We rented one this weekend and had 5 great hours paddling gently down river with the dog. We fancy doing more of it and are considering buying one. Any advice on the logistics of owning one? i.e transporting it about, storing it, etc?
I’m looking at an Old Town 169 on Ebay but I’m it might be too big. It’ll be used mostly on flat water, lakes and rivers and hopefully to do a few wild camping days out. Any others to consider?

do it!

look for a used royalex canoe – they are much lighter, albeit more expensive

i think venture canoes do a reasonably priced royalex canoe

post on songofthepaddle forum, you’ll get a million answers and there are lots of used canoes on there

they go on roof bars without too much trouble and can be stored outside if necessary

Add Buoyancy so we don’t see you on the news.

Join Song of the paddle.

lovely boat:
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?44757-For-Sale-Penobscot-16-RX

Venture don’t use royalex. If you can afford to ‘push the boat out’ get royalex, if you get into it its what you will want, but the manufacturer has closed the plant so it won’t be available for long. Also means that a royalex boat should hold its value well if you decide you don’t like it and want to sell.
If you don’t want to spend that much £300 should get you a used poly boat like a discovery that will give you a lot of fun till you need to carry it.

Definitely join SOTP as it is a really invaluable source of information with very friendly people always willing to offer good advice.

I bought my Novacraft Prospector SP3 from a user on there and it was a real bargain. Also met a few paddling pals too on there but haven’t paddled nearly as much as I would have liked in the last year or so.

The SP3 is a fantastic canoe and bombproof but it is heavy.

Thanks all, this is just what I was after! So, tell me about these webbing seats vs comfy looking moulded ones?

Just registering on STOP.

We’ve got a Novacraft Prospector set up for 2 people. It can be used to transport 2 people (+ dog) and gear for 5 day expeditions. Stored in the garden upside down off the ground on a couple of wooden stands. Ideally it should be covered. I’ve transported on the car roof over the Pennines in very high winds and it didn’t bat an eyelid. Best way to tie it down is to tie it in the middle twice and then at each end using front and rear towing eyelets on the car.

My recommendation would be to get your dog a buoyancy aid. The little fellas can get into trouble too and there’s no saying he’ll swim towards your boat if he ever falls out, and makes it easier to pluck them out the soup too. Our Fraser loves his, can’t you tell.

Don’t forget to name your boat. Ours is called Dave.