I’ve always viewed March as the doorstep to spring, and although current snow conditions contradict that idea, other proof exists. Throughout the state, sportsman shows, boat shows, and RV and camper shows abound for the rest of the month, and that means fishing season, summer camping, and fun afloat can’t be far behind. Pine Tree outdoorsmen in need of a new boat will find a vast selection at these various sports and recreation expositions.

Despite the vast array of watercraft available to Maine anglers, hunters, and campers, the canoe remains the single most popular, versatile, and convenient means of floating transportation. Trust me when I tell you that for all-around sportsmen with a wide variety of outdoor activities, one canoe will never perfectly fit all the needs. I’ve learned the hard way that selecting just the right canoe is a matter of compromise.

Over the last three decades I’ve owned a dozen canoes at one time or another, some for just weeks, others for years. During that 30 years I’ve poled, paddled, or motored another 25 to 30 canoes of every imaginable size, shape, and style. Some were a pleasure, others a true pain and each one a learning experience. My final verdict is, for multiple, diverse sporting use on all types of Maine waterways, a sturdy, stable 20-foot canoe is the way to go.

Big boat rationale

Regional watermen use everything from petite 9-foot peapods to enormous 26-foot Canadian freighter canoes for various outdoor endeavors. Most are suitable for one or two particular needs, but only a few, those in the 19- to 21-foot length with expansive width and depth, offer multiple-sport, all-season options.

A 12- or 14-foot canoe paddles easily through the reeds and cattails to reach a duck blind, but a 20-footer will offer more room for gear, carry more decoys, two gunning partners or one friend and a retriever with only a bit more paddling effort. A moderate-size canoe will allow a deer or moose hunter to quietly stalk a wood-lined waterway for big game, but it takes a wide, stable 20-foot canoe to float out the animal once it’s down.

When it’s time to construct a good-size waterfowl blind or transport lumber and tools to build an island or riverside camp, a 20-footer with a powerful motor is a floating workhorse. Two 20-foot canoes will carry four hunters, sleeping tent, cook tent, food and supplies, portable stove, utensils, tools, hunting gear, and even a generator upriver for a week of deer hunting. Such a trek would require four 16- or 17-foot canoes or twice as many trips and even then the smaller, heavily loaded boats would require careful handling.

Duck hunters on small ponds can get by just fine with 12- to 16-foot canoes; they go well on the car’s top and carry easily through the woods and brush. Waterfowlers who enjoy gunning larger lakes, big rivers, or sea ducks along the coast need more boat, however. Granted, 20-footers are more difficult to load and unload from a truck rack and it often takes two men to carry them to the water, but the advantages are worth the effort. Safety is essential when there’s ocean waves, heavy current on a river, or strong winds to deal with on a lake, and big canoes are more versatile in most water and weather conditions than smaller versions.

Anglers using spinning or bait-casting rods can work comfortably from shorter canoes, but fly fishermen need more stability to reach out and pinpoint their casts. A wide canoe in the 20-foot range with a fairly flat bottom will allow an angler to stand and cast with little fear of upsetting. Salmon and striper fishermen put more stock in a broad, stable casting platform than the few inconveniences of a longer canoe.

A good many sportsmen are of an age when convenience takes a back seat to comfort. Many 20-foot canoes weigh in the 90- to 120-pound range and can be transported via car-top carriers or truck-boat rack. But even with two men, loading and unloading with the climbing up and crawling under to attach ratchet straps and tie off ropes is a pain, especially since it’s often done in limited light conditions. Sliding a canoe off a trailer right into the water is far less burdensome and frustrating, and even if a short portage is required, loading and unloading is a simpler chore.

Remember, we are selecting a single canoe to meet the needs of a multifaceted sportsman with diverse outdoor activities. This will be no racing craft, nor will it be a whitewater wonder or take the place of a sea kayak. If, however, you should like to take the wife and kids on a Sunday picnic across the lake or motor two or three of the neighborhood youngsters for an overnight campout, a broad-beamed 20-footer with extra freeboard fits the bill.

Compare and contrast

Once a decision is reached to buy a big canoe, then come a myriad of features to be considered, compared, and contrasted. More than a dozen models by several manufacturers fall in the 19- to 21-foot range we are to consider. Let me review some of the most important considerations for an all-around canoe. Most fall under personal preference, and reading descriptions and statistics and looking at pictures isn’t enough info. Visit the dealers and feel, study, heft, and touch each likely canoe, and if at all possible, get a salesman or an acquaintance with the same canoe to take you on a water test.

First choice: double ender or square stern? Double enders have a “V” bow and stern, are the most traditional configuration, and can be poled, paddled, or rowed up or downstream regardless of which end is pointed where. They track well and offer excellent maneuverability in streams and rivers. Square sterns are often preferred by outdoorsmen who use an outboard motor most of the time.

Due to the length and beam of a 20-foot canoe, a stern-mounted motor changes the balance little, and the loaded craft can speed over 6 inches or less of water with ease. Double enders require motors to be side mounted, and in some cases this can lead to an unbalanced sensation in transit. Also, if a side-mounted motor strikes an underwater obstacle, there’s more chance of capsizing than with a stern drive unit.

Selecting hull construction material is the next step. This is a bit oversimplified, but in general there are four basic choices: wood and canvas, aluminum, fiberglass, or one of the new space-age synthetics. These manmade modern miracle materials such as Royalex or Polylink are intricate plastic polymers that offer lightweight construction with extreme durability. Their downside is that they are expensive, notably more than fiberglass or aluminum canoes. Also, the synthetics tend to be in bright colors, with green being the only suitable all-around hue for hunting and even that is a bit bright and shiny on many models. Regardless of the cost, Old Town Canoe’s 20-foot, green XL Tripper offers looks, longevity, and great latitude in outdoor applications.

Hand-built cedar and canvas canoes are part of Maine’s sporting heritage, and the longer models offer beauty as well as functionality. They float high, handle well, and last for decades when properly maintained. Therein lies the rub. Wood and canvas boats are high maintenance, requiring annual care to thwarts, gunnels, and ribs. For most owners it’s a labor of love and well worth owning and using such a craft.

Aluminum canoes are generally the least expensive models to purchase in the length required, and they are fairly light and very durable. Another plus for hunters is that many aluminum models come unpainted, allowing sportsmen to apply any camouflage paint scheme they desire. This is particularly pleasing to waterfowlers. Metal canoes are notoriously noisy and seem to grab and hold onto rocks with great frequency. Aluminum’s worst characteristic is that it will freeze your fingertips on cold fall mornings and blister your hands on scorching summer afternoons.

Fiberglass is a middle-of-the-road choice in regard to price, maintenance, strength, and quiet comfort. Glass canoes require little care, shrug off normal abuse, and are available in a wide array of colors, widths, depths, and interior configurations. My first big canoe was a 19-foot square stern Grumman aluminum that I painted a great camo pattern inside and out. My second long boat was a double-end 20-foot fiberglass Jackson made in Veazie. Consecutively, these two canoes lasted me 20 years.

Last year, I went through all the considerations I’ve just mentioned, talked to many manufacturers, salesmen, and canoe owners, and water tested more than half a dozen models. My new all-around canoe is a 21-foot Scott with fiberglass hull and all vinyl trim. It’s a square stern with full splash rails, 56 inches wide at the gunwale, and 20 inches deep.

Barry Davis, owner of Two Rivers Canoe in Medway, design consultant for Scott canoes and Maine’s only dealer, spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting this canoe for me. For you experts, the hull configuration is moderate rocker, flat bottom, tumblehome with a triple keel. It will take up to a 20 hp outboard and carry a 2,000-pound load with 6 inches of freeboard. So far it’s the best canoe I’ve ever owned and has surpassed every hunting, fishing, and camping expectation.

This month is a great time to check out canoes at all the outdoor sport and boat shows, and often there are some spring specials to be had. Look hard at the long boats and you may understand, as I have learned, that the best all-around single canoe for most Maine outdoorsmen is a 20-footer.

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