up wheels over the winter so I can outfit the whole rig in the parking lot and roll out in one trip.

 

I live in a condo with no garage and no parking for a trailer, aluminum canoe stored in my backyard is no issue, the rest of the gear stays in the jeep all season. I just put it all in the basement a couple weeks ago.

 

For me his is the best I can hope for at this time… I smash fish in this thing BTW.

[TnRiver46]

On 12/23/2022 at 2:28 PM, TheSwearingAngler said:

I have an older 14 foot Radisson (Sportspal made of lighter gauge aluminum at the time) it weighs 44 pounds and can be stood in stock. That said I built outriggers for it to be even more stable. They attach quickly and are pretty light.

 

I take the canoe, paddles(strapped inside) and PFD(wearing it) to the water in one trip, the outrigger setup, claw anchor, anchor poles, and tackle bags next trip. Fishing rods and leftover miscellaneous on a third trip. I plan to add a motor and rig up wheels over the winter so I can outfit the whole rig in the parking lot and roll out in one trip.

 

I live in a condo with no garage and no parking for a trailer, aluminum canoe stored in my backyard is no issue, the rest of the gear stays in the jeep all season. I just put it all in the basement a couple weeks ago.

 

For me his is the best I can hope for at this time… I smash fish in this thing BTW.

That’s an awesome setup, an aluminum canoe is a weapon of bass destruction 

[Darth-Baiter]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

weapon of bass destruction 

This is my next user name.

[Neil McCauley]

On 10/29/2022 at 8:58 AM, ol'crickety said:

In other threads, I've been extolling the virtues of a canoe, like gliding over lily pads, snaking through reeds, carrying more gear than a kayak, and being sneaky.

 

Here are the drawbacks:

 

1. You can't stand. This is a big deal because it's harder to set the hook lower in the water and there are times I really want to stand and look over the reeds to see what's beyond.

 

2. They are tippy, some more than others. My canoe is especially tippy. When I first step into it, it feels like I'm on a fence rail. My canoe has what is called poor primary stability and good secondary stability, meaning that it feels tippier than it is.

 

3. The high sides, as opposed to a kayak, means I get blown about by wind. This is also a big deal when you're fighting a fish and and it means a lot of positioning corrections by paddle.

 

4. It's Kevlar, so it's delicate and has to be babied. 

 

I stood all the time in my Guide 147.
Never tipped over when sober. 

Don't like fishing in 7+ mph wind anyway.
Polyethylene, so gets dragged everywhere.

[TnRiver46]

51 minutes ago, Neil McCauley said:

I stood all the time in my Guide 147.
Never tipped over when sober. 

Don't like fishing in 7+ mph wind anyway.
Polyethylene, so gets dragged everywhere.

Those are legendary . My buddy has one that we started using when we turned 16, we still use it all the time and it works just the same with no leaks. We are now 38.

 

I’ve paddled some pretty decent white water in those many many times

[Recurve1]

I think if you like to paddle and do some occasional fishing a canoe is good.  If you like to fish and occasionally paddle a fishing kayak is good.

If you have $120K you don't need for anything else - get a bass boat.

[The one that got away]

On 12/26/2022 at 6:28 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Those are legendary . My buddy has one that we started using when we turned 16, we still use it all the time and it works just the same with no leaks. We are now 38.

 

I’ve paddled some pretty decent white water in those many many times

Most of the places around here have heavily wooded shorelines, and therefore limited areas to fish from the shore.  I finally got off the bank when I bought my Old Town Guide 147 in 2008.  I added a trolling motor the following year.  Best fishing decision I ever made was buying something, anything, to get to areas I couldn't get to from the bank.  Too many places I fish don't have a boat ramp, so I don't need a "real" boat.  My fishing locations would be limited if I needed a ramp to launch.  I still have the canoe and use it several times a week.  I replaced the yoke a couple years ago, so my maintenance cost has been about $2/yr.  90% of the time I am fishing with my buddy up front.  I'm too old to stand in it, and I'm considering a kayak for a bit more comfort but it works for now.  This is from our last launch last year:

  

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, The one that got away said:

Most of the places around here have heavily wooded shorelines, and therefore limited areas to fish from the shore.  I finally got off the bank when I bought my Old Town Guide 147 in 2008.  I added a trolling motor the following year.  Best fishing decision I ever made was buying something, anything, to get to areas I couldn't get to from the bank.  Too many places I fish don't have a boat ramp, so I don't need a "real" boat.  My fishing locations would be limited if I needed a ramp to launch.  I still have the canoe and use it several times a week.  I replaced the yoke a couple years ago, so my maintenance cost has been about $2/yr.  90% of the time I am fishing with my buddy up front.  I'm too old to stand in it, and I'm considering a kayak for a bit more comfort but it works for now.  This is from our last launch last year:

  

 

Thanks for the photo. It's good to see another fishing canoeist readying to launch. A trolling motor would be as stealthy as paddling, I'm guessing. I assume you paddle too into the weeds. 

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, The one that got away said:

Most of the places around here have heavily wooded shorelines, and therefore limited areas to fish from the shore.  I finally got off the bank when I bought my Old Town Guide 147 in 2008.  I added a trolling motor the following year.  Best fishing decision I ever made was buying something, anything, to get to areas I couldn't get to from the bank.  Too many places I fish don't have a boat ramp, so I don't need a "real" boat.  My fishing locations would be limited if I needed a ramp to launch.  I still have the canoe and use it several times a week.  I replaced the yoke a couple years ago, so my maintenance cost has been about $2/yr.  90% of the time I am fishing with my buddy up front.  I'm too old to stand in it, and I'm considering a kayak for a bit more comfort but it works for now.  This is from our last launch last year:

  

To me, a kayak is 100x less comfortable than a canoe . 

[MN Fisher]

46 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

To me, a kayak is 100x less comfortable than a canoe . 

Especially when you get rid of the plastic/wood seats and put something comfortable in place.

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Especially when you get rid of the plastic/wood seats and put something comfortable in place.

I was born without a rear end so the flat metal seat is perfect for me 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I was born without a rear end so the flat metal seat is perfect for me 

Ya - but at my age, my boney arse hurts after a bit of sitting on hard surfaces.

[The one that got away]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Thanks for the photo. It's good to see another fishing canoeist readying to launch. A trolling motor would be as stealthy as paddling, I'm guessing. I assume you paddle too into the weeds. 

Yes, I paddle when the weeds choke out the trolling motor.  The motor is great for moving from spot to spot in clearer water.  I just retie while I let the motor do the work.  I also hate paddling when it's too windy, so the motor's great for that too.   

46 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya - but at my age, my boney arse hurts after a bit of sitting on hard surfaces.

Agree 100%.  My knees also stiffen up if I can't stand up and stretch after a few hours 

[padlin]

Even with the memory foam seat in the canoe I can’t sit in it for more then 5 or 6 hours.