View topic - Looking for Solo Canoe

I recently have switched over to canoeing from Ultralight Hiking. Those days in the Miliary did a job on the old knees. I'm 5'8" 180 lbs. I've been to Algonquin and I'm planning a week-long trip to Temagami this summer.

I'm in Pittsburgh, Pa and don't mind driving up to 5 hours.

Thanks
Daniel

Are you looking to buy or rent?
Prices for used boats in the US tend to be less expensive then up here in Ontario.
Jeff

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Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

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_________________
Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

buy. I'll be doing 2-3 solo trips a year. Algonquin/Temagami area

Here is a good place to go in your neck of the woods to look.
I am sure you can get some good leads even before the event.
https://wpascr.org
Jeff

_________________
Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho

Thanks. I just signed up and put out a request. I have someone who has a 2005 Swift Osprey for sale that's in pretty good shape for $800. I don't know if that's a good price or not.

Daniel, first, welcome to the brotherhood of floating your gear most of the way. Helluva lot easier than carrying it every step of the way.

With your basic criteria, 5’8”, 180lbs, week-long north country trips, there are dozens of used canoes that might fit the bill. Assuming a light gear load, are you a kneeler or sitter? Sea kindliness preference in waves? Go-fast wind-unaffected shallow hull or some wave shedding depth and tumblehome? Rocker? Botttom shape (shallow arch, vee, elliptical)?

Finding the right, reasonably light-weight, used canoe can be a search. In the US, Craigslist of course. But friends have found the best Craigslist canoe steal/deals listed under “Sporting Goods” rather than “Boats”.

Or - so I’ve heard, I’m not a member – Facebook’s Market Place. FB Marketplace now seems the underpriced, I-don’t-actually-know-what-I-have seller’s venue. Often poorly described, and not actually measured. If you see an interesting used canoe nearby do not trust the seller to have, or know how to use, a freaking tape measure.

Just sayin’; 16’ 2” hanging in the barn may look like the 19 feet listed in the ad, may even appear that length in skewed photo perspective. Likewise, an unmeasured 14 or 15 foot solo is often listed as a ubiquitous “Isn’t every canoe” 16 feet long.

In Pittsburg, with a 5 hour travel circle, keep an eye on some of the (many) Canoe Club message boards classifieds in that range. See partial mid-Atlantic Paddling Club list here:

http://www.monocacycanoe.org/clubs.html

Real paddlers, especially folks who have moved on to other canoes, or who have given up their tripping days, are often the most selling-price reasonable.

$800 for a Swift Osprey in good shapes looks like a good price from here. I am following up on an Osprey in Ontario for $2900! Condition and layup may be different but hard to see how it could be that different...

Go take a look at the Osprey. The price is reasonable. The Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous is a good buy sell place but you might be champing at an Algonquin trip before then. ( Though June is a good Algonquin month)

The Osprey is a well regarded solo tripper.

If you find a boat that is reasonably priced at this point buy it You will find things that you like about it and things that you don't care for. The second boat is probably a few years down the road. If you sell the Osprey for six hundred you won't take a bath.

Once boats are secondhand they hold their value quite well.

Canoes are like houses. There is no perfect canoe.

Hi Daniel,

I have been wanting a dedicated solo canoe myself and from renting in the past I liked the Swift Sheerwater more than the Osprey-its longer, glides better so is faster on flat water.
Wenona also makes a few solos like the Prism, & Voyager
And Bell canoes do too. They became Northstar canoes after some business issues.

I found this website which you might find is on your route up here. They have some of these brands at times.
https://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/