Used Canoes - Tips and Information

Modern canoes and kayaks are made from extremely robust materials in order to withstand the inevitable bumps and scrapes that come as part and parcel of canoeing and kayaking. This makes canoes a very good option for the used and second hand market, However there are still a number of things to look out for when looking to buy used canoes and used kayaks.

Canoes are manufactured from a variety of materials and in many shapes and sizes all developed for a particular canoeing discipline for Instance White water canoes are shorter and more easily maneuverable making them far more useful in white water where quick changing of direction is essential. Racing canoes are at the other end of the extreme having been designed for speed in a straight line they are streamlined long and fast and rather difficult to turn.

Prospector canoes and expedition canoes are larger variants of the canoe built as the names would suggest for longer distance traveling they are generally roomy allowing for a number of paddlers maybe as many as four and provisions. All of these canoes are made from a variety of materials, larger canoes are quite often constructed from traditional materials such as wood and aluminum, smaller canoes tend to be made plastics in a technique known as rotation molding, and plastic polyurethane pellets are injected into a heated and spinning aluminum mold.

The mold is eventually cooled and the plastic allowed top set creating a complete canoe, Fiber glass canoes are made in a similar way using a mold generally formed from wood layers of fiberglass and resin are built up and allowed to set by the canoe builder. Roto-molded plastic canoes have largely replaced glass fiber canoes in the modern market as they offer a more robust canoe the properties of the plastic are more elastic and allow for stressing through bumps and crashes where as fiber glass being more brittle is more lightly to crack under certain stresses.

There is also quite a large market for inflatable canoes which are supplied with battery and foot operated pumps and can usually be fully inflated in a matter of minutes. Inflatable canoes are now made for almost all styles of canoeing and are surprisingly difficult to tell apart from rigid versions when fully inflated.

Another form of Canoe that has become very popular in recent years particularly with newcomers to canoeing is the sit-on-top canoe, so called for obvious reasons where the canoeist sits on top rather than in the canoe. Sit-on tops offer a great introduction to the world of canoeing as they allow the canoeist ease of exit in the event of capsizing.

If you’re looking to buy a used canoe it is worth checking out your local canoe stores and dealers and many canoe shops will have a number of used canoes for sale. You should also be able to receive some form of limited warranty which will allow you more peace of mind. When buying privately make sure you check the boat out first. This may sound obvious, but the temptation when buying online is to wait for delivery.

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