OT: Canoe trips for family

[Cicli]

Anyone into canoeing? I have to kids and a wife that want to take up canoeing the local rivers which we have plenty of. They are wide and slow with alot of islands and such to explore.
Any advice on where and what to buy? I am looking at 15-16 footers that I can put on the car.
Thoughts? Advice?

[buddybikes]

we began with a canoe, then added 2 kayaks then got rid of the canoe and all 4 of us have kayak kids now adults. Had some great experiences, but fortunately we live kind of near the ocean.

[CNY rider]

How old are your kids?
How are everyone's swimming skills?
Do any of you have paddling skills?
Are there any local dealers, and what brands do they carry?

[Cicli]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

How old are your kids?
How are everyone's swimming skills?
Do any of you have paddling skills?
Are there any local dealers, and what brands do they carry?

4 and 10 on the kids. Very good swimmers. Wife and I are in good shape. No paddling skills. Never even been in a canoe or kayak. Local dealers are only big box although I found a nice canoe locally on fleabay.

[CNY rider]

You'll be able to start out with 1 canoe but you'll soon want/need 2.
A 15 to 16 foot used plastic canoe is a good place to start. Get the kids padded seats to sit on the bottom of the canoe to start.
It will be heavy.
Get everyone good quality PFD's and buy them in person so you are sure they fit.
Try to find a local paddling club to get some starter tips.
Even in slow water you may dump as newbies......think about how you would get everyone together, gear, paddles.....how you would right the boat......and remember where your phone and car keys will end up if you don't have them secured properly.......

[gdw]

Since you're just getting into canoeing a basic recreational model should be adequate for your adventures. These links provide a good overview of the types available and might be helpful:
http://www.canoeing.com/canoes/choosing/
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/canoe.html

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

You'll be able to start out with 1 canoe but you'll soon want/need 2.
A 15 to 16 foot used plastic canoe is a good place to start. Get the kids padded seats to sit on the bottom of the canoe to start.
It will be heavy.
Get everyone good quality PFD's and buy them in person so you are sure they fit.
Try to find a local paddling club to get some starter tips.
Even in slow water you may dump as newbies......think about how you would get everyone together, gear, paddles.....how you would right the boat......and remember where your phone and car keys will end up if you don't have them secured properly.......

A lot of wisdom here.

[Black Dog]

30 years of serious paddling here and 2 kids (5 and 9) and we have them out on trips that last 2+ weeks at a time and I own as many canoes as bikes. Start with a rental if available in your area. It will give you a good feel. You will want nothing less than 16 feet to start. For a great starter boat try and find a used OldTown tripper or discovery. If you move to overnight trips then you will need a longer canoe. Make sure to get the kids paddles too. The more they are involved the more fun they have. If you bring a mid sized cooler then the kids can use it as a seat. They will have more fun if they are not sitting on the bottom of the canoe. As things progress, you can also buy a small sit on top kayak with a paddle for around $150 and let one of the kids rip around at a time and if they are both wanting to be in the canoe you can easily tow it. Bring a dry change of clothes in a waterproof pack for when, not if, you dump. Always wear a PFD, not just for your kids, especially on moving water. Also, as was mentioned CNY rider, practice swamping and capsizing in a nice clam, warm, and shallow part of a lake or river with low current. Like a bike the fit of a paddle is essential. Here is a link on how to get the right size paddle.

A great film series on how to paddle a canoe in all sorts of conditions can be found here:

https://www.nfb.ca/film/path_of_the_..._doubles_basic

https://www.nfb.ca/film/path_of_the_...les_whitewater

There is also a book of the same title.

It is a great activity and so much fun with kids. Good for you for taking the plunge...



I let my kids tool around in the boat and it does not take long before they figure most of the basics out on their own and have a blast doing it. Just teach them how to hold a paddle and do a couple basic strokes and lat them at it! Even the dog and one of their friends is happy to go along for a ride.

[ceolwulf]

Canoes are as individual as bikes. If at all possible, get to a paddle symposium where you can test a variety.

It sounds to me like something like the Wenonah Boundary Waters could be what you're after. But anything from the Southfork to the Minnesota II could potentially be on the spectrum of what meets your needs.

I'm a fan of Wenonah obviously but there's a lot of good makers.

Materials are debated as much as in the bike world. Unlike bikes the use case of each is more clear. Cheap plastic: cheap and durable, heavy, low performance, good for barges that will never go far or fast. Better plastic and Royalex: very durable, reasonable but still lowish performance, a good option for long trips far from civilization, or whitewater. Aluminum: loud, cold, slow, miserable, but unbreakable - good for rentals or expeditions, avoid otherwise. Fibreglass made with a chopper gun: very heavy, not as strong or stiff as layup, cheap - avoid. Fibreglass cloth layup: reasonable weight, good performance, good strength, the best choice for most people (Wenonah's Tufweave and some other proprietary layups are variants of this). Kevlar: as above but lighter and pricier. Carbon, Spectra, other exotics: if you need these you already know why and finally wood: wood is still an excellent way to build a canoe; weight and stiffness and performance are about on par with fiberglass, sometimes lighter - but you'll pay for it.

And yes those Bill Mason films BD mentions are excellent.

ETA: don't want to give the impression that the gear is the be all end all (bunch of gearheads here so it kind of naturally goes that way...) the skills are definitely more important. I don't know what's available in the US, I would assume something similar, but here the Paddle Canada courses are very highly recommended. They can be as short as one day and are very helpful. https://www.paddlecanada.com/canoe/8...g-program.html try to find something like this.

[WWKayaker]

Lots of good advice here so far. I grew up canoeing and led canoe trips as a camp counselor during college( 35+ yrs ago) and have done a bit of wilderness canoe camping and whitewater canoeing before switching mainly to kayaking.

Like bikes, you have material choices ( aluminum, abs, fiberglass /kevlar) and shapes. With 2 kids even at these ages, a 15 ft canoe is going to be much too small unless you get a really wide ( piggish) one. I would suggest minimum o f 16, preferably 17 ft. After a bit you will find your 10 year old needs to paddle and will be bored sitting, so you will need some way to rig a third seat which is not that easy. When your youngest child is old enough to usefully paddle, you'll want two canoes. I would second someone's recommendation of an Old Town Tripper as a great multi purpose canoe. I still have the one I took to the Yukon.

Good deals can usually be found on used canoes. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss more.

[majorpat]

I have a Wenonah Adirondack in Kevlar. Good width and depth for gear and kids, can paddle it solo "backwards" from front seat with some weight in the bow so it is also versatile. Its lighter than Royalex but not built for bashing off rocks in fast water.
Look at what canoes the local outfitters rent, that's a good place to start and they sell most of the rental fleet at the end of the season at a tremendous discount. In the ADKs just call Mountainman in Old Forge or St Regis Outfitters and ask for advice, both will steer you right.
Pat

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[HenryA]

I can't over emphasize the need for some basic instruction in technique and safety. Even the most benign looking water can be deadly when you don't know the basics. This is magnified when you have small kids along on the trip.

Look around your vicinity for paddling clubs with training programs or find someone with lots of experience to guide you down the river a few times. Pay attention to how competent paddlers do it.

Paddling is a great family sport, and you'll have more fun if you know how to do it well and safely.

You might start by visiting the American Canoe Association website. http://www.americancanoe.org/

If you're near the southeast, check out http://www.paddletsra.org

[Plum Hill]

Aren't you in northern Illinois?
If so, take a day and go to Rutabaga in Madison, Wi. Probably the best canoe/kayak shop in the Midwest.
www.rutabaga.com