[Closed] Hair brainer? Canoe for canal?

Get a pedalo. More sociable to sit side by side.

Yes. Open canoe, 15 to 17 feet long would be fine for one adult and 1 or 2 small children.
Have you done it before?
Canoeing isnt the easiest thing to start doing without some tuition.
And budget for decent personal bouyancy aids. And flotation for the boat - usually large foam lumps, or airbags at each end of the boat. And some wet weather gear.
A safety and rescue course would be really good too. The basic one day course is Foundation Saefty and Rescue. It is very worthwhile, and should be compulsory in my view for anyone on the water.
Strictly, you should have a Licence to go on the Canals, comes with British Canoeing membership, or available at a ridiculous price from CART. In reality, in 7 years, I've never been asked for my licence.

Depends which bit of the LL you live by.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-48664583

We had a Canadian style canoe for 2 adults, bought it second hand and sold it for what we paid. Did all the stretches of the non tidal thames and had great fun.

Best bit was the planning, like where to launch and leave car for recovery.

If I was in uk I would get another, very stable and safe. Ours was a bit of a bath tub it was a bit inefficient paddling.

We once got 4 people in it....not a good idea.

Thanks. Live near chorley stretch. Also has to be small enough incase my daughter no longer wants to go out in it.

Noted about the safety courses.thanks

It's addictive....

As above, a Canadian or 'open' canoe, double kayak or double sit on top would work.
You won't want to carry them far - most are 30-40kg's.
Do get a day of basic tuition, I promise you will be more efficient, feel safer and enjoy it more.
Budget for a couple of paddles and b/A's, plus a dry bag to cart a few things with you.

Tandem canoes are a great idea, and can also be used solo with practice. 15' or 16'will be most common, and good all rounders. Open canoes come into their own when you want to carry some kit with you, be it a nice picnic or a fortnights stuff for camping in relative luxury. Much drier and quieter than kayaks too.

The STW equivalent is Song of the Paddle, you'll get lots of advice there.

Second hand is a good "way in" but paddling has been one of those things that has gone a bit mad this last year, so less is appearing. Like many things, prices rise in spring when people suddenly have the idea of getting on the water.
There are a few UK makes to look at for new canoes; Hou, Venture, Silverbirch, Apache; all made here. Importing is quite expensive now so more UK sources have opened up in the last few years. Canoes are not cheap now, but they hold there value very well.

As mentioned buoyancy aids and paddles need budgeting for. You don't need additional flotation in the canoe if you are just on the canal, but might consider it for river and open water use, or if you get a composite/fibreglass canoe which won't float if swamped! Most common brands are "plastic" (well not quite but covers it in simple speak) sandwiches and will float if swamped.

Much over 30kg would be considered quite heavy, so do consider that, especially if you're going to need to carry it yourself and load it onto a vehicle on your own. Trolleys can help.

If you come across a Royalex (material) canoe second hand for under a grand, in good nick, that would be a good option (brands like Wenonah, Mad River, Nova Craft). The material isn't made now, but was an excellent balance of durability and manageable weight. Replacement fabric T-Formex hasn't really hit the used market yet.

Paddle Points is the place to find out where to launch.

Enjoy.

Awesome...thanks for the link and info. Could be expensive but I hate to get too hung up on price incase I love it and then have to buy a better one at a later date.

At the Bootle end of the canal in sefton, there is a pub a social enterprise type thing and they have canoe trips up and down the canal.

Also i had a semi rubber canoe called a Poly Pippin, strong and wide deck opening, also Decathlon do inflatable canoes and open type ones.

Paddles a throw rope and a buoyancy aid are all required, its great fun as there is no flow like a river you can easily travel quit far, but no appreciable flow means you need to paddle back as well.

While out on the bike today (including a stretch of the LLC towpath) I listened to this podcast. I wasn't aware access to water was so restricted, worth a listen.

Could be expensive but I hate to get too hung up on price incase I love it and then have to buy a better one at a later date.

Boats really are a 'bank of plastic' and hold value ridiculously when compared to something like a bike. Ours cost £350 & £300 as ex hire boats 7 years ago. I'd probably get £400 each in the current market.

There's also not so much difference between boats, as compared to bikes etc. Yes you get faster or more stable or lighter, but the gains are less unless you go very specialised design. Don't get to hung up on specifics.

I have a fibreglass canadian canoe (Old Town Fla****er) I keep by a riverside allotment shed.
It's so nice to have. You can pootle up the river/canal a bit on a summer evening and have a picnic. It's great.
I can just about carry mine alone but it's probably not good for me.
It fits me, my GF and our dog and a bit of luggage.
I paddle it a lot on my own which I really enjoy, but you've to perfect your J-stroke.
I think you'd love it on the canal. Do it.

Open Canoes are lovely, there’s just something about them that’s just right

Is an open canoe the same as a Canadian?

I asked this exact question last year, albeit with a kayak which I already had.

There were a few helpful posts. But the general consensus was that the idea was IRRESPONSIBLE MADNESS. If I didn't get run down by a speeding narrowboat, the kayak would tip over the moment i looked at it, I would then definitely die either by freezing in the water, drowning by not being able to climb out, drowning by getting caught in debris, or just drowning as karma for having the gall to be in the water without a qualified instructor/license etc etc ad nauseam. Kind of wished I'd never asked 🙂 I think a lot of people can't go to the toilet without another guys say-so, or a piece of paper to confirm that they've passed a course to know how to use the toilet safely and responsibly whilst wearing the correct gear etc.

But anyway, OP, yes it's great idea. Depends how busy your canal is I guess. And common sense applies regarding buoyancy aids etc.

Canoes on canals are great. Based in the midlands a lot of my paddles are canal based. There are a couple of places on the Trent you can paddle up the canal and back down the river.

Both my canoes are quite lightweight which is useful because locks can be a pain. Good advice above, little dry bag useful, flask of hot chocolate on a day like today is great and warm clothing+BA.

Good luck with it.

Oh and check out Ray Goodwin on YouTube. He literally wrote the book on paddling, have paddle with him a few times and learnt something new every time!

@jam sorry to hear that. Canoeing and kayaking can be dangerous and so a lot of people recommend joining a club and getting training but it’s certainly not the only way to start. Fwiw I have never had any real training. I have paddled with others and learnt from them. My family taught me water safety at an early age and I was always mucking about in boats from when I could pick up a paddle. I’ve paddled for 40+ years and stayed mostly safe, but have no British Canoeing stars or qualifications.

I think people suggest training as the consequences of failing can be worse in water than on the land but please don’t be put off by this. Water sports are fun and the risks can be mitigated with a little knowledge.

🙂

Is an open canoe the same as a Canadian?

Yes.

One of these.

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/tell-me-about-canoeing/

Do it ! You<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> will soon find you can go further afield, as well, for some adventures.</span>

Great idea. I grew up just down the canal from you in Parbold. Wonderful fun paddling on canal and safe if sensible. Canadian canoes very expensive but hold value really well. Generally very heavy. Double sit on tops look fun although are also quite expensive and heavy. More limited in terms of technical scope but are unsinkable. Am seeing lots of inflatable canoes, many of which are cheap toys which will puncture easily and be horrible to paddle, although can be quite cheap and fun to use in the right places.
Just down the M6 from you is Manchester Watersports (in Warrington) and then Kayaks North West (Go Kayaking) at Preston Brook Marina just off M56 by Runcorn. Both do taster days and Kayaks NW being by canal do teaching on site. Both are great for advice and I have bought boats and kit from both. Decathlon in Warrington can be good value for things like bouyancy aids for children etc. I definitely support investigating canoeing further. Careful though it can be addictive - I have 8 kayaks at the moment. Whilst rivers and the sea are great I live next to canal just outside Chester so walk my boat to canal. Always great just to be on the water and can be a fun adventure with children. We used to fish from them in the canal with both lines and nets in Parbold. Children love taking picnics in the boats too and even BBQs!

Yes, an open canoe is perfect for a canal. I have a 14’6” Pelican Potomac which takes two adults and our two children when they were little, or three adults.

We often would put in at Botany Bay, or where A675 or A674 cross the canal.

For equipment, buoyancy aids (BA), paddles (I like wooden for the feel of it) and a painter (rope) on each end.

When I paddle solo, I turn the boat round and use the ‘bow’ seat to improve the weight balance. It is capable on grade II/III white water as well, but that’s a different thing altogether!

For safety- wear the BA always, stay out of the locks.

For admin - BC membership comes with the inland waterway licence, although I have never been asked.

For technique- check out some YouTube on J stroke, and using muscles in your core rather than all arms.

For transport- figure out how you are going to get it on your vehicle. Two sturdy people can hoik it onto a car, but anything higher will require cunning. A C-tug trolley is useful for manoeuvring on the ground. A cheap trolley is infuriating.

For buoyancy of the vessel - most boats will be naturally buoyant. Go to a paddle forum and buoyancy bags for open boats on flat water is the helmet debate all over again. I have them in.

Alys Flowler wrote a book about canoing on canals - might be useful.

Thanks all! I've spoken to Stuart at Apache. A 15footer sounds perfect and apparently will fit onto my roof rack OK.