Trapping canoe question

Hey all, I’m planning to run a small weekend river line this year, probably 3-4 dozen traps. The river is relatively shallow and not that wide. I’m looking for a canoe or something similar that will be suited to this situation. I don’t want a 15’ or 17’ canoe due to this being a solo line that requires a long drag/carry into the put in/take out points. Preferably something in the 12 or 13 foot range would be perfect. The line will be for beaver/otter/muskrat/coon. Not many beaver on the river so it’s not like I need some crazy high weight capacity.

I’m looking at an Indian river otter right now on marketplace. It’s 12 ft, 39 inches wide, weight capacity of 600 pounds. The only issue is it’s a square back canoe with a flat/tunnel bottom. This line will be ran by paddle only, no motor, so I’m worried this boat will be slow and paddle like a barge. Any experience with this boat or something similar? I would also like to be able to take it to the New river in the summer and fish out of it. The new is a pretty quick river with rapids so you need a fairly agile canoe. Thanks guys!

Old town has some nice ones.

I was looking at the discovery 119. That looks like a good option. 500 lb capacity and it only weighs 50 pounds. Looks like it would paddle a lot better than the Indian river otter

I'm looking at the Discovery or the Next.

I had a next and wasn’t the biggest fan. It was fine to do float trips with but I wouldn’t want to trap out of it. Cramped inside layout, more of a kayak than a canoe. It does paddle good though. One of my buddies has the sportsman 119 and it’s great but when we get in the rapids he takes on a lot of water because the sides are cut very low. And it only has a 350 lb capacity.

Looks the regular discovery 119 is the way to go. Looks a lot roomier and sturdier than the next and has an additional 150lb of capacity over the sportsman. I figure 220lb of me, 200lb of critters, and 100lb of gear will put me right at the limit of the sportsman.

im looking at getting a discovery 119 too. nice creek boat it looks like

Yeah I think it might be the best commercially available option, just looking for others with experience in other brands too before I bite on one.

Speaking of creek boats, I also had a creek boat m98 that I ran this river line out of for a season. It did great for hauling gear and being light but it was the slowest boat I’ve ever tried to paddle. I could run the line in half the time with a kayak. That’s why I was weary of the flat bottom style Indian river canoe

I have a 13` square stern Golden Hawk Canoe, 38" wide with a a keel. It paddles fine.

With all that steel you plan on setting…your going to need a biggah canoe. This 16 foot old town will hold north of 1200 lbs….but it weights 75 pounds…Not a problem for a young strapping lad…..

A square stern canoe is fine as long as your not in any sort of decent current. The water will back up against the stern and cause you to not have good "brakes".

I think you're asking an awful lot out of a small canoe. To be faster you typically give up some stability and capacity.

Awesome, thanks!!



That is a beautiful canoe!! I could never toss a mudball coon in that!

I have went through several different boat and canoe styles doing just what you are planning. I too thought a 12 footer would be perfect but using it I found it to be too hard to keep straight and not very efficient to paddle. Admittedly I don't have the best paddling technique so that may have been it. I bumped it up to a 15 foot aluminum and it worked great. 15' is still plenty light to portage and drag over obstacles and you can fit in some skinny water with it.

How do you haul it? Trailer?

I have paddled an old town 133 and thought that was too much for 1 man, I guess my paddling techniques are also off! To be fair, the places we go on the New river are a little dicey in a canoe. Two sets of class 3 rapids. Molly Osborne shoals and Penitentiary Falls.

I probably am asking way too much of one boat, I should probably have a larger canoe for the slower river I plan to trap and a kayak for floating the New. The discovery 119 is the closest thing I can find to a happy medium

I have a 14’ 6” Wenonah solo canoe and would not go shorter. If you ever have to paddle against the current or across a lake you’ll be wishing for something less than a 39” wide canoe.

Paddle more canoes, see what you like. There might be a club near you and you could paddle more canoes or a shop that has a try it before you buy it day. You’ll find one you like but don’t imagine you like or hate something before you try it.

a lot of good shops on the water will let you paddle their boats or have rental stock, I would suggest you bring some weight and see how you like the canoe and then the canoe with as much weigth as your trapping gear will be think about a catch some 30 pound beaver and 20 pound coon add up quick

a good PFD and Paddle will be universal you may want those first

I’ll have to look into finding a dealer of some sort around here. Probably better off to go up to the mountains around the new river, paddling is a much bigger deal out that way.

As far as paddles and PFD’s and kayak carts and all of that I’ve already got it. I own a couple kayaks and have owned canoes so I have all of the goodies, just looking for that boat that will fit all of my needs, if it exists

You have some of the nicest (and very cool) gear. The canoe and the muzzleloader that you have posted are awesome.

Thanks for the kind comments. I use a couple of these “Swiss Water Bags” when paddling alone . I fill them up with water and lay them up front. And if you have a bunch of critters at the end of the trip….you can just empty the water bags …and they lay flat and take up no room.

That is a great idea. Nessmuck, how far are you from Brielle, NJ? Might have found a good deal on a Wenonah there

5 hours

Guy messaged me back, he sold it!! I like to look around in different regions on Craigslist and marketplace to find cool things. Looks like the northeast has a much better selection of used canoes than other regions

Maine is the Grand Daddy of wooden canoes….and like you said ..all of New England has a lot of canoes

I found a mad river freedom solo on marketplace. 14’6”, 750 lb weight capacity. Narrower boat that supposedly paddles class 2’s well. It’s a royalex boat so it only weighs about 55 lb.

Obviously a well built boat due to the material, looks like it has plenty of room and weight capacity for the trapping I’ll be doing. Anyone have any experience with these?

I love canoes…here is my trout trolling canoe…21 feet long …holds over 2,000 pounds …called a Hudson Bay Freighter Canoe…15 hp 4 stroke Yamaha. While your on craigs list of FB …look up “ Grand Laker Canoe” …those are made in Maine and are beautiful !

It doesn't take a lot of coon or beaver to add up to a lot of weight and those smaller canoes can't carry much weight and get low in the water very quickly. I think you may be better off with a full size canoe.

If you're worried about dragging the weight, you can buy a canoe dolly for $30.00 to $60.00, so that you can easily roll your canoe, even when loaded down with equipment and catches.

You can get a truck hitch bed extender, so you don't have to use a trailer, or lift the canoe high. I have one and it works great. They're also useful for carrying longer lumber and ladders.

I bought a 1976 Sea Nymph canoe on my 20th birthday over 32 years ago, that I still have. I probably have put 5000 or 6000 miles on it. . I just bought a 1974 Grumman canoe last week.

Keith

Awesome! If I go this route I'm definitely going to need two boats, but it seems like when you get something that is okay at everything its not good at anything.

Guess I need a kayak for the summertime trips fishing and paddling the mountain rivers and a larger canoe for trapping and duck hunting in the winter

Raddison canoe. Been hunting and trapping from a 14 footer since 1993 and never felt like I was gonna tip. Very stable and light. Can pull beavers and dogs up over the side with no problems

I found a couple sportspals up north. Haven't seen a sportspal or raddison for sale around me unfortunately

A northeastern 14.5 it's wide and stable.

Nothing beats an old wood canvas. Take it from someone that has canoed many many miles on the trapline. You need a 16 or 18 foot canoe and throw those paddles away. Stand up and pole like a real trapper. I mostly worked down stream but it is 1000 times better to pole up stream and down stream through any rough water. I only ever tipped over one time and that was when my pole broke easing my way down stream through some rough water.

Get one with low ends, They were called guide or trappers model for a reason.

The low budget alternative is a five gallon plastic bucket. Works as ballast up front when needed, and converts to a critter carrier by the end of the trip.

Once I expanded my horizons a little bit I found the world of solo canoes to be a lot larger. Looked at the Bell, Wenonah, and Mad River boats. I think these are a great option for me for my uses. Nimble enough to paddle in the New River class II's and enough weight capacity to trap out of.

I actually have found a wenonah wilderness and a mad river freedom solo for sale used. Both are around 50 pound boats that will transport easily, the wenonah is 15' and the mad river is 14'6". Both can haul 700+ pounds, which should be plenty of capacity for my needs (estimated around 550 lb with me, critters, and gear).

I think going this route may be the only way I don't end up with two boats

Also check out Old Town's Pathfinder...it comes in right around 15' and is about 50 lbs. Very manageable as a solo, and still good for two paddlers with gear.

That would fit the bill as well if I could find an older royalex model! Didn't mention that both the Mad River and Wenonah I'm looking at are royalex modles

I would think seriously about a 14, 16 or even 17 foot canoe

my 17 foot old town paddles very well with one person will haul a lot of weight , is it the best ? probably not . it is what I have and I bought it when I was 20

I would take the seats out leave the thwarts in maybe even ad a thwart if I though it needed it should shed a couple pounds

then make a seat you can move where you want to get the right weight distribution

I have a cooler I sit on in the middle when I paddle alone in my 17

you kneel in a canoe if you really want to feel the water and be one with the the canoe that is a little harder on old knees I am sure.

my Penobscot is Roylex , 67 pounds for a 17 foot is hard to beat

if you can find roylex it is nice

I agree, the royalex is great stuff. The 15' wenonah wilderness only weighs 49lbs

I ran a short canoe line a few years ago in early December. Waited for a storm front and set 20 dog proofs. Zero first 2 checks. 13 coon in the canoe once the front came and I pulled the line. All boars but 2. That canoe was really heavy at the end and I was exhausted. Beware of a successful run!!

Exactly what I was thinking.

Toss a few coon and or beaver in there and stability and carrying capacity will go way up on your list of "must haves".

Classic case of "be careful what you wish for" !! If I have your catch ratio of 65% I'll have 23 coons to paddle out lol. I will have to call the woman and have her meet me at a bridge to offload some of the catch!

If It were me I'd scrap the canoe thing and get a small Jon boat. Getting In and out of a canoe 100 times a day to set and check traps Is going to be a real pain In the butt when trapping out of a canoe.
I have a10' Jon boat and I just love it. I can load It up In the back of my pick up and I'm good to go.

While a jon boat would be cool, I don't think it would navigate this too well this is penitentiary falls on the New River where we float

A little update…I found a mad river guide solo canoe 30 minutes away from my house. It is made out of royalex and weighs about 55 pounds. Plenty light to load up and carry by myself and it has a carrying capacity of 750 pounds. Supposed to handle class II’s no issue so I’ll be able to take it on the New River.

It should be the perfect happy medium between capacity for trapping and paddle-ability for leisure trips. It’s a 1999 model and the guy I bought it from bought it brand new. The wood gunwales have been refinished with new ash and they’re beautiful. Can’t wait to take it out for the maiden voyage!

^ that looks like a goodun if you get it for the right price.

I use an osage 17' that is 70# and holds 750#. Loads up on my jeep e-z. The best way to load a canoe is right side up /keel down, unless it is raining heavy.

I got it for 800 bucks. He was asking 1100. He definitely knew what he had. The royalex boats are getting rare and they literally aren’t making any more of them. I was happy with that price based on the other prices I saw of similar boats. Most sell for 1000-1400 bucks. This one is in immaculate condition and has been cared for very well

Good deal, I hope it goes well for you!

Make sure to post some pics of it on the line this fall.

I will for sure! Hopefully I can post a pic with about 20 coon and a couple beaver or otter!

Here are some pics of the canoe. The previous owner did a great job with the replacement of the ash on the gunwales and thwarts. I'm going to tread lightly when trapping so I don't ruin his work!





Fits nicely on top of the Yukon

Nice looking canoe.

Very nice !

Thank you sir! Planning a weekend camping/fishing trip next weekend to break her in!

I got to paddle a similar Mad river a few years back nice boat

enjoy

Have you by chance considered an Old Town "Pack" canoe? They were discontinued a while back, but still around used. A solo 12' at 33 lbs. Have used one for 30 years trapping, fishing and hunting, the older I get the more I appreciate the 33 lbs at the end of the day.

X2 what tomahawker said. Thats a lot of traps for such a small boat. Wet coons and beaver are heavy. i run a small river line (small river not line) at times. I use an outboard and small v bottom. boat gets chained and padlocked to a tree every night. Motor and fur go home with me in my pickup. I stash fur and traps under bridges. Pick up traps as I go and pick up dead critters at the end of the day. You better cut back to a dozen beaver traps if you cant do that. Hit a lick and a dozen will be to many. Run a dozen traps only and your going to set high probability locations. You may have a dozen beaver at the end of your run. that will be at least 400 pounds. maybe more. Going into the water on a bitter cold winter day is unpleasant to say the least. Sooner or later it will happen too. No need to make it even more likely by overloading your boat.

I’ll only be setting about a half dozen beaver/otter traps. Not many beaver in the area. I’ll be setting about 3 dozen coon/mink/muskrat traps. 1.5 dukes don’t weigh much! A stellar day for me would be 20 coon and 3 beaver. I would still be under my weight capacity with that load, me, and my gear.




I would have loved to have found one, but I never saw one for sale in all of my searching. I’m happy with my choice though!

When I float fur trapped, I used my old town, still use it all the time for pay jobs, just take a few skinning knives, etc, and skin some beaver etc if you get too heavy to drop weight. A lot of fun to be had on navigable water.

The 13 ft. Golden Hawk I have has a 750 lbs. capacity. I like the wide profile so I can put a lot of weight low in the canoe to keep it stable. The 2 inch keel keeps it in the water nice as well. Being wide and with a deep keel it is not as easy change direction etc. as others may be but I fish, hunt and trap out of these canoes, mostly trap and on flat water so they work out well for me.

Bryce

Well I got some storage bins for the canoe today to plan out how I’m going to carry things. The red topped bin in the front will hold my coon/mink/muskrat 1 1/2’s. I think two dozen will fit in there easily. The red topped bin in the rear will hold all of my set making tools and cable drowners. The yellow lid 5 gallon bucket storage bin will hold my baits. I’ll probably get another one of the yellow lid 5 gallon bins to put the rest of my coon traps in. The few beaver traps I’m taking will just sit behind the seat in the floor. That’ll probably be 4 330’s and a couple foot holds. I have enough room behind the seat for a third red lid 10 gallon bin but I don’t want it jabbing me in the back when I’m paddling.

That’s how it’ll be set up on the days I’m setting. On check days I’m going to only carry one red lid container and one yellow lid 5 gallon bucket. The whole front will be used to hold critters as well as the area behind the seat. It’s coming together!

You might consider some water bags if going solo. Useful for ballast to get the boat to trim out level if you can't get the load balanced. Also many canoeists are using small barrels with watertight tops for storage as they will float if not to heavily loaded. Easy to recover gear in the event of a spill. There are even packstrap kits for barrels now for portageing. I've seriously considered go that route for a pack basket.

Yeah I was going to pick up some of those water packs that Ness suggested. The only way to know for sure what needs to be where will be to float in it but I can easily adjust the bags!