Fly Fishing - Old Town Canoe

waterwhippa · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:18 am Post subject: Old Town Canoe - Review

Was wondering if anyone has paddled the Old Town Pack canoe. It is a 12 foot solo constructed of Royaltex with a 31" beam weighing in at 30 lbs. Looking to get into one this spring and take it for a test spin. Seems like it would be perfect for hiking into backcountry ponds for fishing or hauling a couple bags of decoys and setting up a spread.

joey · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 11:13 am Post subject:

Whip-
I have never paddled the model you posted but have rowed several canoes from old town before. (I actually used to live behind their factory in Old Town, ME when I was in College) I took an outdoor leadership class one year and we did a five day white water canoeing trip at the end of it. We paddled down the East branch of the penobscot in Old Town Canoes. Very well crafted boats. The penobscot is not very forgiving (as boz will tell you) and those boats held up to everything we did to them(white water, rocks, portages.) They were also very responsive when you needed to make a last minute manuver. Overall a good product.

Boz · Newbie Joined: Oct 16, 2005 Posts: 60 Location: Portland

Whip,

I've been eyeballing that pack canoe for years...seems like the perfect hike in solo craft. I think about evertime I hike my Old town Penobscot (50+ lbs) over a mile throught the woods...I own a float tube and just can't seem to get into fishing out of them. (Years of sitting "up high and dry in inflatables has spoiled me) You could also use is on rivers and rig it with an anchor system...which I believe Old Town sells a version rigged for fishing now? Don't know how stability would be standing up and casting in it, could be tippy.

As Joey said...I terms of durability you can't go wrong with the Old town brand. They take a beating and still perform well.

My folks bought an Old Town Tripper the year I was born 1974...that thing has been through hell and back abused well beyond normal wear and tear and yet the only maintenance has been replacing the gunwhales once and refinishing the thwarts once... It's a tank.

Old Town hosts an annual sale here in Maine where they sell blemished boats super cheap...might be a good excuse to take a road trip too...

Hunter · Newbie Joined: Dec 06, 2006 Posts: 39

I've got an Old Town "Camper" model. Not as small as the pack canoe (around 50 lbs too), but it does the job well. My only concern with one that small is how tippy it would be if you want to stand up in it. I fish out of my Camper upright a lot and don't find it that bad, but wouldn't want to loose having that option. With that said, I want one of the Trapper models to bum around in.

For the money, OT canoes can't be beat. And as Boz said, the spring factory sale could be worth a road trip. Plus, you'd get some fishing time in out here.
They do a Canoe Hullabaloo weekend at the Old Town waterfront park as well (early June?) where you can try a canoe on the river.

waterwhippa · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:43 pm Post subject: Old Town Canoe - Review

Thanks guys, all good info. Seems like a great tool for a number of different purposes. My buddy rolls with a 13.5 Wenonah solo for a waterfowl application and it is all business. I found the Old Town for a much better price and I think i would get much more use out of it than my current 16' aluminum giant. Boz, like you i have had it with float tubes...i love the visual aspect to flyfishing and you just can't get that perspective from a tube. I would be very interested in the blemished sale as well, if you could keep me posted when you hear the word on it that would be killer. Thanks again.