Quote:
Originally Posted by gf2020
Good information above. I have been paddling New England waters for 30 years.
I own an Old Town Discovery 174 that I salvaged out of the East Branch of the Penobscot in 1990 and a Wenonah Rendezvous solo canoe.
Since you are going out with a child, you may want to consider one of the lighter materials so you can handle lifting the canoe by your self. The Old Town Discovery series boats weigh over 80 pounds. A similar boat from Wenonah in Kevlar will weigh half that, of course it will cost twice as much.
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I still cannot get over how light those kevlars are. For a beginning paddler, that may not be the best boat, although I was trusted with that Mad River at 9, so I guess it is all relative.
Another option is one of the brands of wheels that you can mount below the boat, if you are taking off from your own yard, then a good option.
The 80 pound weight is not overly bad, just keep the idea of yoking it going, once you start to think about getting it on your shoulders you need to stay with that thought, stopping halfway hurts and there is nothing worse than having to drop a brand new boat on the ground to protect a shoulder or a back.
My favorite paddle in Maine is the St. Croix, Vanceboro to Grand Falls. We have started it on Spendik before, but that lake is a dog in a head wind, so lately we skip it. Taking it easy this year and heading up to Lobster Lake, we will day trip up the Penob for those that want to go in our group.
Slick, being that I am just really getting going in big whitewater, I do not blame you for walking the cribworks, no room for error, what fun it would have been though.