A beastly heavy Grumman 17' aluminum canoe weighs in at 65lbs. $1200 retail. A light kevlar canoe weighs in at woohoo, 55 lbs, $2000. Take a cold chisel and a two pound sledge and give them both a wack. A 19" Grumman is rated for 1200lb of payload.
I have an Old Town 17 foot, its seen some rocks but still a good canoe. With 3 children, as Class V said setting in the bottom, I would go with at least 17 feet even if you plan on nothing but 5 people and some pop. In the club most have Mad River or Old Town but in 15 foot with flotation which leaves space for 1 person. My Old Town weights about #76, once its up its easy to carry. If the 1 you buy can be carried by 1 person you need a yoke for your shoulders, I wrap mine in foam.
Where to buy REI or Cabela's or a sports show. I would skip Coleman canoes. For your use you should find a good canoe around $700 or $800.
* This post was
edited 02/14/05 11:39pm by BENT ARROW *
Bent Arrow
99 PACE ARROW 35'
Chevy 4x4
4 Wheel Pop-Up
S10 Blazer ZR-2
I looked through our vacation pictures and the canoe we used at the lake was a "WaterQuest" 14 footer. here is a link to their website.
http://www.jowatercraft.com/Canoe14.html
Sounds like the canoe my wife bought me last year. It is a molded hull with a molded, fold up seat in the front and the back. In addition, there is a molded bench that seats 2 in the middle, that contains 4 drink holders.
It is a new design/style made by Mad River Canoes. It looks like a cross between a conoe and a kayak. It won't win any races but that's not what we go canoeing for anyway.
We are novices so I can't comment in detail on its handling characteristics but we have had great success with it. It has a 1200 pound max load rating so we all can go.
Hope this helps.
Rich & Kay
Plus Son ('89) and Daughter ('97)
Plus 2 Shelties, a BishonPoo and a hamster
Sunnybrook ('00) 26DB
Ford ('03) E-350, V-10, 3.73 Our 2005 Cross Country Trip BLOG
Try renting different canoes first, that will tell you more about what is right for you and your family. Consider taking classes at your local county rec dept, or Y, or.....whatever is available in your area. Remember with Aluminum, not only do the seats get hot, but so do the gunwales (the sides everyone else will be holding onto). After you have tried out several different types, and sizes, then look around at what's available in your price range, and buy used--they depreciate, too, to buy new, and it not be what you want. A lot of places rent, which eliminates hauling it, the paddles, the vests, kneeling pads, etc., around. See our sig--I started out lake canoeing as a Girl Scout 48 years ago, met my DH whitewater canoeing, but our (mostly my) achy joints and back surgery have severely limited our paddling. But we just can't get rid of our canoes--keep thinking to run a river again, someday...Lakes are fun, but so are waterfowl areas--Pea Island Refuge on the Outer Banks--saw a rosy ibis, osprey in her/his nest, lots of others--great stuff with kids.
DH-retired school teacher
DW-still hard-working Nurse Practitioner 2005 Ford 250 Super Duty, 5.4L, 4X4, Super Cab, Integrated trailer brake controller 2006 Flagstaff 8528RLSS
Offline
school teacher
