I'm looking for advice on purchasing a new canoe in the near future. I have fallen in love with canoe tripping and fishing and know I will need to upgrade. I currently have an Old Town Discovery 147, a rec canoe. I got it cheap and may hold onto it for small rivers but it is certainly not a tripping canoe. I mostly am in the canoe to fish, so stability is a priority. A canoe that can handle rough waters on a lake like Sag is desirable.

I'm aware of some basics such as longer length means more speed, wider means more stability in a general sense. I would prefer not to spend $2000+ on a brand new Kevlar. A used one from an outfitter for $1200 would be swingable and I'll be keeping my eyes open for that. Fiberglass canoes seem to be a good bet. What are some models that will fit my needs?
Older canoes I should be looking out for? It would be good to know some solo and tandem options.

For used solos, a kevlar Wenonah wilderness or prism would be a good bet. You should have plenty of choices in those models. There are many Bell fan boys on here (and rightly so) but the used market for those is more limited in my experience. I have a Prism and enjoy it thoroughly, many others recommend the wilderness.

I am a wenonah fanboy and would recommend their tandem canoes too. Many like the Bells, again me too, but they are harder to obtain or at least there seems to be less selection.

I have not liked any of the Souris Rivers I have rented due to the seat styles on the rentals and I think they are to short and squat and sllooowww. Many others swear by their stability and comfort. YMMV

I have a Prism in the barracuda layup and love it for my 5-6 day solos with one of my dogs. We travel everyday and fish only occasionally. Some days I wish I had a wilderness (esp on small rivers). Your preference will vary a lot with personal preference, body shape, paddling experience, and desired usage.

Look at some of the used canoe threads in the gear forum as well and site search some of the models that intrigue you, if you have not already done so.

Good Luck!

Check out Paddleswap.com it lists all canoes and kayaks on all of the Craigslists plus a bunch of other sites. Just erase the GPS coordinates and it will search all of the U.S.

Cool sit Old fingers. They even have a Souris River "Quantico". Must be a USMC special. Alas, no Tranquilties.

Big THANKS!

Barracuda offers some sage advice with regards to buying used solo canoes.

I'm also a Wenonah "Fan Boy", but I like many of the old Sawyer solo canoes that were manufactured in Oscoda, Michigan until about the mid-90's.

Some of the old Sawyer solo's show up periodically on craigslist, or other classified websites. The Sawyer Autumn Mist @ 14' 10" compares closely to the old Bell Merlin II. Both are Dave Yost designs and they share much of the same DNA, so to speak.

Also, Sawyer Shockwaves and Sawyer DY Special's, both at 16' 8", seem to show up on periodically too. They both compare closely to Wenonah's Advantage (16' 6"), and the "Goldenglass" lay-ups, (Sawyer's proprietary Kevlar re-enforced fiberglass), often list in the $500.00 to $600.00 range. If you can find these in Sawyer's more heavy duty "Expedition" Kevlar lay-up, they usually list for around $1,000, give or take a few hundred depending on the condition.

As Barracuda mentioned, the Bells are more scarce, and they don't last long after an ad is posted. In particular, the Bell's that were manufactured by Ted Bell prior to the sale to ORC Industries. The Rockstar, Yellowstone Solo, Merlin II, and especially the coveted Magic have a very short shelf life once they appear on an online classified ad.

There are a few other manufacturers and models to keep an eye out for also. Mad River has had a few solo canoes over the years that are worth considering; the Freedom Solo/Guide, Courier and the Slipper are worthy candidates, but they're all around 14.5' and they compare somewhat to the Bell Yellowstone Solo. (A little smaller than I prefer for an extended tripping solo canoe.)

If you can locate a Mad River Traveler, (16' 3"), it's a great solo tripping canoe in my opinion. Mad River did not make many of them and they were only manufactured for about 4-years if I remember correctly. The Traveler is a modified Mad River Screamer, and the Screamer was a down river racing solo, for what it's worth.

The Traveler was a boat I've lusted after for many years, and I had the good fortune to find one in Madison about a year ago for less than $1,000! Heavy-duty Kevlar lay-up, almond gel-coat, and northern white ash gunnels and woodwork, just what I wanted! My point is, there's some great used solo canoes to be had if your persistent.

Aside from "PaddleSearch", you can also try "SearchTempest".

Search Tempest

I've purchased several used solo canoes off of craiglists and I've found several canoes that I considered gems, and they were purchased for what I considered a reasonable price.

Good Luck!

Hans Solo

Are you looking for solo or tandem?

I guess tandem takes priority. I end up paddling solo more often but for all around use I think trimming a 17ft tandem might make more sense.

Seagull outfitters is selling a Wenonah BW that has piqued my interest. I've also seen a kingfisher on cl. Hans solo thanks for all the input I have seen some old sawyers and a mad river slipper, look like affordable options

Howdy,

I got a used Langford Prospector from Stone Harbor in Grand Marais last winter. They don't necessarily advertise their used fleet as for sale, but if you call and tell them what you're looking for they're more than happy to look through their inventory to see if they have something for you.

As far as price goes, I showed up with cash to make an offer and he came back under my offer saying he wanted me to get a good deal. I drove home with a like new boat used for 1 1/2 seasons and cash still in my pockets. Langfords are the only make boats they were carrying at the time. You don't see too many of them but they're beautiful boats and great tripping ones.

Stone Harbor is great and their customer service, like many in northern minnesota, is second to none.