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Hunting Canoe Recommendation

Wmiller07

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After going back through Joe's ordeal on falling in the water I'm realizing a cheap canoe won't do. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good hunting canoe? Ones I've looked at so far are Meyers sportspal, golden hawk and nucanoe.
 

Jackalope

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I don't know much about canoes. Whatever you get make sure its bouyant enough that you can climb back on top if it flips.
 

Wmiller07

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I don't know much about canoes. Whatever you get make sure its bouyant enough that you can climb back on top if it flips.

I don't either. The ones I'm looking at have very wide bases almost like a deep Jon boat. I saw videos on the golden hawks that had people standing in them while musky fishing. They are pricey though. $1000 for the canoe and $340 to ship.
 

Jackalope

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What i mean is fill it full of water and see if its still buoyant enough to hold you above water.
 
A buddy of mine has a Nucanoe and he has used it to bowfish on some small streams. It is stable enough to stand up and shoot. It is basically a kayak/canoe hybrid. Suckers are expensive though as he has one that is all setup. I think it might have been around $1,500. I believe that it is a frontier model. Has a casting bar attached so it makes it easier to standup in it.
 

Wmiller07

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What i mean is fill it full of water and see if its still buoyant enough to hold you above water.

I would think the deeper the canoe the better. To create that buoyancy it is relying on the air pocket between the water and the inside bottom of the canoe
 

Wmiller07

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A buddy of mine has a Nucanoe and he has used it to bowfish on some small streams. It is stable enough to stand up and shoot. It is basically a kayak/canoe hybrid. Suckers are expensive though as he has one that is all setup. I think it might have been around $1,500. I believe that it is a frontier model. Has a casting bar attached so it makes it easier to standup in it.

I think it depends on the model. I think the classic model msrp is 799 bit other models start at 1500. I'm leaning towards the golden hawk due to being able to fit the kids in easier for fishing.
 

Wmiller07

Member
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A buddy of mine has a Nucanoe and he has used it to bowfish on some small streams. It is stable enough to stand up and shoot. It is basically a kayak/canoe hybrid. Suckers are expensive though as he has one that is all setup. I think it might have been around $1,500. I believe that it is a frontier model. Has a casting bar attached so it makes it easier to standup in it.

I think it depends on the model. I think the classic model msrp is 799 bit other models start at 1500. I'm leaning towards the golden hawk due to being able to fit the kids in easier for fishing.
 

Jackalope

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I would think the deeper the canoe the better. To create that buoyancy it is relying on the air pocket between the water and the inside bottom of the canoe
You are corrrect in thats how they stay afloat. But they lose that once they tip or fill with water. For example, a metal canoe once overturned will sink like a rock. A plastic one will only be as buoyant as the plastic its made out of is.

In my case my kayak was a hollow hull design, no built in dry boxes or compartmentalized hull. Basically a canoe with a covered stern and bow. Once it filled with water it would still float barely at the surface but it could very easily be pushed down below the surface. It was basically neutrally buoyant. I couldn't climb on top of it or really put much weight on it to keep me effortlessly above water. The only saving grace was i manged to get a small air pocket trapped in the tip of the kayak. I stood on the seat back well below the water and laid over the front of it with the bow in the air. Even then the waterline was at my armpits and about 10 foot of the 12 foot kayak was completely underwater at a 45 degree angle. If you tip in cold water with all those clothes on you will not be able to get back in a kayak or canoe. Major motor skills are almost instantly gone and you don't have even half the power of a normal swim. The best you can hope for is to hold on and drag it to shore or manage to slide up on top of it and hope it has enough buoyancy to hold you.
 

Wmiller07

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You are corrrect in thats how they stay afloat. But they lose that once they tip or fill with water. For example, a metal canoe once overturned will sink like a rock. A plastic one will only be as buoyant as the plastic its made out of is.

In my case my kayak was a hollow hull design, no built in dry boxes or compartmentalized hull. Basically a canoe with a covered stern and bow. Once it filled with water it would still float barely at the surface but it could very easily be pushed down below the surface. It was basically neutrally buoyant. I couldn't climb on top of it or really put much weight on it to keep me effortlessly above water. The only saving grace was i manged to get a small air pocket trapped in the tip of the kayak. I stood on the seat back well below the water and laid over the front of it with the bow in the air. Even then the waterline was at my armpits and about 10 foot of the 12 foot kayak was completely underwater at a 45 degree angle. If you tip in cold water with all those clothes on you will not be able to get back in a kayak or canoe. Major motor skills are almost instantly gone and you don't have even half the power of a normal swim. The best you can hope for is to hold on and drag it to shore or manage to slide up on top of it and hope it has enough buoyancy to hold you.

I think the same holds true if it flips. Take some Tupperware, flip it upside down and push it straight into water. It creates an air pocket which allows it to still float. Tip the Tupperware to the side and allow the water to displace the air and it sinks.
 

Wmiller07

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Now if you have a foam lined canoe like the sportspal that would change the game as foam has pockets of air which would prevent it from sinking.
 

Jackalope

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Now if you have a foam lined canoe like the sportspal that would change the game as foam has pockets of air which would prevent it from sinking.


Yep. There just needs to be something that offers buoyancy once the sucker is full of water. Even something as simple as tying a large plastic blue water container under the cross supports would be more than enough to keep it and you from sinking.


I think the same holds true if it flips. Take some Tupperware, flip it upside down and push it straight into water. It creates an air pocket which allows it to still float. Tip the Tupperware to the side and allow the water to displace the air and it sinks.

Exactly.
 

GoetsTalon

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One nice thing about my old Coleman is the seats are foam filled so if you flip it's not going to sink. I wouldn't stand in it though unless I put some stabilizer addarons on it.
 

Wmiller07

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One nice thing about my old Coleman is the seats are foam filled so if you flip it's not going to sink. I wouldn't stand in it though unless I put some stabilizer addarons on it.

Yah I'm wanting something I can stand up in and feel secure especially since I have a dog. It seems like the sportspal or the golden hawk are the best two options but I'm open to suggestions.
 

Jackalope

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You ever retrieve your gun?
No there was too much water hydrangea to locate it in 25 foot of water. Tried a bunch of different stuff from a metal detector, hook dredge, magnetic dredge, snorkel gear etc. My wife got me the exact same gun for Christmas as a replacement.
 

Beentown

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My 17' Coleman from years ago would surely hold you above water. The ends are filled with foam. Mid 80's model.
 

jagermeister

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Ohio
I have a 15' flat back Old Town canoe. I use it for duck hunting and deer hunting. I like to be able to run a motor on the back. Fits my style of use but I wouldn't be standing up to shoot from it.
 

Wmiller07

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I have a 15' flat back Old Town canoe. I use it for duck hunting and deer hunting. I like to be able to run a motor on the back. Fits my style of use but I wouldn't be standing up to shoot from it.

I've looked at those too and they make one that is pretty wide and it's about $1000 too. I won't be standing up to shoot for sure. It's more about the kids and the dog. I want to take the kids fishing and with them not being used to a canoe I figure the more stable the better.