I've been around boats and lakes for most of my life, but my boating experience is primarily in the realm of ski boats and fishing boats w/ motors (john boats with trolling motors up to 200+hp setups), jetskis, and Hobie catamarans, and all of my limited time in Canoes and Kayaks has been in old beater Canoes and rental Kayaks and never around anyone who knew much about them, beyond a few friends into white water Kayaking.

I would like to own a Canoe or big(er) fishing style Kayak, non inflatable, durable yet lightweight (I know, but it'll be stored outside, and likely on top of my 4x4 all summer), to access many of Colorado's lakes and rivers for general fishing, puttering around, etc.

Before I go down to REI and other Denver metro stores, and before I start watching Craigslist all winter for a deal, I thought I'd ask here, as I recall a few similar threads over the years. What would you pick? What forums and online classifieds do you trust?

I can fix aluminum and fiberglass myself, if necessary, and I don't mind the plastic ones either. Ultimately, it doesn't have to be the newest, fanciest model. An old beater is fine. I see 20yo Coleman Canoes for sale, which - perhaps beyond weight - seem fine. Some have better seats and backrests, some have live-wells (I have ice chests, so...). I also see super sleek and fancy Kayaks for $1000+. What's the deal?

Thanks.

I used to have a plastic Coleman 15 or 16 footer that was just what you requested. Mostly it was just me and the dog, but it fit two people and the dog quite easily as well.

Spent a lot of time on the water with that canoe. It was a little bit on the heavy side, but I could still get it up on the roof rack myself.

Depends on what you mean by "easily manage".
Having looked into this a lot--back problems made it increasingly impossible to deal with a 65-lb. Hobie Kona tandem kayak on my own--I'm pretty convinced there is no such thing as what you are looking for, unless you're in much better shape than I (wouldn't take much).

There are racks, dollies, and accessories that make handling a big heavy kayak easier to manage, but unless you spend multi thousands of dollars, there is no tandem kayak I know of that weighs under 60 lbs.

Feathercraft had an inflatable, I was interested in that (36 lbs.) but they've gone out of business.

I might look into a plywood kit like the Pygymy tandem (pygmyboats.com), for a little over a grand, you build it yourself. But it's also pretty heavy, although lighter than rotomolded PE kayaks and even fiberglass/kevlar ones, as far as I know.

If you plan on leaving it on top of your 4X4 for extended time a kayak may not be your best option.

46&2, I can only speak from experience with my rotomolded/plastic Mad River Canoe passage 16....it's idiot proof. It paddles fast, will carry three people and gear and is VERY strong. Plastic canoes and kayaks are great for worry free paddling. Oh you hit a submerged piece of metal? You will probably be fine.

My fiberglass/epoxy Wilderness Systems Zephyr 16 Kayak is nowhere near as strong and idiot proof. Go with rotomolded plastic for trouble free fun. They are the "Glock" building material of the canoe/Kayak world. Sure, there are more aesthetically pleasing options but in my opinion and experience they are not necessarily any better.

I'm in my 40s, 6ft tall, fit, etc. I wouldn't want to hump it too far, but 60ish pounds is no big deal, and I've put tons of bikes and things up on roof racks so that doesn't worry me.

Those 16ft plastic ones seem to be the ticket.

Thanks.

Plastic canoes are heavier, but as Stickman428 said, they are as close to indestructible as you can get.

Lighter canoes carry and paddle easier, but you have to be a lot more careful with them.

For your use, a 17 foot canoe is fine. It will easily handle two people and gear.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/canoe.html

Most of the ones you see on sale now at Dicks et al are polyethylene and weigh a lot. It is a very cheap material to mold, and heavy. Many novices buy a 16/17 footer for the family of two adults and a couple kids, have someone at the store help them load it, and then are amazed at the weigh first time it is used.

That is why there are so many relatively new ones available on Craigslist. Do yourself a favor and avoid poly in that size boat, try to find ABS/Royalex in a used canoe.

Aluminum is relatively light weight, but is noisy if you try to fish, and gets stuck on rocks. It also gets very hot or cold to the touch certain times of year.

We own four canoes, and I would not personally get a poly boat over 12 or 13' due to weight.

I have an Grumman aluminum 16' canoe in which my dog accompanies me. She's still a pup, about 40#.

My canoe is fairly flat bottomed which does help if she gets excited about a fish being landed.

I got it on Craigslist, for $100.

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I have an Grumman aluminum 16' canoe in which my dog accompanies me. She's still a pup, about 40#.

I have an old Grumman aluminum 17' canoe. Plenty of room for two people + dog + cooler and fishing gear....
It's heavy and definitely takes two people to put it on the roof of the Tahoe. But it's pretty stable on the water and it's a tank. You don't have to worry about scrapes or punctures. It will never wear out. The aluminum does hold the heat so bring seat cushions and towels.

If you can find one of these I HIGHLY recommend it. Mad River makes good canoes. Yes it isn't as light as the composite stuff out there but it's fast, strong and pretty much worry free. It is best carried with two people though I've carried it around by myself for short distances.

I've taken it all over the Elizabeth river, North West River and my lake and I've hit everything from rocks to submerged tree trunks to submerged signs and bits of metal and it's held up wonderfully.

Ocean Kayak-Malibu II. It's setup so it can be used by 1 person or 2, is very stable, tracks great, and I think holds 350lbs.

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Ocean Kayak-Malibu II. It's setup so it can be used by 1 person or 2, is very stable, tracks great, and I think holds 350lbs.

Similar to our Hobie Kona.

These are fine for recreational use. If 65 lbs. or so doesn't bother you, they are stable and pretty indestructible, but definitely not fast on the water.

Email sent

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Originally posted by sjtill:

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Ocean Kayak-Malibu II. It's setup so it can be used by 1 person or 2, is very stable, tracks great, and I think holds 350lbs.

Similar to our Hobie Kona.

These are fine for recreational use. If 65 lbs. or so doesn't bother you, they are stable and pretty indestructible, but definitely not fast on the water.

Going fast was not one of his criteria. A gheenoe would be ideal and you could put an electric motor or outboard on it if you wanted to, just get a small trailer for it.

I would demo some gear. We have events all the time in CO, though things are winding down this time of year. About 2 years ago we sold our Mad River Explorer 16 that my wife and I enjoyed for over a decade! Excellent canoe. Now we have a Hala Daze Paddleboard and kid kayaks for our daughters to play on. We will be adding more paddleboards no doubt. Love SUP. Hala is out of Steamboat and is a great company. Seriously, I'd get on the water on a demo day before I spent $$$. Regardless of watercraft.

We bought our Hala board after a demo day by Confluence Kayak in Denver. Good company.

Don't be afraid of the rotomolded canoes or kayaks.

I bounced off 1000's of rocks in my whitewater boats and never punctured, just scratches. Exceptionally durable. both theses boats lasted over 10 years of almost daily use 6 months of the year

I think moulded plastic canoes are undesirable vs fiberglass or aluminium.

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Originally posted by jimmy123x:

Going fast was not one of his criteria. A gheenoe would be ideal and you could put an electric motor or outboard on it if you wanted to, just get a small trailer for it.

which is what I have

15' or so older Gheenoe, on a trailer,
36lb minnkota pushes it faster than any johnboat, and paddles easily if needed,
will hold 2 with battery, motor , gear etc with ease,


as far as something more manageable by one person, I had a Old Town Discovery 169
very big canoe, one person in shape could manage it (I had no trouble moving it around on my shoulders out of water, just had to be careful)
it also was a tank with 2 folks, gear, etc, but not as stable as the Gheenoe, so it went