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Crappie Wall Hanger II
Old Town Saranac 146
Guys, I know nothing about canoes but am wanting to pick up a couple to start playing around with. I have been looking at online classifieds and seen plenty of decent looking traditional 14-16' ones for $250-400. I also came across an Old Town Saranac 146 for $500 which caught my eye. Can anyone offer opinions/reviews of this model?
My goal is a basic canoe that holds 2 paddlers that can be used on floats down pretty flat, skinny water. I don't really have any desire to use it on lakes or rivers where power boats operate. I don't intend or anticipate these to become fishing rigs either - just something to explore in but with enough room for a couple rods and tackle if I choose. The Saranac looks like it would be comfortable for that. I also like that it has the third seat as it would make a good place for a kid to ride as we have twin 7 year olds and a 2 year old. Like I said, I'm a newbie on this stuff so I imagine whatever I buy likely won't be something I hold onto for forever and will likely get sold/replaced if the family seems to have solid interest in it moving forward.
Damion Kidd LIKED above post
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I would search for a used Guide series from OldTown. They are better built. The Sarnac we had the bottom would deform/ push up while in the water. I have an older Guide series with the wood and web seats, it is stable enough I can stand up in the middle and paddle it. The other Guide series is has the seats in it like the Sarnac
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along
Trophy King
I had one of those for a while. It just didn't work for me. I never felt very stable in it (especially with 10' gators following close behind me just waiting for me to fall out). Biggest problem (which would be the same for any canoe) is that I had almost no ability to spin around, stretch my legs, etc. If i had been a young man, I might have felt differently.
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I did put cedar strips in the bottom of the one I had to reinforce it and make it hold shape in the water
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along
Crappie Wall Hanger II
Thanks for the info. I noticed it had a single layer bottom so I was kind of wondering about that. For a tandem canoe, are the 14' or 16' versions preferred? Is it simply just longer = more on water weight capacity but a few more lbs to carry loading/unloading?Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
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Both of mine are 14 6 two adults and an ice chest full of catfish was no problem. We use them mostly to chase down catfish jugs. The kids, nieces and nephews have a blast doing.that. The deformation of the bottom makes it paddle funny and harder to control
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The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass alongscout-j-m thanked you for this post
Crappie Wall Hanger II
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Glad to help
The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along
Trophy King
We had a Saranac 146 for a few years. Like others said, the bottom did sorta deform a bit. Not sure you would get away from that with any "budget" canoe though?
We enjoyed it on a small river close to home, mainly just used it for slack water fishing as opposed to our kayaks, so my wife could fish while I fished and controlled the canoe. We never did full river trips with it, I felt that was an argument waiting to happen lol. The river by home has some interesting spots in it that can be tricky to stay dry in a kayak.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
I have another follow up question if anyone can help. I looked for used Guide series online and there were a good bit available in the $300-400 range. I noticed most of them had what looked like plastic molded front and rear bench type seats (no backrest). Can you buy add-on or aftermarket seats that are padded with back support to fit these? Also, what could be the solution for a center seat for a third passenger, assuming its a smaller child? Simply a cooler or something to sit on or are there other options available?
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