Alluminium Canoe

Barra fishing on the Qld impoundments would be OK I guess .

I have not seen an alloy Canoe for twenty years , and I really take note of any new canoes I see .

Cheers .

Tony ,
A 20 ft canoe . That is neat . You could put an outrigger on it and go in the dragon boat races .
Plastic canoes are usually heavier than a cunningly made lightweight glass canadian .
Canoes with a square back are literally " a pain " because you virtually have to turn around to hold the outboard . A side bracket is the go .
Willie .

You can buy them with outriggers and sails if you like. We have sometimes put a piece of pvc tube over the handle with extends it to where it is more comfortable, however this does cut down on turning the canoe oneway as you have to get it past yourself. I have found that you can sit comfortably with one hand behind you and being a canoe there is no pressure in steering them.
www.roscocanoes.com.au/canoes.htm
Tony

Willie, the problem of:
Canoes with a square back are literally " a pain " because you virtually have to turn around to hold the outboard .

Is pretty minor. It is exactly the same as driving a tinnie with a transome control, which all car topper are. The swivel seat I use overcomes any perceived problem. Sits me up a bit higher and makes it comfortable to sit at a slight angle.

An advantage of the square back is that there is heaps more room. They are typically wider, and stay wide all the way to the back.

I guess you just weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and get the one you prefer (or don't get one at all).

Norm ,
I had a Coleman with the square back and I used electric motors with it . It was a pain because I could not get far enough away from the outboard and I was always "turned around " and uncomfortable .
They are not as comfortable to drive as a side mount . And why do you want such a wide canoe anyway - you might as well be in the car topper !
I think they are big overweight slugs - give me a lightweight glass canadian with a sidemount anyday .
Willie .
PS . Sold the Coleman .

I guess we all go with our own experience Willie and that is the way it should be.

'And why do you want such a wide canoe anyway - you might as well be in the car topper !'
Lots of differences between the canoe and car topper. The canoe wieghs 32 KG (not the 35 KG I mentioned before, that was from memory). My tinnie weighs 82 KG.

I can paddle the canoe easily and leave the motor at home if we are not going far on the water (local weir for example). Can't do that with the tinnie.

The width of the canoe (.96 m at the beam and .64 m at the transom) is great for stability and comfort when on the water a long time. We sometimes carry two eskys (one with our lunch, drinks etc and the other with ice for any fish we keep).

'I think they are big overweight slugs - give me a lightweight glass canadian with a sidemount anyday.'
Don't think my Basscatcher is any heavier than a good glass Canadian. In the Rosco range, you have to come down to the 15 ft to be lighter. The 16, 18 and 20 ft are all heavier.

You are probably right to a degree on the side mount for the motor, but the only time the transom mount causes me a problem is when I want to lift the motor when out on the water. But it is much easier to lift the elec than the outboard on the tinnie!!!!

I will say though, now that I have the tinnie as well, I use the tinnie much more than the canoe. Tinnie is much faster (15HP) and therefore also longer practical range. More stable (unless I put outrigger on canoe). Although every time I get a lure stuck in a snag in the shallows, I wish I had the canoe and elec motor. Much easier to manouver onto the spot to retreive the favourite lure.

Like you, I'll probably sell the canoe one day. Not because I don't like it, but because it doesn't get much use these days and it takes up a lot of space in my workshop.

I think we just have different experiences and views, which is not surprising since we have never met and have lived very different lives.