Compromise is key to a perfect canoe Find one that meets criteria, buy it and try it

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March is a prime month for outdoor sports expositions and boat shows throughout the state. With spring and open water fishing season a few weeks away, dangling like a carrot on a stick, many sportsmen are giving serious consideration to buying a boat.

Of all the shapes and sizes of watercraft found floating in Maine, no freshwater boat is more popular, nor more prevalent, than the multi-faceted, age-old canoe.

Just the right canoe will allow an outdoorsman to hunt and fish a wide variety of regional waters, from narrow creeks to heavy-flowing rivers and small farm ponds to large lakes. Some canoes can even be used for gunning or casting the nooks and crannies of our saltwater coastline.

Peapod perfect

When early settlers first encountered native Americans paddling about the rivers in their double-end birch bark craft, they referred to them as peapods, because of the similarity in shape. It quickly became evident to explorers, trappers, and woodsmen pioneering the U.S. that peapods were a far better mode of water travel than the rafts, square-nose prams, and heavy-planked V-hulls currently in use. Many of these same qualities, plus a good deal of modern technology, continue to keep canoes extremely popular for outdoor activities.

Considering their size and shape, canoes have a great weight-carrying capacity, and most will easily transport two people and a significant amount of dunnage. They are easily propelled through still water and, with a lot of practice, a paddler can float swift runs and easily direct the boat around obstacles and treacherous stretches. Canoes have a shallow draft, which allows exploration of spots inaccessible to most other watercraft.

When properly handled, canoes are so quiet that approaching wary fish, waterfowl, or big game along the shoreline is fairly easy. Canoes are simple to transport. Small to medium-size models are light enough to be car-topped, while longer, heavier versions trailer with ease. Loading and unloading from roof-top racks is quick and simple, and even the trailered models handle and haul far better than V-hull boats. Offseason storage is also a more manageable chore with a peapod boat than with the average wide, heavy motorized craft.

Material matters

Entire books have been written on selecting, transporting, and propelling a canoe via pole and paddle. This article will emphasize the selection process, and narrow it even further by eliminating craft specifically designed for whitewater use, racing and larger varieties designed to haul large loads of equipment and supplies. The canoe we are in search of will be perfect for one- to three-man fishing and hunting forays on most state waterways.

Of prime importance, even ahead of size and shape, is the boat’s construction material. Components range from conventional wood to exotic synthetics and many choices in between, making the selection process daunting. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the final choice comes down to each sportsman’s specific needs.

Aluminum canoes are strongly built and withstand wear and tear well, and are also UV resistant, which many synthetics and Fiberglas are not. Aluminum is about in the middle of the pack when comparing weight, heavier than the synthetics and plastics but lighter than wood and canvas. Hunters favor aluminum because the boat can be easily painted inside and out with multi-color camouflage design and good metal paint lasts for ages.

On the downside, aluminum is generally either too cold or too hot, depending on ambient temperature. It has a tendency to grab rocks rather than slide over easily, and is very noisy. One wrong move with a paddle, a rod or reel clunking the gunwales or gun barrel bumping a thwart and every fish, fowl and mammal in the area know where you are.

Canvas over wood is the most traditional material for canoes, and occasionally a fancy all-wood, strip-built model can be found. These styles are quiet and of light to medium weight, so are popular with hunters and river anglers. But canvas won’t stand the abuse that more modern materials will and the wood requires annual maintenance.

Fiberglas canoes are very tough and stable, especially when aluminum or molded Fiberglas reinforcing cross ribs are used in the floor between layers. During cold-weather use, extra care must be taken during unloading, dragging, and avoiding obstacles while afloat as the Fiberglas becomes brittle and cracks easier. Many Fiberglas canoes have wood trim that must be cared for regularly.

Modern synthetic materials such as Royalex, Kevlar, and various plastics and vinyls are extremely lightweight and unbelievably tough. They glide over rocks rather than fetching up and float in very shallow water. Many of these canoes don’t have floor ribs or a flat floor surface, each of which aids balance when standing to cast a fly or to pole up river. Plan on paying more for lightweight materials. A $600 canoe in Fiberglas or aluminum will be $1,200 in some plastics and up to $2,000 in Kevlar.

The right size

A friend of mine has a 12-foot canoe weighing less than 50 pounds that he fishes and hunts from on streams, rivers, and small ponds. He’s 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. At 6-3 and 270, I’m very unstable and uncomfortable in his one-man craft and spend more time worrying about capsizing than enjoying the fishing. Most outings include two sportsmen, and 12- to 15-foot canoes just aren’t comfortable for two good-sized men, especially on big water or if bad weather comes into play. This is why 16- to 18-foot canoes are popular with experienced outdoorsmen, and for trios, heavier loads, and ultimate stability, consider a 20-footer.

Waterline width (a measurement 4 inches above the bottom of the canoe) should be 34 to 44 inches for the length of boats mentioned. Since most canoes draw about 4 inches of water when afloat, waterline widths are a far better guide for stability than gunwale width, which varies greatly with the shape and contour of each canoe’s sides.

Average inside depths run 14-16 inches for sporting canoes. Many anglers and shooters prefer to gain a lower center of gravity as well as greater comfort and balance by using removable wooden floor seats, rather than the higher, integrated boat seats. Center depths of 17-20 inches on 20-foot canoes create a much sturdier platform for casting and shooting from keel-centered boat chairs.

Rock, roll, and square ends

Rocker is the term for the curvature of the keel from bow to stern. A straight keel has no rocker, which means no upturn at the front and back ends of the canoe. This yields excellent tracking but poor maneuverability. Extreme rocker has exceptional maneuverability, but very poor tracking due to highly upturned ends. Straight or slightly rockered canoes are best for casting and blasting.

Initial stability refers to the canoe’s stability at rest. The more solid a boat feels and the less it reacts to weight shift, the greater its initial stability. Final stability is the ability to resist tipping. Bottom shape and side curvature determine these two important factors. A flat bottom and straight sides yield the most stable canoe, albeit not the fastest or most maneuverable. Avoid arched bottoms and flared or tumblehome sides unless you want broadside shooting and fly casting while standing to become acrobatic acts.

Double-end canoes are popular because they can be poled or paddled from either end and have a low drag coefficient. Square-stern canoes are one-directional but more stable, yet they are harder to paddle or pole due to severe transom drag. I detest side-mount motors, which are the only option on a double-ender, because they unbalance the canoe, and if they catch bottom or an obstacle, it can lead to capsizing in a heartbeat. For larger loads of gear and people or for peace of mind on big rivers and in heavy weather, buy a square-stern and a dependable motor. On streams and ponds, leave the motor in the truck and paddle or pole.

The compromise

Understanding all the sizes, shapes, and features of a canoe is a bit confusing at first, and making a final choice is challenging. Waterfowlers will have different requirements than trout fishermen, and trolling anglers will want a different canoe than big-game gunners who float waterways in search of game. If you enjoy all of these sports, the selection increases in difficulty. If a friend or prospective canoe dealer has a craft to try out for a weekend, a lot of answers will fall into place, and a final decision becomes somewhat simpler.

Compromise is generally the only answer, however. Find a canoe that fits most of the criteria, buy it and try it. The used canoe market is huge in Maine, just check ads in your newspaper or regional buy-and-swap-and-sell booklets. Perhaps you’ll find the model you desire and save a few bucks, and if after a year’s trial period your new canoe doesn’t meet your needs, put it in an ad. It may be perfect for another sportsman and your search for the elusive ideal canoe can continue.

My personal quest for the Holy Grail of canoes nears its 30th anniversary and continues. We won’t go into how many have come and gone, especially within hearing distance of my lovely wife, who is, to hear her tell it, “boat poor.” My current tally on hand is three: a 16-foot, 59-pound Old Town Royalex Camper, a 19-foot aluminum square-stern Grumman, and a 21-foot Fiberglas Scott Hudson Bay model. Good luck on your search for the perfect canoe.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com