Wood and canvas paddlers ...

[Canotrouge]

I really like my new 20' EM White. It's a large volume river capable tripper. It paddles well and seems like it can carry a load and is not too big to carry. I thought it would be a good choice for you. I know you were thinking about getting a big square stern but I think you will get more use out of something that paddles well and can be carried.

I agree a 20 footer would be great!! And I heard they pole really well!! Not an easy thing to find up here!!

 

[Canotrouge]

Canotrouge....check Winnipeg kijiji....18 foot y stern

Sorry I just saw that... I think I want something like 20 feet minimum I’m a big guy and don’t travel light...
that said keep me posted on your find!! Thank you

 

[ppine]

Wood and canvas canoes have a lot of flex in waves and it gives them a certain feel. It makes them feel like they have life in them. The only flex I have felt in canoes made of modern materials is flex in the bottom.

For overnight trips duct tape, gorilla tape, some pieces of canvas and Ambroid cement in a tube, a few brass tacks.

There is a OT Guide 20 for sale a few hours away, and I keep thinking I should go get it. But the 18 footer is heavy enough already.

 

[lowangle al]

I agree a 20 footer would be great!! And I heard they pole really well!! Not an easy thing to find up here!!

If you find one it would be worth traveling for, IMO it's that good of a boat. Not only capable but fun to paddle, even empty and solo. I had close to 400 lbs of gear(kids) plus almost 350 more with me and the wife and it felt real comfortable and still turned on a dime. Another time I had close to 1000 lbs. total weight in it but the trim was off and I couldn't get a good feel for it but it had considerable free board. My goal is to fill it with as many people as possible until it's maxed out and try to estimate the weight. That will have to wait until next summer.

Ppine, I was thinking about getting a 20' OT Guide since I like my 18 footer so much, but Jerry Stelmok said the White paddles much better. The OT is 12 or more pounds heavier and according to Jerry was preferred by guides who intended to use a motor. At any rate I had been intrigued by the White for about thirty yearsI am really happy with my choice. I'm glad I have two big boats with two different hull designs rather than have a bigger version of a boat I already have.

 

[Canotrouge]

If you find one it would be worth traveling for, IMO it's that good of a boat. Not only capable but fun to paddle, even empty and solo. I had close to 400 lbs of gear(kids) plus almost 350 more with me and the wife and it felt real comfortable and still turned on a dime. Another time I had close to 1000 lbs. total weight in it but the trim was off and I couldn't get a good feel for it but it had considerable free board. My goal is to fill it with as many people as possible until it's maxed out and try to estimate the weight. That will have to wait until next summer.

Well if you hear of one, please let me know!!

 

[lowangle al]

I will, two came up for sale around me, both Island Falls Boats. I felt pretty lucky because Pa. isn't really canoe tripping country.

I know it's spendy but I think you can build one in Island Falls shop with there help.

 

[ppine]

What is it about really big canoes? They add a margin of safety. They allow bigger loads with a safe amount of freeboard. They span the troughs between waves.
They are heavy, but we portage almost never on big western rivers.
I loved the old Sawyer Charger which was 18 1/2 feet and 15 inches deep. I have paddled some enormous waves in it. It finally fell apart.
I was not surprised to learn that the McGuffins chose the Charger to paddle across Canada in the 1980s.

I am still tempted by the 20 foot Guide. Now at age 70 my balance is not quite so good. I am not as athletic as before. I am spending more time in a drift boat.

 

[lowangle al]

I like the safety factor of a big boat for an old guy. When you do loose your balance and fall over you have a better chance of landing in the boat. I don't carry big loads or encounter big waves so it's not that. For me it's about the shallow draft and how that affects things. The 18 guide just glides right along with very little effort while moving forward. The 20' White on the other hand, a much higher volume hull with rocker and no keel glides in just about any direction. It moves diagonally with little effort. This boat really feels like you are floating on air. I paddle it from the stern seat mostly.

Good luck checking out that 20 footer.

 

[Canotrouge]

We don’t travel light and we ain’t light people(not fat but big) and I like to bring a moose back home once or twice a year and it usually takes a bit of leg room in the boat

 

[ppine]

Moose is the best food around. When I lived in Wyoming, someone always had a moose.
An early ad for the S Charger showed two guys coming back from a successful moose hunt.