Canoe buying, what do I need to know?

Factual Questions
21

I think you might be surprised how long a canoe is compared to your Subaru.

The Sub is 16 feet, and its looks like you’ll want a 17’ canoe.

I have seen hitch mounted ‘racks’ that extend up and would have a base to carry the back of the canoe while the main body of the canoe is mounted to your roof. It may be worth looking into.

Ahh. Like this

Thule makes one. Called a goal post.

For safety, I would definitely look into something like that. Cross winds and emergency maneuvers aside, I suspect something like that would make it much easy to transport the canoe.

22

Ahh, link does not work, anyway a 17’ canoe on a perhaps 5 feet of roof is……

[Seinfeld]That’s a big matza ball you have hanging out there[/S]

Yeah, you can tie it to the bumpers and strap it all down but…

Try this link If you already have a hitch, that’s some cheap security. Even if you don’t have a hitch, it could always be added. I hate seeing unsafe loads.

23

Correct - indeed, substitute “will” for “can”. Unless your canoe is aluminum, plan to keep it inside or covered.

24

I don’t know what the second hand market is like in your area, but if you can find a wooden, canvas covered canoe that has been well taken care of or better yet hardly used for the past twenty years but stored indoors, don’t pass it up. I have (or at least it’s in my family) a 14’ Lakefield canoe that is a dream to paddle solo. It is no longer canvas coverd, about 20 years ago my brother & I removed the canvas & replaced it with a single layer of fiberglass cloth. Wooden canoes need to be treated a bit more gently, and have to be sanded & revarnished every couple of years, but there’s something about them that very few modern materials can match. I have paddled this canoe in white water, I took in down a goodly chunk of the Spanish River in Northern Ontario and parts of the French and Madawaska rivers as well. It also survived my brother dropping a tree on it - it snapped in half but he was able to put it back together & we are still using it.

25

Those “Goal Posts” are a great idea. I’ve been meaning to get the hitch for the Subie, and asking the BIL or FIL to help me weld one up wouldn’t take much time at all, heck we’d probably be able to do it with their scraps!