Guest Blog: Jon Babulic On Finding A Used Canoe In Ontario
In the market for a used canoe? Jon Babulic from Backcountry Custom Canoes had a few thoughts and opinions about the used canoe market in Ontario and let us share it for fellow canoeists to read…
A couple of years ago it was pretty strait forward to get a used boat for a reasonable price. It sort of went like this, used outfitter boat directly from the outfitter, Kijiji, Facebook. Shop a bit, score a boat. This has changed in the last few yrs here’s some observations on what to shop for if the budget is 2k or less, it’s doable in this market.
I’m a professional ultralight canoe maker and have owned, repaired, and paddled most of the boats below, so I know a thing or two about this. If you’re not limited to this budget, check me out;)
1/ Why the heck would an outfitter sell a boat now (unless it was completely destroyed). Think about this for a moment in the context of how busy the reservation system is.
2/ Canoe producers are at max production, none of them would be wise to invest in a massive expansion only to have the market slow.
3/ Be wary of fixed up or renovated boats. Just because it has fresh paint doesn’t mean it’s a good boat. Lots of this s**t out there right now.
4/Stay away from boats with 3 keels as a rule. These are generally heavy low volume fiberglass boats that were built for the cottage industry and are not great for tripping, heavy - too shallow
5/Scott Canoes. The venerable wilderness, tripper, adventure canoes that were wildly popular in the 80’s represent the best value in used boats. Available in both fiberglass and Kevlar their gel coat finish has stood the test of time. They are high volume, initially stable boats, perfect for folks starting out in canoeing. They fell out of favour because they are keeled, something that actually makes no difference to the boats performance on flat water. This means that an covid priced Scott is now probably priced appropriately relative to what you get. Watch out for tri-keeled Scott’s, they made lots of these too.
6/ Grumman canoes. Value priced, insanely tough and well made, so many avid canoe trippers have a story about them. They are heavy, but they paddle nice & are good safe canoe-tripping boats. Leaks (if any) can be repaired with g-flex epoxy (super simple). And they are ultimately recyclable.
7/ Langford prospector 16’6”. Probably at the top end of the entry level market the older versions of these boat are very very well made & pretty common in cottage country. The same is true for older Swift and Nova Craft boats. You will pay a “name brand tax” on these.
8/ Clipper Canoes, a BC company so you don’t see much of them out here. They make a good boat, undervalued in the Ontario market.
9/ Old Town Canoe, a perennial favourite of school groups, churches and scouts, the old town discovery 17 is a good tank of a boat.
10/Mad River Canoe, an American company that for many years made a kick ass boat, particularly for white water. Value priced if you can find one. Also best logo ever.
11/ Souris River, good ultralight Kevlar boats, they have what’s approaching cult like popularity in the used market. Some stuff to be aware of with these. No gel coat boats that get scratched up and not repaired suffer from uv damage that can not be repaired. If you get one, uv protect it. Look for rib repairs, these boats are susceptible to damage that are from folks sitting on them. It is a repairable thing if done with the right materials. Also, their 18’6” Quetico is probably the best family ultralight canoe in the used market, and one of the most desirable.
A quick note on American boats. Used boats in the US are much cheaper than Canada right now, so if you have a friend in the US that’s due for a visit when the border opens you could save enough to pay for your trip.
The current trend towards ultralight is relatively new (and awesome) but I’d rather have a bigger safer fibreglass boat that was fast on the water than a ultra light boat that is too small. You can safely travel to more places than you can in a boat that’s too small.
Learn how to lift your properly and safely, please! My 10 yr old daughter can safely lift and shoulder a boat that’s more than half her weight, don’t learn this from one YouTube video either, there is some hopeless (and painful) technique out there.
A note on repairs. Don’t use automotive epoxy! It won’t stick completely and you’ll make a mess. West system epoxy is readily available and worth the extra cost. Don’t use Bondo either! Never ever use metal that’s not stainless steal, ever. The best deal on seats and yokes is from Nova Craft. The nicest yokes are from Teal. If you are hiring someone to do the work for you, research them well, some folks do more harm than good. Anyone who is good at repairs is also very busy right now, so keep this in mind.
Be warned, there are new boats available in this price range and some are good value. Some are priced at half their higher end counterparts because they are smaller, shallower and constructed in older cottage style molds using cheaper materials and methods. I’d rather have an old Scott Kevlar than many of these boats, IMHO it’s a much better and safer boat for canoe tripping.
Also plastic that’s not Royalex, just no.
Thanks again to Jon for letting us share his thoughts. If you’re ever in the market for a new canoe, definitely consider one of his skin on frame canoes that he hand makes. They are pretty amazing!
