Hello from From Corvallis, Oregon. I've paddling for 45 years. Mostly with an Old Town Discovery 169. That boat is now too heavy to lift on the car at 90 pounds. I like having a boat that can comfortable do up to class 3 white water, but also works on lakes and quiet water. I also need a boat that isn't too fragile. My boat has many scratches from landing on the gravel beds of the Willamette River in Oregon, and from occasional bumps and thumps on rocks in the river. I'm hoping for 16' or shorter. Must be tandem. I prefer the toughness of plastic. The lower the weight, obviously the better. Any suggestions for a replacement. - Thanks, Parlando
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Replacement for Old Town Discovery 169
- Thread starter Parlando
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Me again, and to clarify a point, my wife and I are not into racing. We like to explore both rivers, small streams, and moderately sized lakes. We don't want a fragile boat that will be harmed by gravel scraping and landings. Truly appreciate your input. Thanks
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Welcome. Are you looking for something new or trying to get an idea of what to watch for in the used market?
Parlando, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, please add your location to your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar, as this is a geographic sport. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.
I won't get into specific canoes in this post, but just talk in generalities about materials. Plastic canoes are the heaviest and least expensive. You can certainly get a 16' plastic tandem canoe that weighs less than 90 pounds, but probably not much under 70 pounds.
Composite canoes made of carbon, Kevlar and some other lightweight fabrics are the lightest canoes and the most expensive. You can get a 16' composite tandem canoe that weighs less than 40 pounds from manufacturers such as Swift, Northstar, Wenonah, H2O, and Savage River, but new it will cost $3500 to $4000. Clipper Canoe, which is close to you in British Columbia, probably makes a 16' tandem in the 50-55 pound range for possibly less than $3000. Check their websites.
Because the price of new composite canoes has soared, many folks shop on the used market in places such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other FB canoeing pages, and in the classified sections of websites such as this one. Buying used, you will often have to take whatever is available within your tolerance for driving distance, unless you want to sit around forever waiting for the perfect used canoe.
Thanks for your input and the welcome. We Live in Oregon, in the Willamette Valley. We are long term canoers, inflatable kayakers, and white-water rafters. We am open to new or used. We recently found a Wenonah Escape with Tuf-Weave Flex Core locally, and I think it was a pretty good deal, but it felt like it would be a better big lake boat to me, and not as maneuverable. The owners didn't feel comfortable letting it go out for a test primarily because it was in pristine shape. And honestly, we would have had to go over some gravel and probably would have scratched it up a bit. So I didn't hold it against them. I've never used a sliding seat before, and didn't feel comfortable buying the boat without trying it out. I'll check out Clipper Canoes, and see if there are more responses. Thanks again.
Hey Parlando, welcome to the group.
It sounds like you are in for an upgrade. To answer your question exactly, you want a 16 ft Royalex or T-Formex canoe. T-Formex is the new version of Royalex. A 16 ft tandem will weight about 70 lbs. That is a giant improvement. Unfortunately a quick glance at your local Outfitters doesn't show any T-Formex in stock. Alder Creek may be able to order something for you. I didn't see any Royalex canoes on your craigslist, but if you see one in good shape go for it
But I think you might be happier with an IXP (Northstar) or Tough Stuff (Nova Craft) canoe. These are composites that are more robust than fiberglass or kevlar. They should be fine for rivers, gavel bars, and occasional rock hits. But the best part is the they are stiff and will paddled far better than the Discovery or a T-Formex canoe. Alder Creek has a 17 ft Northstar in IXP in stock.
Finally, the dark horse suggestion - fiberglass or kevlar. Your used market has more nice canoes than I normally see. Like the toughweave you passed on. Or the one below. It's just a canoe, go ahead a scratch it up. You will like it so much better than the Discovery. Think of it as protecting your back
Fiberglass on craigslist
Good luck, and please let us know how you do.
Back in the nineties Had a disco 169. Had a youngish family and it was our first canoe. When I got tired of lugging it around I bought a OT Camper canoe (royalex). Quite a bit lighter and wasn't a bad boat. Sort of a all around utility type canoe.
I loved my Disco, till the snow plow did it in.
If you could find a second hand Nova Craft royalite prospector, that would fit the bill perfectly, came in around 64 pounds. I realize those could be a unicorn in your neck of the woods though.
If you could find a second hand Nova Craft royalite prospector, that would fit the bill perfectly, came in around 64 pounds. I realize those could be a unicorn in your neck of the woods though.
The Wenonah Escape with Tuf-Weave Flex Core, 17' 6" and 57 pounds may still be available. Any thoughts on this canoe? We passed it up because the owners didn't want it to go out on a test run as it is in pristine condition, only been used twice.
My Questions were, how would it handle, maybe do eddie turns, what were the sliding seats like, would it stand up to gravel scrapes and bumps, (we aren't worried about scratches, just durability). I'll look up th Nova Craft royalite prospector, see if there are any prospects.
My Questions were, how would it handle, maybe do eddie turns, what were the sliding seats like, would it stand up to gravel scrapes and bumps, (we aren't worried about scratches, just durability). I'll look up th Nova Craft royalite prospector, see if there are any prospects.
I agree with your initial assessment that the Wenonah Escape is primarily a big lake and big river boat. I have a Clipper Tripper with similar dimensions (although a little wider and with 1.5" of rocker) and I don't consider it a good boat for smaller, twisty rivers. It's very sea-worthy and a wonderful boat for tripping on lakes and bigger rivers but maybe not the best for smaller streams. I suspect the Wenonah will be faster and less easy to turn than my Clipper.
Have a look at Hellman Canoes. They have some models that might suit your needs.
hellmancanoes.com
Have a look at Hellman Canoes. They have some models that might suit your needs.
Canoe and Kayak Shop, Canoe Sport Nelson BC, Kootenays, BC
Our canoes and Kayak are built to provide a lifetime of fun and adventure. Visit our Canoe and Kayak Shop located in Nelson BC, Kootenays, British Columbia.
hellmancanoes.com
Used Prospecter in your area:
16 foot Nova Craft Royalex canoe & accessories - boats - by owner -...
Complete package - Classic Nova Craft Prospector 16 canoe, 2 paddles (Sawyer Paddles and Mad River Canoe), 2 adult PFDs (Large and Med), canoe hoist. Built on classic Chestnut Prospector design out...
corvallis.craigslist.org
Hello CaptainOllieWest. I've emailed regarding the Nova Craft. As it is Royalex I'm expecting that it is an older boat. It looks like it has a wood bow and stern support, rather than the modern plastic. And I think the weight is about 75 pounds? Better than the Old Town Discovery 169 at 90 pounds, but still up there. Should be interesting to see.
Hello Ralph. Thank you for confirming my accessment of the Wenonah Escape.
Hello Ralph. Thank you for confirming my accessment of the Wenonah Escape.
Here is a Spirit II in Tuff-weave. 58ish pounds. Maybe a little longer than you are looking for, but a very versatile canoe.
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Did you try the Facebook link? It's in Medford. I don't know if that is too far for you?
Wenonah Spirit II
The Spirit 11 is a,good canoe, it took me a while to get used to it, but I paddled one on a few multi day trips. Seats are set very low, and although it gives the appearance of being a lake canoe, it actually performs in white water very well. You will notice a difference in carrying capacity, it will not hold as much as the disco. The one I used was around 44 pounds, so a real joy to carry.
The pics for the NC prospector aren't great, but it looks like the gunwales are not factory. Nova craft wood work is usually pretty good, they look kind of clunky to me.
I thought that the gunwales were very suspect. I passed up on this canoe. Still looking. I finally got racks on my Toyota Highlander... sad that I don't have my Volvo, which I considered a perfect canoe carrier. The Toyota is much higher, and my wife and I are older, which is why I'm going for a lighter canoe. I saw this Mad River canoe for sale a couple of hours away from me:
The bow deck and stern deck look handmade to me. I'm thinking that it is older, and perhaps overpriced. Any thoughts?
Also, I've sent a second query regarding this Wenonah:
Any comments welcome. Thanks
"PENDING"Rare Red Tiger Mad River Explorer 15 Canoe Ultralight...
Beautiful weekend for the water! Selling a very clean Mad River Explorer 15 Ultralight ROYALEX Canoe! This classic canoe is in good shape with little signs of usage on the hull. Beautiful Deep Red...
portland.craigslist.org
The bow deck and stern deck look handmade to me. I'm thinking that it is older, and perhaps overpriced. Any thoughts?
Also, I've sent a second query regarding this Wenonah:
WENONAH CANOE, 17FT - boats - by owner - marine sale
WENONAH CANOE SPIRIT II, 17FT, FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION, 58 lbs, always kept under cover, very good condition, $1000 call or text 541-740570six
corvallis.craigslist.org
