Anyone have a canoe recommendation?

[HAULN-SS]

Have you considered a flat bottom john boat? I spent many of my summers using a flat bottom polyethylene. They weigh about 70lbs empty - you can paddle or (recommended) put a troller on them. wayyyy more stable for river floats. Fit 2 easy, and a third if you're careful. Btw - any and all of these kinds of boats will wrap around a rock if you get sideways in a river and tag it just wrong. Old town is what my uncles/cousins always used for their canoeing. I think you want a 13' for 2 people. Anything smaller and it's going to feel reel cramped when you start having a kid fling a rod around with treble hooks on.

As far as purchasing - you can def find a deal on used ones. I bought a 3 man old town off somebody on letgo for 180 bucks nearly brand new with paddles and life jackets.

This is nothing but a shameless plug for a family friend - Jimmy Dodd, out of Buchanan, makes strong lightweight wood canoes, which I have I think the 2nd one he ever made. He's one of the best craftsmen I know. He's got a whole selection at lazyrivercanoes.com

https://vimeo.com/256820188

This is NOT the canoe to take with a kid, but here's mine. Its been down the James and down the Shenandoah. The water does have to be up to a certain level - it can take some amount of a beating because the bottom has a fiberglass coating - but almost all scratches will buff out. You can't make a beeline into a a rock and expect no damage though. Great for lakes. Best of all, weighs 37 lbs for the 13' two man like I have:





They aren't cheap, but I figure I'll hang it on my man-cave wall when I'm done with it.