• Happy Weed Appreciation Day! 🌱🌿🌻

Why Buy A New Canoe?

Joined
Jun 15, 2022
Messages
202
Reaction score
247
Location
Spartanburg, SC
Who among us does not love a brand-new canoe? Smooth lines, bright gel coat, no nicks in the gunnels or unsightly scratches on the bottom; you just have to stop and admire it. But as it is said about automobiles, “There are no new cars on the road. Once it’s off the dealer’s lot it is a used car”. So my question, with apologies to all the current canoe builders, is this: Why buy a new canoe?

Some may say that the new designs are better. Some may look upon the update materials and say they are stronger or lighter. Some may repeat the mantra “If it is newer it has to be better”. But is that always true?

There have been many designs since composite and Royalex canoes hit the market. Are the new designs better or just different? Every model canoe paddles differently; some designs vary slightly and some greatly as does their handling. Canoes designed and built in the 1970’s, 80’ and 90’s, if well maintained, still paddle as well as they did when built. Does a 2023 canoe paddle better? Some very sweet handling canoes are no longer produced, but crop up on the used market. Since they are non-motorized, they do not have the mechanical issues of a motorboat or a car. If taken care of, there is just not that much to wear out.

A downside (or upside if you enjoy the thrill of the chase) is that a desired discontinued canoe may take a while to track down. A new canoe may be available at the nearest dealer or by an order to the builder. In our “Want It Now” society, the new canoe that can do the intended job is able to gratify the canoeist’s desire quickly but at a monetary cost. It is an individual choice on how much disposable income to spend and how quickly one wants a canoe.

I tend to buy used canoes. I enjoy the “personality” that different canoe designs exhibit. Some that I have purchased had been lightly used, some had been used with abandon. Some needed no more than a clean-up, some needed cosmetic repair and maybe a coat of varnish or epoxy. Some have stayed with me for a while and others have been sold to make room on the storage racks for another that has caught my eye. I have ended up with a fleet of Kevlar and Carbon layup canoes for less than the price of one new canoe. I also now have a quiver of canoes capable of most any paddling that I would desire; whitewater, small rivers, poking around a lake, tripping or an extended expedition (one can always dream, but I’ve got the canoe for it if the opportunity arises). I repeat: For less than the cost of one new canoe.

So I ask the question: Why buy a NEW canoe?
 
Last edited:
If you need a boat NOW (e.g. my PakBoat for a big trip); get a good deal for the boat you wanted to replace your 34 yo boat (Wenonah Encounter); get a good deal to replace the Encounter because it's not fast enough (Voyager), and you don't live in real Canoe Country (Rockies). The good deals were like-new demos I bought for about $1000 below new. Oh, way back I sold canoes, so I could order whatever I wanted (Wenonah WWC-1) at dealer prices. All my other boats were used.
 
Why buy a NEW canoe?

1. Because you live in an area of the country where there are very slim pickings for used canoes.
2. Because you don't want to travel long distances to pick up a used canoe that may be available 1,000 miles away.
3. Because you have more than enough disposable money to do so.
4. Because you emotionally prize shiny new objects.
5. Because you believe other people's dings and scratches are ugly defects, whereas your inevitable dings and scratches are beloved personal history.
6. Because all you want to do is hang a new canoe from the cathedral ceiling of your great room or boat house.
 
Im starting to think Glenn is some sort of mind reader! after pondering all the pro’s and con’s AND following most of the sage advice given here i went out and plopped down some cash today for a new boat.
i won’t hyjack this thread but will offer a first hand account of “Why i bought a new Canoe”. Mainly because i could because the finance was not a hurdle. This wasn’t always the case and i once borrowed $2500 to buy a coon dog then a $250 plane ticket to get him home!
With that hurdle cleared the next most compelling factor is the really nice younger than me canoe builder about a 20 min. drive from here. I won’t bore you with all the particulars here and will finish by saying it’s only gonna get better from here! As a sheer coincidence the build will start Feb 6th! My Birthday!

Thanks to all of you more savvy sorts who seem to chime in a just the right moment. This is what happens when a bunch of like minded souls share they’re experience‘s with the rest of us!
 
Suppose for a moment that your wife wanted a new canoe, something lightweight and pretty.
Let's also suppose that you have over 45 years of boat building experience, as well as the time and money to build her anything (and I do mean ANYTHING) she might want.
What would you say???
The proper response is (was) "What color would you like?"
And that's how MDB ended up with that pretty Swift pack boat.

For myself, I did buy half of a brand new Radisson once, with the other half bought by my father. I never liked it, rarely used it. He practically lived in it.
I much prefer something used, if I'm buying rather than building. And I like a good deal, something I can have fun with until I don't, and then sell for a profit.
Would I ever buy a new canoe? No more likely than I would buy a new car or motorcycle or motorhome. Again, I much prefer something used, damaged, that I can repair for profit after getting whatever enjoyment out of it that I desire.
Scratches, dents, blemishes, who cares? It's gonna get that way anyway, if you're using it correctly.
Besides, every scar tells a story, and who among us is free of scars?
 
Why buy a NEW canoe?

If you are going to give someone a canoe as a present then it doesn't seem polite to give them a used one. I have bought two new canoes and both were presents that I gave away. My wife got one and we still have it as I have mentioned here before. I prefer the character of old canoes. My oldest one is described in the link below. Ironically, the cost to get most of my old canoes professionally restored has usually exceeded the price of a similar new canoe. I tend to buy used cars too but these are much newer than my canoes and have always remained unrestored.

Benson


 
Last edited:
I have bought two new canoes and both were presents that I gave away. My wife got one and we still have it

Aha, the give-your-wife-a-canoe for her birthday gambit! I love it. I'll try that trick next; the behind-her-back ones are becoming ineffective.
 
A downside (or upside if you enjoy the thrill of the chase) is that a desired discontinued canoe may take a while to track down. A new canoe may be available at the nearest dealer or by an order to the builder. In our “Want It Now” society, the new canoe that can do the intended job is able to gratify the canoeist’s desire quickly but at a monetary cost. It is an individual choice on how much disposable income to spend and how quickly one wants a canoe.


So I ask the question: Why buy a NEW canoe?
The used canoe market has been challenging since the pandemic, with decent boats selling in minutes. Sometimes it's just easier to bite the bullet and buy new just to avoid the aggravation. Although it's almost as aggravating to endure the price hikes that big manufacturers like Wenonah have been levying.
 
I (we) bought two new canoes, a Grumman in 71 and a OT Camper in the early 80’s. Since then I have bought many used canoes both wood canvas, wood fiberglass and non wood. All, except one (17’ Chestnut Prospector) needed work and I sold most after making repairs. The money I made went to pay for canoe trips and buying/repairing Chestnut canoes I was looking for and kept.

If tomorrow I decided to move on from wood canvas canoes and get into lightweight canoes at say 40-50 lbs, I would buy used, preferably something needing repairs. I’m not all that savvy on what makes one modern canoe much different than another except for the obvious reasons, so finding a canoe to meet my needs wouldn’t be too hard. I agree with M Clemens, the prices of used canoes has gone up since the pandemic.

I bought this Kevlar canoe for $25, sold it for $700. I bet both prices would be much higher today.

163E4DA7-818E-41D9-8CF8-8C2BFAEF9E38.jpeg03263FC0-53F3-4DD4-B02B-A396BC442056.jpeg
 

SouthernKevlar asked: "Why buy a NEW canoe?"

Because it's there? And in all seriousness, that's my answer. I've owned eight canoes over the years and five of them were used. I think used canoes are the way to go if they're in good condition at a reasonable price. Composite layups can hold up for many decades if they're taken care of. But sometimes the canoe you want to buy (certain design and build) just isn't available within a reasonable driving distance. If you can't find a used canoe that you want, buying a new canoe is your best option. I'd rather pay a premium price for a new canoe than buy a used canoe that just isn't what I really wanted.

One of the used canoes was a serendipitous purchase because it was a great fit (at a good price) to fill in a gap in my canoe quiver when I decided to sell a canoe I wasn't using enough. I drove six hours one way to check it out and I'm glad I did.

Recently I ordered up a new solo canoe that's a bit of a spontaneous indulgence because of a canoeing symposium I attended this summer and a conversation I had while paddling with a friend this fall. Life is getting shorter and I can still enjoy canoeing while kneeling so I'm going to take advantage of it. Why did I buy new? Well, because it's there and a used one wasn't.
 
Last edited:
If no one bought new canoes eventually there wouldn't be any used canoes to buy.

This is true, but the practical reality is that the supply of used canoes will likely exceed the demand from active paddlers for a long time. I have done an analysis as shown in the link below which concluded that nearly half a million wooden canoes had been made and they had about a two percent survival rate. This means that there are likely to be over eleven thousand wooden canoes available today but only slightly more than a thousand people in the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association are interested in them. My guess is that an analysis of composite canoes might yield similar results (although the survival rate is likely to be much higher).

Benson


 
Last edited:
Good question. I tried it once and sent it back.
Boats get used. They get beat up. The sun affects how they look. I have never regretted buying a used canoe. I have never felt bad about going over rocks. I have made money on every one of them. No new canoes for me.
 
... but the practical reality is that the supply of used canoes will likely exceed the demand from active paddlers for a long time.
Given that the number of avid canoeists isn't what it used to be you're probably right, especially for wooden canoes. The problem I think is there are a lot of canoes, both wooden and composite, sitting in garages or barns or where ever that aren't being used and yet aren't being offered up for sale. And if a used lightweight composite canoe does come onto the market and is a popular design and layup and offered for a good price it's snatched up quickly. Some of us aren't willing to wait for two or three years before someone within a reasonable distance finally decides to sell a canoe that we're interested in.
 
anything on aluminum?

Not really, I have tried to research aluminum canoes but never found a good source of information. The Marathon Boat Group had a web page in 2012 which stated that Grumman canoe sales were “over 33,000 units” in 1974. This seems high but that was the peak of the 'back to nature' movement triggered by the Arab oil embargo in October, 1973. Old Town Canoe had record sales that year as well. I contacted Marathon in 2012 explaining that I had been researching historical canoe sales and was wondering if they could provide any additional details from Grumman’s first several decades or direct me to another source for this information. They replied saying "Sorry but we do not have any information about this nor do we know where to find it. What information on the web page is what we have because we have old employees of the original Grumman Company still working here." That claim is no longer included on their web site. Their 1975 catalog said they had made "over 300,000 Grummans" on page two. This also seems optimistic. The Old Town Canoe Company built their millionth canoe in 2003 for comparison as described in the link below. Please let me know if you find a good source of information on this topic.

Some of us aren't willing to wait for two or three years

I understand completely and I'm the last person to discourage anyone from buying a canoe, new or used. The WCHA forum has been called the 'support group from heck' because everyone there is usually encouraging the purchase of more canoes.

Benson


 
Back
Top