a good all round canoe? how many HP for 12ft tinner?

[ch312]

ill be looking for a canoe at the show next weekend but im not sure which brand, length, or material i want or need.

 

ill be using it in the grand river most the time and likely little back lakes the odd time. what would be a good brand to stick to? what would be the best all around material? length?

 

i also plan on picking up a new outboard this year, possibly at the show. what would be a good size motor for a small 12 ft aluminum boat?

 

thanks for any help

[kickingfrog]

I know a little about canoes so I'll offer some advise, how much it's worth.

 

I'm not sure a good all round canoe exists. Everything is a compromise. An a example might be a "cottage" canoe where weight is not a high priority due to the lack of portaging but durability is required.

 

 

Some things to consider... in no particular order:

 

Budget, a more expensive canoe may not be a more suitable canoe

 

new or used

 

number of people paddling

 

weight of load, if any besides paddlers

 

primary and secondary use

 

will it be portaged? some or a lot

 

How much paddling on rivers vs lakes and the type of said.

 

The skill of the people paddling it.

 

Is this going to be a long term investment, or a first of many

 

where will it be spending the winters

 

what type or style canoe are you familiar with

 

 

I don't know if you can test paddle at the sportsman show, but I would highly recommend paddling a few different "shapes" of canoe.

 

Someones else's dream boat might be your nightmare.

 

 

Hope that gets you going a little bit.

[OhioFisherman]

for a 12foot aluminum a 10 horse maybe tops? No max hp rating tag on it? I wouldn`t exceed it if there is.

[Fisherman]

Like OhioFisherman said, check the capacity plate and then figure 3/4 to max HP, estimate 6-9.9HP depending on width and depth of the boat.

[Mike the Pike]

I think Kickingfrog made some great points.

 

I like my canoe 40 inches wide no one in my family has ever flipped her.

 

On the other hand she is over 85lbs fiberglass 16 footer at my age its too heavy to portage with.

 

i would like to sell it and buy a sportspal with a square transom to put a small motor on.

 

my wife loves my current canoe so I won't change it.

 

The best 12 foot aluminium boat i have ever been in is the Princecraft ungava you can put up to 15hp on it at 156lbs its a great car topper.

 

I have also seen my friend follow me in 3 ft swells deep hull on a small boat.

 

Good luck with your purchase

[Maverick]

I have a 16ft Gruuman aluminum canoe. It's pretty light and very sturdy. I haven't portaged with it yet but this summer I'll be putting it to the test. My grandfather has a sportspal and it has been to hell and back and still goes fine. I think both the Gruuman and Sportspal are both aluminum. If you are going to do a lot of portaging then you are going to look for something light, if you are only going to do a bit of portaging then you can sacrifice some added weight for other things that might interest you.

 

As far as the 12footer I would assume 9.9 max but might be less.

[jwl]

my old 12 footer pushed along pretty good with my 9.9 on it...I since retired the boat due to issues with the transom..(2 small cracks at the top where the motor goes....now my kids use it for a row boat and I run the 9.9 on my 14 footer.

 

Your 12 may say it's rated for a 15, but I think that's a little pushing it for a 12 footer, I seen a guy 2 summers ago with a 12 and a 15 on it, he was trying out the motor....he dug a small wave and got thrown from the boat..the boat was then stuck in WOT doing a circle almost running him over, all he could do was grab onto the boat so it wouldn't hit him, and hold on while it went in circles all over the place..he managed to pull the gas line off the tank and had to hold on until it ran out of gas....luckily in the end he came out of it with only a sore arm

 

it was a good deep 12 footer, the 15 was too much motor for the boat.

[Canuck]

9.9 is perfect for a 12fter. 15 is too much IMHO

[Ramble]

Ahhhh canoes. Some good points have been raised above. It really all depends what kind you want out of it. Flat bottomws are more stable then round. Fiberglass tends to get heavy fast on portages. Aluminum are good and can take a pounding. kevlar is light but expensive. My dad's is a Swift Kipawa. Maybe 10 years old. 46 pounds and paddles really well. Test paddleing is a MUST. Stay away from those coleman plastic scows. It's like trying to paddle a barge. Huge pain. You can make a trip up to huntsvill area...maybe stay at the Blue Spruce in for the weekend with the significant other and hit up a bunch of the best canoe manufatorers and see Algonquin. Swift is right on oxtougue lake and they expect you take them for a ride. If you go up for the weekend in May, you can even get some trout fishing in lol.

 

Oh if you go with a nice Kevlar canoe....wood gunnels look a lot nicer....but maintainance is a problem. THe aluminum is no-work required.

 

-Dave

[ch312]

thanks for all the info guys. i didnt know the boat would say max hp, but its 15hp. i guess ill just get a 9.9 and then use it for a trolling motor when i get a bigger boat a 9.9 would be good for trolling on a 14-16ft aluminum?

 

im the kinda person that likes top spend a little more money to get something that will last. kevlar seems like the best but they are also very pricey.

 

ill use it for portaging maybe twice a year. mainly just want it for the river and likely a few small lakes so weight isnt really an issue but i still dont want something that weighs a ton.

 

experience wise, ive went out at least 5 times a year for the last 7-8 years so i know whats what.

 

i basically just need something for normal use that can take a beating, easy to paddle, and looks purdy

[bbog]

i basically just need something for normal use that can take a beating, easy to paddle, and looks purdy

Coleman RAM-X = take a beating

Easy to paddle = many choices

Looks purdy = cedar strip

 

Challenge to find all three in one canoe but shouldn't be impossible.

[solopaddler]

As far as canoes go anything less than 16' is basically useless.

 

If you can afford it go with standard kevlar. Not quite as pricey as U.L. or expedition kevlar but still light enough to carry.

 

I've paddled a ton of different canoes. My flatwater boat for years was a Swift Kipawa. Solo boat was an asymetrical Swift Dumoine built with one sliding seat in the middle.

Both designs have strengths and weaknesses....

If I had to pick one canoe to be an all around craft I'd have to agree with Bill Mason and say that the time tested prospector design would be it in a 16' length. Many different manufacturers have copied this classic design.

 

Unlike many of the newer asymetrical designs the prospector is symetrical. This means if you want to paddle solo you can sit in the bow seat facing stern and paddle in that direction and the craft will still track perfectly.

It handles fantastically in both flat and moving water, is very stable and can haul huge loads.

 

Of the many that are available I'd have to say I'm partial to the Nova Craft Prospector.

 

As far as motors for your 12' tinny go, if you're going to use it in back lakes where you might have to carry it I'd go with a 6 horse.

[irishfield]

Kevlar may seem like the best... but don't be draggin it or bumping it on rocks. MUST pick up and move.. not slide. Once you bare any kevlar fibre... it wil wick moisture like no tomorrow.

[solopaddler]

Kevlar may seem like the best... but don't be draggin it or bumping it on rocks. MUST pick up and move.. not slide. Once you bare any kevlar fibre... it wil wick moisture like no tomorrow.

 

Wayne you might be surprised. I dragged my Dumoine for over a 1000 km's with nothing more than scratches on the gel coat.

[irishfield]

Wayne you might be surprised. I dragged my Dumoine for over a 1000 km's with nothing more than scratches on the gel coat.

 

Good to know... but I've seen Temagami Outfitters messed up Kevlars from renters and Dean is constantly having to re gel them.

[seansmith_smith]

i have a 16 foot Paluski that weighs 65 lbs. super strong, light enough to throw around yourself, decent in the water and stable enough to fish from. for the price i think you cant go wrong, plus it has a decent yoke that make the portaging comfortable.

 

Smitty