Who's got a canoe they like for trapping? I've got a 14'6" Blue Hole canoe that I used the last couple years, and it got the job done, but with summer here I'm keeping my eyes out for a replacement, something a bit shorter in the 10-13' range that's a bit more maneuverable through the marsh. I'd really like to get my hands on a Golden Hawk 10' or an Old Town Pack. What about the Sportspals? Anything you like or don't like about your current canoe?

The one thing my Blue Hole has going for it is the seat configuration. It's a whitewater canoe, so it's got a foam seat that you sit on and straddle rather than a traditional canoe seat. It keeps me lower, although I still need to be careful of leaning too far over. I'm hoping to gain some stability with a wider canoe. Something with a color scheme outside of the primary colors would be nice, too!

I have an Old Town Pack canoe. It's light but it's treacherous to paddle. I don't use watercraft to access my trapping areas, but if I did, I'd use my kayak. Not as much room to store stuff but it is far more stable.

19' Grumman square stern. Love it ! I'd go longer instead of shorter

Depends on what you want it for,what type of water you will be on,how much gear/fur will you pack in it,and if it will be in and out of the truck bed several times a day,or on long trips on big water etc.
On big water and longer trips a square stern 18 footer with a motor is good.
Small ponds and creeks a sportspal is great,light and easy to throw in and out of the truck or bike,and fairly stable to hop in and out of.

Most of my water trapping consists of backwater sloughs where I can stash the canoe on the shore when not in use. I've paddled my canoe the last couple years, but I do like the idea of getting a square back to speed things up with a trolling motor.

I typically carry 40 or so rat traps and stakes on my initial and last trips, with a bucket or two of spares while checking. I was thinking shorter would be more maneuverable in tight spots between cattails when the huts aren't on the edges and I have to "nose in" to some spots then back out.

A trolling motor would also be a lifesaver on those chilly checks when I need to break through ice.

Good to know. It looks a little narrower than the golden hawk or sportspal, but wasnt sure how narrow. I would definitely need to be able to lean over to get the job done. All the same, those Old Town Packs are few and far between for sale on the used market. I've seen at least a half dozen golden hawks for sale within an hour or two drive from me, but no Packs.

Tha is for the tips, guys.

I had a fifteen foot square stern Old Town with a 2hp Honda outboard. That was a nice outfit. I bear baited remote water out of it. Our streams and ponds are freezing up just about the time trapping season gets underway so canoes aren't much of an option.

I hear ya on the length in short quick turns. But this 19 footer is so stable I have used it to check a set net. Easily haul a whole moose or a few hundred salmon. I have rolled the gunnel right to the waterline ...almost..... while pulling a net. VERY stable !!

21 foot Hudson Bay Freighter.....can hold over 2,000 lbs...15 HP.....that’s 40 ....50 pound beaver...lol

Nessmuck, how many muskrats to hit the 2,000 pound mark? Haha!

About 7 in Alaska

Ya'll be careful or you will get a scratch on your keel on that fancy concrete ramp Nessy.
Nice boat.

Zim

More likely he'll put his eye out !

I picked up a 12' "Genuine Indian Brand" canoe a few years ago and love it. Although it's a chore to paddle in open water it's great in the swamps and streams. Easy to jump out and drag it over the beaver dams. Mines got some beam to it and is rated for a 3hp motor so there are options out there in small canoes that are designed to be used for more than a fair weather paddle but it's nowhere near as stable as my 18'. I don't find it too tippy for trapping but that's sort of tough to judge how you might feel. If you get fiberglass make sure it is glass mat and not the sprayed in chopped glass.

Big trade offs between "initial" and "secondary" stability with length and cross-section

What part of the state are you trapping, Johnny? I'm in southern Aroostook. Speaking of swamps. Finding a place to get ashore can be a real challenge.

True with many things.

Zim

Getting to where my cross section is compromising my stability.

Sponsons on the side keep you from rolling. Have never, never rolled this canoe yet. Loaded up for short time deer camp.



Double bladed paddle makes life easier paddling a short canoe. Though this canoe does have a keel, it doesn't track as nicely as I'd like using a regular paddle.

Gear out on the bank.



Snowed that night . . .



Nice for beaver trapping. Light enough you can sling it over one shoulder and walk through the bottoms that way, or drag it like a sled. Great for muskrat trapping, you can lean over, work your set, and not have to worry about rolling it.

This is the 13' square stern. If you're looking at 'em, be sure you look at Sportspals and not Radissons.



Downsides to this type of canoe: I had a Radisson for 20 some years starting back in the 80s. Similar design, but the hull was cut and seamed and required annual maintenance bondoing these joints. Solved that problem with the bump up to the SportSpal. One piece hull.

Both have that black "blanket" of soft material that the ribs will keep in place. Over time this material compresses and the aluminum ribs want to fall out. Problem solved by drilling through hull near gunwale and bolting in place.

Primary gripe: when paddling through tight marsh, the leading edge of the sponsons want to "grab" cattails and slow passage through. Partially solved this by shaving leading edge of sponson down to an angle.

All that being said, and having paddled many different canoes over the years, I still would select this canoe if buying a new one for what I do. Coupled with my 2 hp Honda, makes a nice rig for the waybacks where others have a difficult time getting into and around.

Check out the ''Odd Duck'' from Bear Creek. Custom made to trap out of.

That IS different. Do you have experience with this model? I can see where it would be advantageous to cut through cattails, but would think the bow would want to "sail" in a crosswind.

Thoughts?

Here's a thought. Take a little road trip to Madison and test drive canoes for an afternoon or what have you. Might help shape your final selection. Not saying buy your boat here, just get a feel for how the different models handle.

https://www.rutabaga.com/testpaddle

The only canoe I would get to use for anything is a Sportspal. They are the best in my opinion, I'm still looking for one myself. They don't pop up around here often.

I'm in the Midcoast. Right down the street from Cronk's. My Dad's side of the family is from your area.

This is a pretty little spot you cant easily get to with a bigger canoe.

Muskrat, those are some great pictures there, and an excellent choice in canoe, I'm going to look into one of those myself.
Right now for me - it's either an Old Town Osprey 15.5 which is set up for rowing, like a row boat OR an older no longer made Old Town Predator K-140 kayak - which is esentally an Old Town Twin Otter set up for duck hunting....

I'll see if I can post some pictures later, I'm getting a file too big error right now....

I was hoping to find a picture of the Osprey 15.5 Rowing canoe empty, but I used it for many many years doing river clean up, I want to say it had a payload of 1000 lbs, but I could be wrong, all I know is I hauled tons of trash with it and never came close to swamping it or rolling it over.

That Old Town kayak is 14 feet long with a huge cockpit.
I use it all winter long.......
That was the only picture I have where you can actually get an idea of the cockpit size.
*Again, it's a duck hunting kayak Old Town was making 15 years ago or so... I have not used it yet for trapping but that would be my trapping boat [over the canoe] only because I would be running a small trap line.

I have 3 canoes two are Golden Hawk 13 footers and one is square stern the other conventional. My 3rd canoe is a Cranberry Creek which is very much like the Golden Hawk and that one is a square stern
These canoes are molded fiberglass, bulky but light and rigid frame
My first one was purchased in 1993 that is the conventional model and has been in lot of different water over those 26 years.
To me advantage, short, but wide so stable. It will carry 800 lbs. of cargo.
They have high sides and thus that helps with putting in cargo etc.
Durable

What are some concerns?
With the 2 inch keel on the bottom that catches vegetation, stumps shallow rocks and thus the canoe can be more difficult to turn. The keel does add greatly to the stability.
The seats are about 2 foot ahead of the end of the canoe on both ends and that makes setting from the front or reat instead of the sides a bit more difficult.
I usually set on the front seat and go backwards as that is when the canoe is the most stable with the most surface area on and in the water. If I use the rear seat a lot I want some weight on the other end. Espeically with the electric motor on. I thought I would use the motor most for trapping but I can't do anything over the back of the canoe so I use it more for fishing.
The square stern models are flared so you can paddle either way. That however does make the back of the canoe say with motor or one leaning over high up and more likely to roll over. I have only dumped any of the three once in all the years so stability is good the way I use them.
I tried a lower cost model one season before these and rolled it twice and went a different direction.

Bryce

Now that's something worth checking out, and yes - it would be very vunerable to cross winds but I bet she spins on a dime.

I have to find out who made this thing - it's no longer made, but I want to say it was made in New Haven CT about 45 years ago.
It's been re-glassed, and is an extra heavy layup and weighs way too much to even think about portaging [120 lbs is my guess..] but it is super stable and rides low in the water, so not vunerable to crosswinds that much...

Otterwolf is my nickname, not the manutacture. of this canoe.
I'll ask the guy who sold it to me at work tonight, they are good because they can take extreme use only downside is their weight - hence the trailer....

17 foot royalex nova craft tripper. Rated to comfortably carry 1000 lbs, easily portaged, and paddled by one person. Good secondary stability and a good river canoe too.

Its too bad they stopped making royalex. Absolutely bulletproof. I have three of them and not giving them up.

Thought by now somebody else would've come up with a similar product. What are Old Towns using to build their standard canoes?

I own two canoes; a 17 foot aluminum and a 12 foot Radisson. Much prefer the Radisson which I can handle alone and row from mid canoe.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I decided to go another way and picked up an early 80s Alumacraft 1045 jon boat today. It weighs about 75 pounds but fits perfectly in the bed of my GMC Canyon. I know I won't be able to nose it into the cattails like I would a canoe, but I'm going to give it a shot this fall and keep my current canoe just in case. And if I don't like it, I shouldn't have any problem unloading it for what I have into it. Just need a little trolling motor and I'm all set. Should be plenty sturdy and double as a nice little fishing boat for backwaters.

What???

And you chose a 10' Jon boat? C'mon man.

I'm just giving ya a hard time. Next year keep the Jon boat for fishing and keep your eyes peeled for that used Sportspal. Found mine in Indiana on Craig's List.

I hear ya muskrat! I posted that knowing I would catch some flak. I've only been muskrat trapping a couple years and am still trying to figure some things out, transportation included. I've seen enough cheap golden hawks that I may still pick up one of those.

But I think I'm really going to enjoy the Jon boat, even if it doesn't work out for trapping. My earliest solo fishing adventures as a kid were on an 8' jon boat (that wasnt aluminum and is heavier than the new 10'). I showed a picture of it to my 4yo daughter and she said, "Is that for me?!" So I guess I gotta keep it for her.

I do appreciate the advice, I hope I didnt make anyone feel like they wasted their time. It was good advice that I'll use in the future and hopefully others can benefit from as well.

I wouldn't want to use oars to get around in it but I wouldn't hesitate to put a small outboard on it and hit the water. Should be plenty stable.

X2 sportspal all the way though Nessy’s freighter is awful nice and if I was working or fishing water wider then10/12 feet I would definitely splurg and get one of those in a heartbeat but I do love my sportspal and have 2 a 13 foot and a 16 both square stern and used with a 2hp evenrude that pushes them along at a good clip even when loaded heavy

If f you get one can the paddle and get yourself a double bladed kayak paddle or a pair of Ora’s

I'll definitely be getting a motor for it, probably an electric trolling motor. Luckily the main spot I trap I can leave the boat on shore by the landowner's cabin and don't have to carry the battery far when it needs to come home for a charge.

I got a lead on an 18 ft. Sears and Roebuck aluminum. Any thoughts on these? Around 700 lb. capacity.

1960 Old Town Octa.....Old School ..16 foot..Mahogany gunwales

I'm not trying to tell you how to spend your money but I think you'd be further ahead and happier if you bit the bullet and bought a small outboard. I went the electric trolling motor route and it didn't take long for me to weary of that. Deep cycle batteries are expensive and I didn't find I could cover much water with that setup.

The little Honda is fully self-contained (no external gas tank), sips gas and doesn't weigh much at all.

Great looking canoe, Nessmuck. Looks like it's straight out of the 'Last of the Mohicans'.

Them Mainahs make the best canoes !

I've been lusting after a Old Town Predator canoe or kayak but I already own a canoe and three kayaks and can't justify the expense. Used ones come up for sale rarely and they really hold their value.

Other than weight I love my Old Town Tripper.
I generally hate noisy boats but I just might pick up the next good shape grumman I come across.

Lightweight boats, l like the specs on nova crafts tuff stuff pal. I don't like the price tag, though.

I also would like to add a Chapman pirogue someday.

I love my Radison but unless you use a motor most of the time, skip the motor. If you use a motor get the wide transom. I use an Alumacraft Sportboat when I use a motor.

GET THE SPONSONS and you won't regret it.

They aluminum is so thing, think Olympia beer can, that it can tear on sharp rocks. Not an issue unless you run rapids or run a motor. I live in a rock filled place and tore my wide transom a few times and sold it for that reason.