My kids are finally old enough and are showing an interest in fishing.
We have a bunch of canoe only lakes around and the fox and illinois
river are accessible. What type of canoe would people recommend? It
has to be lite enough to allow me to go out by myself. It will also see
duty with possibly 3 guys 200lbs-230lbs (if we fit), 2 adults and 2
kids {the kids are under 8 years old). I would have to value
stability, do not want to be dunkin the kids. At some point in the
future will probably opt to get an electronic trolling motor. Well
what do you use or recommend?

Ha, ha, ha... 3 guy, 200 pounds plus?

Get a freighter canoe!
http://www.islandnet.com/~canoes/20ft_freighter.htm But you won't be
able to carry it yourself and they are pricey, even used.

A loaded canoe does not have much freeboard, at least not with the
Frontiersman canoe I had.

You might want to look and this site and learn a bit more about this:
http://www.redrockstore.com/canoecompare.html

For 600+ pounds of weight, you could have serious problems in a smaller
canoe. We sunk ours at the lake, doing a silly trip with our 2 dogs,
all our camping and hiking gear and the two of us. I guess we were
close to 650 pounds loaded. All it took was the dog (a large German
Shepherd) to jump to one side and over the water came into the canoe
and down we went.

You might be better off with a Zodiac or some other lightweight
inflatable. Just my opinion.

Or, as an alternative, you might want to look at sea kayaks. I'm not
big on either kayaks or canoes, but I do like the sit on top kayaks for
summer use. They are great for snorkeling, lake, or river travel.

Thanks for the response I will check out that web site. I posted in
the the boats.paddle group also, and I have withdrawn th ethe 3 guy
requirement. I need to be able to carry this thing.

Sportinus wrote:
Thanks for the response I will check out that web site. I posted in
the the boats.paddle group also, and I have withdrawn th ethe 3 guy
requirement. I need to be able to carry this thing.


Depending on how far you need to move it (as opposed to carry), you
might check into canoe outfitters. I've seen a rig with wheels that you
strap to the canoe, load your junque into it, and wheel it down the
path. i wouldn't want to go more than a mile or so with this rig though.

Sportinus wrote:

Thanks for the response I will check out that web site. I posted in
the the boats.paddle group also, and I have withdrawn th ethe 3 guy
requirement. I need to be able to carry this thing.


look here for wheels, there are others -- check your canoe dealer.

http://www.hotshotproducts.org/roleez_main.htm

OK, I hope it works out.

Maybe rent a canoe first, before you buy one. That's what I wished I
had done. See if you actually like the damn thing, first ;-)

I would recommend getting fiberglass versus wood, aluminum or plastic
canoe, as fiberglass is a breeze to repair. And you can carry a small
polyester resin and cloth matting kit with you just in case you need to
patch a hole for some reason.

There are also Kevlar canoes, but I understand the price of those is
ridiculous, even used. But a used fiberglass canoe in good shape, or
repairable shape, can cost as low as 100 dollars and up, based on my
experience in hunting for a used canoe.

wrote in message
oups.com...
My kids are finally old enough and are showing an interest in fishing.
We have a bunch of canoe only lakes around and the fox and illinois
river are accessible. What type of canoe would people recommend? It
has to be lite enough to allow me to go out by myself. It will also see
duty with possibly 3 guys 200lbs-230lbs (if we fit), 2 adults and 2
kids {the kids are under 8 years old). I would have to value
stability, do not want to be dunkin the kids. At some point in the
future will probably opt to get an electronic trolling motor. Well
what do you use or recommend?



Two words- Jon Boat. Two people can cartop one, and it has much more
capacity and stablility than a canoe.

wrote in message
oups.com...
My kids are finally old enough and are showing an interest in fishing.
We have a bunch of canoe only lakes around and the fox and illinois
river are accessible. What type of canoe would people recommend? It
has to be lite enough to allow me to go out by myself. It will also
see
duty with possibly 3 guys 200lbs-230lbs (if we fit), 2 adults and 2
kids {the kids are under 8 years old). I would have to value
stability, do not want to be dunkin the kids. At some point in the
future will probably opt to get an electronic trolling motor. Well
what do you use or recommend?

The Minnesota 3 or 4, available at Piragis.com and other places.
Expensive fer sure but top quality. You can buy outriggers from spring
creek outfitters for stability.

del cecchi

A 14' jon boat would be better if stability is an issue although 3-200+ lb
guys and their gear would probably be over the weight limit in about
anything small enough to carry by yourself.
wrote in message
oups.com...
My kids are finally old enough and are showing an interest in fishing.
We have a bunch of canoe only lakes around and the fox and illinois
river are accessible. What type of canoe would people recommend? It
has to be lite enough to allow me to go out by myself. It will also see
duty with possibly 3 guys 200lbs-230lbs (if we fit), 2 adults and 2
kids {the kids are under 8 years old). I would have to value
stability, do not want to be dunkin the kids. At some point in the
future will probably opt to get an electronic trolling motor. Well
what do you use or recommend?

I have a 15' OldTown Discovery Sport. You can fit 3 adults (850
lbs.capacity). I've found the canoe to be very stable. The square stern
is also nice for mounting a trolling motor. The trade-off is that at
110 lbs. it's a little heavy for one person to lift.