Aluminum or fiberglass canoe?

[Cackalak Han]

Been looking around for a canoe. It will be used for casual floats down the river or paddling around a lake with me and the wife. Thought about kayak's, but canoe's will fit our uses better.

I've been looking around some classifieds and there are lots of aluminum and fiberglass ones for sale. I think the aluminum will be more durable but the fiberglass will be easier to fix. What are some pros and cons?

And one day, I'll pick up one of those kevlar canoes I saw on Discovery last night.

EDIT: One follow up question---what are you guys using to carry the canoe? I have a truck and would like something that can be taken off easily. Not sure if such thing exists. I thought about getting a shell, but in most cases, it would just get in the way more than anything else, but it may be the best choice. No trailers, either.

 

[XJINTX]

I have had both along with my kayaks. I don't agree that the aluminum is more sturdy... unless you are planning on a snub rear and a motor.

I actually like both so for me weight is an issue not only for loading on and off truck but hauling capability.

Overnight trips can load a boat quickly so too small becomes a PIA. Too big and it's all wasted weight and effort.

Do you have any local outfitters that you can rent? Try and rent that way you can test size, seating and float capabilities. seating for long days is an issue

 

[bomar]

Why not an abs boat like mad river. I had a 14ft mad river and it was a great handling boat.

 

[off.track]

aluminum canoes are loud and hot. no idea about fiberglass as mine is made of royalex. cool and quiet.

 

[luckyrxc]

Glass

You can find high end glass boats and those that are crap. The crap versions are usually molds that are sprayed with a chopper gun, and the boat itself will have a poor hull design. It could be very heavy too.
However, some of the best canoes are layered glass, with beautiful edges (chines), good tumblehome, etc.

The same thing goes for ABS and Royalex. Some of them are wonderfu and some of them are tupperware barges.

Got a make and model that you are looking at?

For the occasional cruise on the lake anything will work but a quality glass or kevlar boat would be more pleasant to paddle, carry, and look at, imho.

 

[bugnout]

Aluminum - Will last a couple of lifetimes.

And they are cheap. Last year (in January) I picked up a 17' Grumman for $300. Vintage 1978. Still looks brand new.

 

[BIGdaddy]

wood and canvas.


haha, just picking a fight with my old town...

I'd choose neither honestly. I'd go with the rotomolded/plastic NEWER old
towns, personally. Not sure what they're made of, but I've seen them
take some big hits, and they seem to be fairly lightweight.

 

[southpier]

aluminum canoes are loud ....

+1.

every time the paddle shaft touches the gunwale you'll hear a "thunk!"

 

[kerry]

Aluminum canoes are hot in hot weather and cold in cold weather. They are are dirty. Your hands and clothes will get black. They are noisy. They stick on rocks. They are difficult to repair. The biggest drawback is that there are much fewer designs/shapes available in aluminum. I think it was Beaver Canoes that produced very sophisticated designs in aluminum in the mid-80's(?) that I might consider purchasing.
ABS/Royalex canoes are pretty widely available on the used market and if the boat has been stored inside are a good choice. Polyethylene boats like Old Town Discovery models are also widely available. They are heavier than ABS/Royalex but are just as durable.
I also like fiberglass boats and would choose one over most aluminum boats. Even inexpensive fiberglass boats can be nice. I own a 1978 Jensen designed WWIII built by Mohawk in a very inexpensive layup but I love the boat. The design is excellent for wilderness tripping and it only cost me $50. If you are handy with cloth and epoxy resin, fiberglass boats are easy to repair. But be careful with cheap fiberglass boats because there are a lot of poor designs out there. But a used Sawyer or Wenonah or Mad River, Old Town or the right Mohawk design in fiberglass could be a very good choice.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Ok, so no aluminum. So for a budget of $500 (MAX. Would like to spend less? But not at the cost of quality). Is this a good choice?

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=7627507&cat=196&lpid=0

 

[kerry]

Seems like a good deal to me since it includes a lot of equipment. Mad River made the Explorer in Royalex, Fiberglass and Kevlar models. That looks like a Royalex model to me from the color of the interior. Check to see if it has been stored inside and how old it is. The last two digits on the MFG's code are usually the last 2 digits of the year it was built.
The Explorer is a good all round design in my opinion. It is a shallow v design. The Henry's (the original owners of Mad River) paddled a 16' Explorer on an expedition on the Back River in the mid or late 1970's. Interesting story. They wrapped a boat in Escape Rapids and had to consolidated people from 6 people 3 boats into 2 boats. New Royalex Explorers are running around $1800-1900 I think.

 

[NikonRon]

Buy a Wenonah Kevlar and never look back. Light, fast, quite but expensive. I've owned one and am now in the market for another. About $1500.00 used.
Ron

 

[kerry]

Ron;
Can you elaborate on your views about the advantages of Kevlar. I've got a Wenonah 18' Jensen in foam core fiberglass with gelcoat. Weight is 54 pounds.
I can't justify the additional $$ for kevlar. Not sure what the weight savings would be in Kevlar but I'm happy with the fiberglass.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Thanks for the insight, kerry. I do like that it comes with everything but a trailer. I will have to check it out this weekend.

NikonRon - The Discovery program that I was watching yesterday (I think "How Things are Made" or something like that) was building a We.no.nah kevlar canoe. When they put it on the scale, it said 38lbs! Sweet set up, but a little too expensive for a casual canoe guy, like myself. Plus, around here, we get about 4-5 months of use out of the year.

EDIT: Also, one other question. How are you guys carrying your canoe? I'm not going to have more than one, so probably won't buy a trailer. I'd like a canoe rack, but I'd only use the rack for the canoe, so something that can be taken off easily? Don't know if such thing exists. Might just have to get a semi-perm rack installed (like a ladder rack).

 

[kerry]

On the Tacoma? I think the roofline of a double cab should be long enough for a Thule or Yakima rack. They go on and off easily. Might find a used one on Craigslist. I used to carry my canoe on a 67 Camaro which has a pretty short roofline.
I like the Yakimas because the bars are round and a piece of 1/2 galvanized pipe fits nicely inside the rack, allowing the creation of adjustable extenders to the rack.
There are nice truck bed racks available but most of them are pretty $$$.

One pretty serious downside to kevlar in my mind is that if it gets damaged and needs to be repaired, sanding it causes it to 'fuzz up'. It doesn't sand smooth like glass.