What to look for when buying your canoe.

What to look for when buying your canoe…..

So, you are going to buy a canoe.

Fantastic! It’s a wonderful world and a wonderful journey you are about to embark on. Canoeing is not only a really good low impact past time but it’s also so good for your mental health to be out on the water in the fresh air. It’s also great because you can do it on your own, or with friends/family. You are on the verge of having so many great days out, and maybe nights away, either way it’s a wonderful new world you are getting into. So what do you need to know?

Budget is normally the biggest question.

How much should I spend?

As with anything you can spend a little or you can spend a lot and that will normally determine what you end up with, as with anything, you get what you pay for. But what am I getting for my cash?

Materials; What’s the boat made from?

Your budget will potentially determine what the canoe you buy is made from. There are generally three materials in common use.

Fibreglass is now a somewhat dated construction unless you are looking at super lightweight canoes that use carbon or Kevlar in the lay-up but these will be costing you multiple thousands of pounds. Fibreglass boats will most likely be heavy if built strongly but beware, there are many un knowns when buying a fiberglass canoe unless you know and trust the person who made it, hence they are normally relatively cheap.

Vacuum moulded ABS plastic canoes. These boats will be relatively heavy and after a few years of use normally the plastic will soften noticeably and hence the boat will lose its shape. These boats also will require buoyancy (at the ends or under the seats) to remain afloat when waterlogged as the material does not carry enough buoyancy itself. It can be a cost effective option but will not provide you with a canoe that will remain in good shape for more than a few years.

The third common material is called ‘Three layer Polyethylene’. It’s a sandwich construction of polyethylene where the outer layer is usually a tough High Density plastic, the central core layer is a closed cell foam style plastic construction and the inner layer is a HD to Medium Density plastic. These three layers are all moulded together in the production of the boat and give the best performance/cost ration available. That’s why they are by far the most common construction of canoe available today. This type of canoe will potentially last a lifetime. It will give you good inbuilt buoyancy in the material, leaving more space in the canoe and it will be highly durable and very rarely broken in normal use. Should you ever hole the canoe, it can be welded back to be as strong as new.

Secondhand Canoes.

Secondhand canoes are readily available, normally online and they can be a cheaper option. The down sides are plentiful, especially if you are unaware of what you are buying, so what should you look for?

Fibreglass boats can take on water over time, this can then lead to ‘osmosis’ which is when the fiberglass reacts with the water that it has taken on and the boat will begin to delaminate. The only way to determine if a canoe has this issue is to have it surveyed by a marine surveyor, and that will cost more than the canoe. So it’s not really a usable solution. Fibreglass boat will also need additional buoyancy as fiberglass does not have enough buoyancy built in, s check the additional buoyancy still works as it may also have taken on water over time.

ABS Plastic boats over time will lose their shape and as a result will not paddle as the designer intended, imagine if your mountain bike changed shape, it wont ride as it was meant to, canoes are just the same. The ABS boats also should have additional buoyancy as the material does not have enough of its own inherent buoyancy. This additional buoyancy often takes on water over time as the foam used degrades. This can make the buoyancy redundant and you could be buying a canoe that won’t float if you capsize. You can check this by putting the boat in the water and capsizing it to see it still floats, however if it doesn’t, you may be in trouble with the seller as you’ve just sunk his canoe!

Three layer PE canoes are a relatively safe bet to buy second hand with a few tips on what to look for. The canoe should have maintained its shape, if it hasn’t, walk away. If the shape is good and it’s not overly heavy, (check it against the manufacturers quoted weight) then the last check is ‘has it been damaged’? any damage to the hull and resulting plastic weld would normally be visible, either inside or outside. If the canoe has been welded, ask who welded it, if it was a professional, then you are probably ok, if it was the owner, check out where he learnt to weld and what his welding experience is like.

New Canoes.

Buying your canoe obviously has several benefits. If you are buying from a company like ours you will get the absolute best advice as we are all canoe enthusiasts and have hundreds of years’ experience between us. We always will ensure you have the right boat for what you want to do too.

You will also get a boat that comes with a Warrantee against poor materials and or poor workmanship, so should anything go wrong with your boat, we are here to put it right for you. Its peace of mind, which is very important if you are out on the water, with or without friends and family.

We will also make sure you have the right safety equipment as well and can help you with Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’s) and other safety equipment you may  need in certain environments.

We will also help with accessories should you need them, paddles being a great example!

Also, when we delivery or you collect your new canoe we can help with on the spot advice such as how to store the canoe, or how to put it on the car roof.

As always please feel free to drop us an email or give us a call, we are here to talk all things ‘canoe’ as it’s what we love.

If you have enjoyed reading this blog you may wish to check out ‘Choosing your new canoe’ a blog all about which type of canoe is going to be best for you. If you do, clicky here below :-)

https://www.houcanoes.com/blog/blog-hou-knew-13/choosing-a-new-canoe-98