- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
I'm not a real technical canoe guy, but I have been paddling since I was 14 making it a good 27 years since I learned my basic strokes and I have owned a canoe of one type or another for most of that time. My coleman canoe, the first purchase I made with earned money as a kid stayed with me or at least it was tucked away at parents and friends homes until just two years ago and then I finally gave it to my buddy who has a really cool lot up north and he wanted a bush canoe that he could leave way out on his lot at a wetland access. That is where the coleman still resides today and I do get to enjoy taking it for the odd spin when I get to visit him.
The same guy has a Gruman aluminum canoe which I've borrowed and used quite a bit. I always enjoyed its speed but it never was as stable as my Coleman but it sure beat dragging that 76lbs of plastic mass on portage. Also owned a fiberglass canoe from a company in Manitoba when I lived there a couple of years and I can't remember its name. The fiberglass was lighter than the Coleman but barely so and I think it still clocked in at about 65 lbs or so. It was much wider, more of a prospector model, and was kind of a tug boat in the water. I've played with Sportspal's (the ones with the artificial birch bark patterns) and Oldpal's (rentals) but never had the pleasure of paddling a Langsfors. Anyhow, I've tried quite a few canoe's in my day and I always wanted to have something that paddled like my good old Coleman but had the weight of the Gruman. I did some whitewater when I was a kid but that has never been a big draw for me. A canoe is a for all intensive purposes an off-road vehicle to me, not a playmobile. I see it as an access opener and trip facilitator.
Three weeks ago, I finally bought a new canoe. My interest was re-sparked earlier this spring when I went on a trip in Eastern Ontario when I once again thought about just how much easier it would be to access some parts by water as opposed to humping it by land and over swamp. I wanted something light weight for portaging, tough, stable and capable of carrying a heavier load. Kevlar seemed a good bet because it is both lightweight and tough, be able to absorb shocks better than fiberglass. Aluminum could also be good, but frankly its not easy to find makers any more. After a bunch of research I stumbled on the HolyCow Canoe Company. The factory is not too far from my city (near Toronto) and I was able to buy it and pick it up factory direct. Managed to talk to one of the boat builders and they were able to help me answer my questions and guide me through their different models. Internet research turned up not a pile of reviews, but the ones posted were mostly positive reviews and in the end I was swayed by the personality of the owners/builder and the fact that I could in fact return the canoe or get it repaired at the place it was made. Lastely, the price. I picked up a factory second due to some blemish in the paint job and this saved me about $700 off the retail price. I ended paying for a kevlar canoe what most people would pay for a good fiberglass one.
I settled on a 15' prospector-type canoe in kevlar. I've only taken it out for a few small trips so far but am gaining the confidence that it possesses the traits I wanted. Its a joy to haul around on the shoulders and I can throw it on top of my vehicle without help. It tracks nicely, stability is good and turning pretty responsive. Its also not too bad on solo (better than my Coleman was). Anyhow, I prepared a video review of this boat and will be planning a real multi-day canoe route with it for October.
Hope you enjoy!
[youtube]dsHDPB1xeHk[/youtube]
The same guy has a Gruman aluminum canoe which I've borrowed and used quite a bit. I always enjoyed its speed but it never was as stable as my Coleman but it sure beat dragging that 76lbs of plastic mass on portage. Also owned a fiberglass canoe from a company in Manitoba when I lived there a couple of years and I can't remember its name. The fiberglass was lighter than the Coleman but barely so and I think it still clocked in at about 65 lbs or so. It was much wider, more of a prospector model, and was kind of a tug boat in the water. I've played with Sportspal's (the ones with the artificial birch bark patterns) and Oldpal's (rentals) but never had the pleasure of paddling a Langsfors. Anyhow, I've tried quite a few canoe's in my day and I always wanted to have something that paddled like my good old Coleman but had the weight of the Gruman. I did some whitewater when I was a kid but that has never been a big draw for me. A canoe is a for all intensive purposes an off-road vehicle to me, not a playmobile. I see it as an access opener and trip facilitator.
Three weeks ago, I finally bought a new canoe. My interest was re-sparked earlier this spring when I went on a trip in Eastern Ontario when I once again thought about just how much easier it would be to access some parts by water as opposed to humping it by land and over swamp. I wanted something light weight for portaging, tough, stable and capable of carrying a heavier load. Kevlar seemed a good bet because it is both lightweight and tough, be able to absorb shocks better than fiberglass. Aluminum could also be good, but frankly its not easy to find makers any more. After a bunch of research I stumbled on the HolyCow Canoe Company. The factory is not too far from my city (near Toronto) and I was able to buy it and pick it up factory direct. Managed to talk to one of the boat builders and they were able to help me answer my questions and guide me through their different models. Internet research turned up not a pile of reviews, but the ones posted were mostly positive reviews and in the end I was swayed by the personality of the owners/builder and the fact that I could in fact return the canoe or get it repaired at the place it was made. Lastely, the price. I picked up a factory second due to some blemish in the paint job and this saved me about $700 off the retail price. I ended paying for a kevlar canoe what most people would pay for a good fiberglass one.
I settled on a 15' prospector-type canoe in kevlar. I've only taken it out for a few small trips so far but am gaining the confidence that it possesses the traits I wanted. Its a joy to haul around on the shoulders and I can throw it on top of my vehicle without help. It tracks nicely, stability is good and turning pretty responsive. Its also not too bad on solo (better than my Coleman was). Anyhow, I prepared a video review of this boat and will be planning a real multi-day canoe route with it for October.
Hope you enjoy!
[youtube]dsHDPB1xeHk[/youtube]
