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bobspencer123
  
05/09/2018 09:26AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Hi everyone,

Canoe newbie here. My group of friends have been canoing Pine Creek in PA near Wellboro for about a decade. Every year we rent our canoes from the outfitters. The trip is overnight and about 28 miles or so. The outfitters rents Old Town Discovery 169's.

I decided to look for a used canoe this year to take on the trip and hopefully use a little at home with my kids too (8 and 6 years old).

I found this Old Town Canadienne and am wondering if it would be ok for the river canoeing where bottoming out does occur and the canoe's take a little bit of a beating.

I would appreciate any advise. Thank you!

 
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05/09/2018 09:19PM  
I know that the Canadienne is an excellent tripping canoe for both lakes and rivers by reputation. I have never paddled one myself.
If it is royalex , I say jump on it. If it is composite material (Kevlar or fiberglass) you'll need to be a little more careful with it on Rocky streams. Regardless, if it is a good price, I'd get it. It's a great design.
 
05/10/2018 09:14AM  
RE: river trips

The question is what is this Canadienne made of? As far as I know, they were made of fiberglass or kevlar. I have a kevlar model and I don't like to take it on rocky rivers near my house and prefer a royalex for those rivers. I have taken mine on the lower Wisconsin which has a very sandy bottom with no worries.

The Canadienne was also made in different lengths.

That said, I take it you haven't paddled this Canadienne yet because you probably would have bought it already. Of the rentals I have paddled (OT Discoveries and Aluminum flat bottoms) and compared to the Penobscot 17, it just feels better and more responsive to paddle the Canadienne.
 
05/10/2018 01:04PM  
The fiberglass canadienne is heavy duty. I have used mine fairly often running whitewater but am careful to avoid rocks. I had a wenonah ww2 that we ran many rivers with. It was a terrible river canoe but was all I had besides an alumncraft. We beat the heck out of that canoe, but it was all mostly cosmetic. We eventually put Kevlar skid plates on it but that’s a horrible thing to do to a well designed canoe.
 
bobspencer123
  
05/10/2018 02:29PM  
Thanks for the reply's everyone.

I emailed the owner and it is fiberglass. Can anyone comment on whether this would be significantly more tippy (that's a technical term :) ) than a OT discovery 169? The river I would be going on isn't extreme by any stretch but there are some class 1 and 2 rapids.
 
05/10/2018 03:21PM  
bobspencer123: " Can anyone comment on whether this would be significantly more tippy (that's a technical term :) ) than a OT discovery 169? The river I would be going on isn't extreme by any stretch but there are some class 1 and 2 rapids. "


I have rented an OT Discovery 158 before for a lower WI river trip.

The next year on the same river (different put in and take out) I had the 17ft kevlar Canadienne.

I felt stable in both canoes. This will be my third year paddling, so take that for what it is worth.

My wife and 10 year old son also did fine in the Canadienne on a creek with mild riffles last year.

We all paddle while sitting.
 
DadnWaldo
member (14)member
  
05/11/2018 12:02PM  
Look for an OT Camper made with royalex, good initial stability, durable canoe for rivers that don't need whitewater technical skills. I think Canadiens won't turn as cleanly on a river with winds and shallow runs. OT Penobscot might do, but I'd pick the Camper for what you describe, especially kids...and I still paddle a Penobscot...
Have paddled with friends in Missouri rivers and liked their Camper better than my Penobscot for those riffle-pool streams with the occasional class1 easy rapid
 
05/11/2018 04:22PM  
DadnWaldo: "Look for an OT Camper made with royalex, good initial stability, durable canoe for rivers that don't need whitewater technical skills. I think Canadiens won't turn as cleanly on a river with winds and shallow runs. OT Penobscot might do, but I'd pick the Camper for what you describe, especially kids...and I still paddle a Penobscot...
Have paddled with friends in Missouri rivers and liked their Camper better than my Penobscot for those riffle-pool streams with the occasional class1 easy rapid"


I haven't paddled an OT Camper but am on the look out for one (they don't last long on craigslist). It has the advantage of being royalex and shorter than a 17 ft Penobscot. I would expect it to do well on smaller rivers and creeks.
 
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