Best canoe on Reddit
153 reviews from r/canoeing, r/canoecamping, r/algonquinpark and 5 more subreddits
153 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Old Town
4.2
(21)
"If you can find an Old Town Discovery 174, that would work great for you."
"I love my old town Penobscot 164."
"Old Town Tripper or Campers are both good canoes for canoes camping."
"Have you considered boats like the Old Town Tripper? It's a royalex boat that was 17'2" long."
"I own a Royalex camper and my brother a Royalex Penobscot and I’ve gotta say the camper is much more stable."
"If you can find an old town tripper, they are fantastic tripping boat especially for moving water!"
"My buddies and I all use Old Town Guide 147 boats with Hala Butterknife paddles."
"The OT Penobscot is a great boat for what you’re describing."
"They are heavy, but are among the sturdiest canoes you can find anywhere."
"They are heavy, but are among the sturdiest canoes you can find anywhere."
#2
Esquif
4.3
(19)
"Quite light for a plastic canoe, lovely durability, capable on class 2 whitewater if you want to do it."
"I would recommend a prospector style canoe."
"Check out Esquif Adirondack or Echo. The Adirondack in T-Formex Lite is sub 40 lbs, 12' and a great day paddling solo boat for $1500."
"I’d check out Esquif."
"Fabulous canoe. I paddled to Moosonee last year on the Missinaibi."
"Esquif Prospecteur 15 paddled solo would work well for you."
"For that kind of money I'd go for a Canoe made of T Formex, a prospector shape would probably be your best bet in the 15 ft range."
"The Esquif Huron 15' was just released in T-Formex Lite."
"Is say an Esquif Echo or Prospecteur 15 would probably work well."
"Is say an Esquif Echo or Prospecteur 15 would probably work well."
#3
Nova Craft
4.3
(16)
"Great tumblehome and rocker for a heavier load."
"I’m a big fan of Nova Craft (own 6 of them), but also really like Esquif."
"I bought a 16’ Prospector basalt innegra last summer and love it."
"Absolutely love my Nova Craft, and it's absolutely rock solid."
"The Nova Craft Prospector 16' for example is a solid boat for what you described."
"I own 4 of them from Novacraft and they’re fine boats, can’t go wrong."
"Or a Nova Craft Prospector 15 in Tuffstuff also paddled solo."
"I’d recommend a Nova Craft Prospector in their “TuffStuff Expedition” layup."
"Check nova craft canoes - they have prospector and similar shapes in lighter materials."
"Nova Craft Prospector 15 is a nice boat."
#4
Swift
4.4
(15)
"Swift probably makes the best canoes in Canada."
"I love it. There are cheaper options, especially if you could find a used one."
"Swift. I have two (tandem and solo) and they are beautiful boats."
"100% Swift."
"What we discovered is that we love the Swift Keewaydin 17."
"I really like the prospector shape it tracks well and I think 16' is generally a good length."
"You can not go wrong with a prospector, 17ft likely."
"Do not get a 12’ it’s far too small."
"Swift is the best."
"I own a Swift, I would also say Nova Craft if you want something more durable and cheaper."
#5
Wenonah
4.5
(8)
"30 years ago I bought a Wenonah MN II Kevlar from them still have it."
"I will only buy Wenonah boats moving forward."
"I solo paddle from the center seat and I’ll paddle it until it falls apart."
"I bought a Wenonah Champlain Kevlar Ultralite last year."
"I have a Wenonah Spirit ll in Rolaylex."
"I have a Wenonah Argosy."
"I got a solo Wenonah canoe for about $350."
"I just installed a third seat directly in front of the rear thwart."
#6
Mad River
4.1
(8)
"Absolutely mad River canoes aren’t made any more and they are great canoe trip boats!"
"Suggest looking at a Mad River Explorer as a starting point."
"I'm partial to the Mad River Canoe Explore 16' in Royalex for solo and tandem."
"If you can find a Mad River Malecite, especially one with a 3rd seat."
"Not sure if you’ll call this budget or not but it’ll float everything you’re talking about and more."
"If you can find a royalex boat for under $1k (that doesn't have any cracking), it's worth it."
"Could easily add a seat with a Mad River Explorer 16."
"If you can find a Mad River Malecite, especially one with a 3rd seat instead of a yoke, it would be a good fit."
#7
Prospector
4.6
(7)
"Prospectors are the best all round boat design ever made."
"If your going for a boat that can do it all then its tough to beat a 16ft prospector."
"Prospector is a classic but as long as it is symmetrical with bidirectional seats."
"16ft prospector, hull material depends on how durable / heavy you want the canoe to be."
"The prospector is a good all around canoe so IMO it's a good choice."
"I would strongly consider the Prospector or a similar symmetrical design."
"A 16' Prospector is a good all around choice."
#8
Souris River
4.4
(7)
"It's an incredible canoe. It's been tough as nails."
"I adore my Souris River."
"Souris River canoes are the best I've ever found."
"Consider a Souris River Quetico 18."
"The Souris River Quetico 17 or 18 is a great boat for stability."
"Souris River makes quality boats, but"
"Going against the grain but I would advise a Souris River over a Swift."
#9
H2O
4.2
(5)
"I have the H2O 16-4 prospector and I love it."
"It's a decent bit higher than the budget you're looking at, but they do have lower budget options that would fit all your requirements."
"I really loved the H2O I rented a couple of years ago."
"H2O canoe is pretty good."
"I own an innegra basalt 17.5 ft canoe assymetrical design (very fast) that’s 38 lbs."
#10
Canoe
4.5
(4)
"North fork of the Flambeau was memorable. Remote and beautiful."
"I recommend looking into an apostle island trip. Lots of outfitters and guides in the area."
"If you're dead set on a canoe, get something and add float bags to it, and carry a baler so it's impossible for you to sink"
"Buy one used, you want a 16' for gear. Plastic canoes are heavy, but are nearly indestructible."
#11
Grumman
4.5
(4)
"It works great for me and my 3 year old human puppy. Bonus is it's practically indestructible."
"I recommend getting an old vintage aluminum Grumman."
"Hunt down a 19 ft Grumman square stern used, or buy one new for 4k."
"I had a 14' Grumman aluminum, wide and mostly flat bottom back in the day billed as a whitewater canoe."
#12
Clipper
4.3
(4)
"We’ve owned 17’ kevlar clipper canoes in both styles and have been really happy."
"I've liked paddling in a Clipper."
"Clipper Ranger."
"It's quite heavy and quite expensive but it's a good choice if you want to put lots of people and cargo in one boat."
#13
Penobscot
4.5
(2)
"Penobscot is a wonderful choice."
"The Penobscot is a great boat."
#14
Northstar
4.5
(2)
"I have a Northwind Solo in IXP that I bought for extended river trips."
"Northwind 17 by Northstar."
#15
Pac
4.0
(2)
"My 16' has thousands of miles in Arctic whitewater on it."
"I really like how the Pac curves to shape of the water."
#16
Northwind
4.0
(2)
"As a Northwind 17 owner it seems like it would be a tight fit for 3 people."
"I really enjoyed paddling."
#17
Sea Eagle
4.0
(2)
"I was impressed by how well it handled."
"Look at Sea Eagle’s inflatable canoe."
#18
N/A
3.5
(2)
"Have you considered adding floats or an outrigger."
"Most canoe designs are a compromise. You just need to find the compromise that works for you."
#19
Hornbeck Boats
5.0
(1)
"A 13 ft Classic from Hornbeck Boats would have the capacity you are looking for and weighs only 21lbs."
#20
Alumacraft
5.0
(1)
"Built like a tank and tons of room to carry any and everything."
#21
Dagger
5.0
(1)
"I picked up a 3 seat royalex dagger reflection a couple months ago and it’s been great for fishing/floating with my two sons."
#22
Wisconsin Canoe Company
5.0
(1)
"Wisconsin Canoe Company on the Wisconsin River, you won't regret it."
#23
Placid Boatworks
5.0
(1)
"Please check out Placid Boatworks out of Lake Placid, NY."
#24
We-No-Nah
5.0
(1)
"We-No-Nah Minnesota II. It is extremely stable in the water."
#25
Winona
5.0
(1)
"We have an 18 foot Winona Minnesota 2 (Kevlar) which we camped with two kids and a golden retriever."
#26
Radisson
5.0
(1)
"I have been using my $300 usd 2000 Radisson 14ft pointed... it's awesome."
#27
Holy Cow Canoe Company
5.0
(1)
"Holy Cow Canoe Company in Guelph refurbed the old family kevlar canoe for me."
#28
Novacraft
5.0
(1)
"I would just get a used Novacraft canoe. They are unbreakable and can be found cheap."
#29
kevlar
5.0
(1)
"IMO, you want to take a kevlar canoe with you for those types of trips."
#30
Ally
5.0
(1)
"Have ever thought of an Ally? No inflatable can beat them."
#31
Coleman
4.0
(1)
"I've thoroughly enjoyed my Coleman Colorado, but it is inflatable for portability."
#32
Intex
4.0
(1)
"Most users feedback that it was built for rivers and lakes."
#33
Camper
4.0
(1)
"The Camper 15 and 16 would be better choice as the hull design of the Camper is better for soloing."
#34
Minnesota II
4.0
(1)
"We've put three people in a Minnesota II many times as long as the middle person is small."
#35
Aquaglide
4.0
(1)
"I have an Aquaglide tandem inflatable. 3 seater."
#36
Langford
4.0
(1)
"I paddle a Langford 16... it's great for solo and with a +1."
#37
Nucanoe
4.0
(1)
"The nucanoe models are often billed as a kayak hunter's dream (high weight ratings, lots of cargo space, great stability, etc)"
#38
Prospector 16ft
4.0
(1)
"If you're keen to buy your own, it's tough to go wrong a 16ft prospector."
#39
Old Town Penobscot 17
4.0
(1)
"I like the old town Penobscot 17 for BWCA."
#40
Prospector Yukon
4.0
(1)
"Anything in a Prospector or Yukon hull shape."
#41
Tucktec
3.0
(1)
"Not as stable as a normal kayak but still relatively stable."
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