I'm hoping to find a good used 16-17 foot canoe appropriate for stillwater fishing and expeditions. I've done the Coleman thing and am ready to graduate. Some "required" features include:
Tandem
Expedition/touring or "sporting" model, if specified that way (I don't need or want a whitewater or racing canoe)
Weight <70 pounds, preferably much less
Carrying yoke
Width at gunwale 34-37 in
Prefer Royalex or Kevlar hull, will accept fiberglass if it's the right boat
Excellent condition, no issues, no history of abuse, current owner proud of the care he/she took of the canoe and reluctant to let it go, but....
After doing a certain amount of research, I developed the following preferences, in no specific order:
Almost anything from Merrimack (Tennessee) (OK, my first choice)
Almost anything from Navarro (>three years old)
Old Town Penobscot 16 RX
We-no-nah Fisherman (14 ft) Royalex, Kevlar, or Tuff-Weave
Most other expedition We-no-nahs
Mad River Heritage 16 (a little heavy, last choice but still quite a decent boat))
And I'll look closely at anything comparable.
I want to keep it under $2000, preferably well under but I'll go up to that for a Tennessee Merrimack, if it's the right canoe (I do love Merrimack canoes).
If you have such a boat for sale, please contact me at sjbarry@thegrid.net, or at 530 304 4316
Found one, a 1997 Navarro Legacy, 13 ft, 39 inch beam wood canoe with Kevlar/fiberglass "hybrid" hull, in pristine condition. Standing up to flycast and play fish in slack water is its intended purpose, and I'm looking forward to peaceful times at Manzanita lake and Solano Lake. The history of Navarro is intertwined with Merrimack and illustrates the difficulties of making canoe manufacture work as a commercial venture. Way more canoe companies have gone out of business than are still making canoes, but some have left wonderful legacies. Navarro is in its fifth owner and for now seems to be doing OK--good luck to them, because their boats have been consistently lovely and highly functional for three decades.