I am looking for a small canoe that I can carry on top of a PT cruiser behind my motorhome. I think that I would prefer one that I could use a small 2HP gas motor that I have on. As I am older, it would need to be somewhat light so that I can unload and load it by myself. I found a 12’ Radisson that might work but since I am clueless as to what is reasonably good and what is not - I thought maybe some of the members of this forum might be willing to give me a few pointers. Any help is appreciated.
I’ve had a 12’ transom model (Radisson) for 9 years now. Have beat that thing up kinda bad as it’s my main “blunderbuss” for getting back into hard away places; and it’s an easy boat to fish out of. The boat is light and easy to handle - usually it rides on top of my little popup camper, although it has rode on top of cars and in the back of my pick-up at times, too. I managed to punch a hole in the bottom while traveling down a rocky river about three seasons back. Patched it up according to instructions provided by Raddison and it’s water tight to this day.
There are tougher boats available, but none as light as the Raddison (or it’s SportsPal cousin). I have far and away got my money’s worth out of the thing. For what I do, it’s just the ticket.
Dale
Old town makes some really nice lightweight models, made of kevlar; they might be a little pricy.
But they will last a liftime, if you don’t shoot rapids with them.
Have a great weekend,
chris
You may want to look at the new Native it is lighter than the kayaks and stable as well you know what made for the person that wants the benifits of the kayak, but the deepness of the canoe. Appomattox River Company sells them.
Hi Okie,
Canoes can be a lot of fun and a great platform for
fly fishing. Just be aware that all canoes are not
created equal and that there may be a lot of
difference from boat to boat, particularly in the
smaller canoes. By all means, if at all possible
you need to paddle the boat you decide on and get a
feel for it prior to purchase. Some of the small
solo craft can be pretty tricky for less experienced
paddlers or even someone concentrating more on
fishing than paddling. There are suitable craft for
a wide variety of uses. It’s important to find one
that suits you and your ideas of what it should do.
Good luck in your quest. Warm regards, Jim
Any canoe in the 12-14’l x 34+"W wide range will work. Longer canoes will be easier to paddle and or trim with a motor. In my experience, double enders handle a small motor better than the square sterns as they have more boyancy in the stern and therefor trim better under power/paddle.
Raddison/Sports palls are nice and featherlight but are fairly fragile/thin skinned. michiCraft makes a nice /tough 12’ square stern that’s only 52# as well. Beyond that, there are too many to list.
p.s check paddling.net for specific canoe reviews and design descriptions that may help in your search.
hth
As someone else mention, the new Native Watercraft Ultimate 12 would be worth a look. It’s sort of a cross between a kayak and a canoe, with some of the best properties of both. I’m sure it could be rigged for a motor like any double end canoe.