advice on canoe

[truckturner]

I am a sea kayaker however I spend a lot of time in Northampton and I am looking for a canoe to paddle down the Nene. Boat will somtimes be used solo transported and launched by me but mainly as double will do some overnights but I travel light. Advice please (ps I fancy a Grumman )

[Scots_Charles_River]

Paddling it solo and lifting on/off will be the deciding factor. Grummans are not that light, my Charles River is 32kg and the Grumman is 31kg.

Maybe go for a Royalex as they are lighter, but pricey.

[Wilf]

Wow, a Grumman, not seen one in years. Horrible in the cold and can fry an egg on them in the summer. Not a good boat for our unpredictable climate :-)

Spent some time on the Nene recently, some lovely bits to paddle. Nothing very much above a gentle ripple though, so durability should not be an option. Some great touring boats out there in very light specifications - look at We No Nah

The Mad River Reflection 15 is a super boat as well, great solo and a capable tandem craft.

Try before you buy though!

Good luck,

Wilf

[Mal Grey]

Any thoughts on your budget. Solo always? Tandem?

The Reflection suggestion would be a good one, so would a Nova Craft Pal.

If you're looking to spend a little less, most Royalex second hand would do, though some will be more specialist than you need.

For cheaper canoes, Snake River and Apache do perfectly nice GRP canoes at a weight you'll handle easily. In fact, if you just want a nice little still/slow water solo canoe for occasional use, you could do far worse than the Snake River 12 foot.

[truckturner]

Looking to spend around £450 ish The grumman looked cool especially with an outrigger and there were a few for sale on EBAY. Howevr then there are paddles and bits. In terms of use I would assume 2 solo paddles a month and one double. however there is nothing to stop me using my sea kayak for solo trips . Owning a number of specilist sea kayaks I appreciate that each one has a purpouse however an example may be that my scorpio is a good general purpuse sea kayak that covers most situations at sea. Intersting point is that my scorpios wieght is 32 kgs unladen. As the Nene is a slow river I specifically want a canoe that will be enjoyable to use mainly in that situation . I usually test boats before I buy but this would be pretty pointless as I have never even sat in a canoe let alone paddled one. I am a member of a sea kyaking club who have a number of canoes but they are based in Poole I am now answering my own question why not join a local club, which in terms of improving my sea kayaking was the best thing I ever did.

[Mal Grey]

Hah, yeah, joining a club would be a good thing to do, though some don't have many open canoes.

Personally, I wouldn't look at a Grumman. Noisy and cold or hot. Possibly a second hand Venture at that sort of price, or a new Apache/Snake River.

Keep an eye on the classifieds on www.songofthepaddle.co.uk too.