19-08-08, 06:25 PM
My first canoe, this is the 3 man Coleman 15' canoe. It goes by many names and is currently being sold as the Coleman Journey 15'6". You may find at as either a Coleman or a Pelican (the Pelican is called the Colorado and is advertised as 15'5" if you can work that out) but these are exactly the same boat made by the same company.
![[Image: coleman-journey.jpg]](http://www.brighton-canoes.co.uk/productpages/canoes/pictures/coleman-journey.jpg)
Length - 472 cm (15'6")
Width - 94cm (37")
Capacity - 363Kg (800lbs)
Weight - 32Kg (70lbs)
Costs vary but cheap ones can be found new for around £350 and upto about £500 (depends whether it comes with paddles B.A.'s etc...), a lot of second-hand ones out there and given their tough construction its well worth the consideration as problems are obvious to spot.
It is a good size and actually I paddle mine solo and don't find any problem getting on the roof, although it is heavy. It is strong and handles wakes from motorboats well. It is designed to be a three man canoe, although ideally a tandem. If this is the case then no probs in man-handling on or off the water. At no point have I ever felt unsafe in it. That is either on grade3+ rivers, striding/stand up kayaking, or out on deep water lakes.
It is highly bouyant, and without airbags (or much gear) it will float (full of water) about 0.5 inches above the water line..
The only main drawback is the centre pole/rod that acts as the backbone of the canoe. If sitting in the bottom it doesn't half hurt.
Big Problems:
1. Seats are not built very well - they have thin plastic were the seat edges return up the gunwales - this becomes brittle quickly.
2. Seats are also not watertight - if it goes under regularly then you will find water gets into the seat, but will not come out. This means that you might have to drill the underside to allow drainage.
3. Solo is paddled backwards, like many, but highly recommend you don't do this in high wind because no matter how much you adjust the trim it simply will not track and you have a tough, tough time.
Having said this I would still rate the coleman an 8/10 as a family recreational canoe - which it is. In the coleman blurb they specifically state that this canoe should never even be placed on the bank of a river, let alone in it.
I do paddle this canoe on rivers, and many colemans are used for WW, and it is not as bad as you might think but you may need to pinch in the gunwales to help provide better secondary stability. this is not hard and I have done this by removing the middle seat (never used) and replacing it with a narrower aluminium thwart which is bolted to the gunwale thus pinching the side in. The canoe is extremely tough and I have taken it down many low level rivers and scraped off most of the outer hull but the canoe still performs well. The downside for WW application is lack of turning and when you run a river you head straight down it, you cannot really stop and play as it will not manoeuvre quickly enough.
If you are looking for a flat water canoe that takes gear then I think this is your choice - plus it doesn't matter if you abuse it because its cheap, and it will take it.
I love mine, and will not get rid of it. It is fantastic on a sunny day to paddle up a lazy river, find a quiet spot and simply lie out in the bottom with a few beers (if you haven't driven) and read a good book. I defy anyone to have a better time.
The serious downside is the flat hull bottom which provides good primary stability but very poor secondary stability, I would say that as an entry level canoe this one is a good choice as it will take two, or family, but warning that in choppy weather it does not feel stable (I have never capsized it on flat water but it feels as though you could). More expensive models will provide better secondary stability for family paddling and I would suggest you go down that route if some of the paddlers are not strong swimmers.
My Canoe:
![[Image: CanoeAccess6x4.jpg]](http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb185/ppdwood/CanoeAccess6x4.jpg)
That said I still think its an ideal first time canoe that on a lovely day is fine to paddle long distances, and is very roomy.
Pete
Length - 472 cm (15'6")
Width - 94cm (37")
Capacity - 363Kg (800lbs)
Weight - 32Kg (70lbs)
Costs vary but cheap ones can be found new for around £350 and upto about £500 (depends whether it comes with paddles B.A.'s etc...), a lot of second-hand ones out there and given their tough construction its well worth the consideration as problems are obvious to spot.
It is a good size and actually I paddle mine solo and don't find any problem getting on the roof, although it is heavy. It is strong and handles wakes from motorboats well. It is designed to be a three man canoe, although ideally a tandem. If this is the case then no probs in man-handling on or off the water. At no point have I ever felt unsafe in it. That is either on grade3+ rivers, striding/stand up kayaking, or out on deep water lakes.
It is highly bouyant, and without airbags (or much gear) it will float (full of water) about 0.5 inches above the water line..
The only main drawback is the centre pole/rod that acts as the backbone of the canoe. If sitting in the bottom it doesn't half hurt.
Big Problems:
1. Seats are not built very well - they have thin plastic were the seat edges return up the gunwales - this becomes brittle quickly.
2. Seats are also not watertight - if it goes under regularly then you will find water gets into the seat, but will not come out. This means that you might have to drill the underside to allow drainage.
3. Solo is paddled backwards, like many, but highly recommend you don't do this in high wind because no matter how much you adjust the trim it simply will not track and you have a tough, tough time.
Having said this I would still rate the coleman an 8/10 as a family recreational canoe - which it is. In the coleman blurb they specifically state that this canoe should never even be placed on the bank of a river, let alone in it.
I do paddle this canoe on rivers, and many colemans are used for WW, and it is not as bad as you might think but you may need to pinch in the gunwales to help provide better secondary stability. this is not hard and I have done this by removing the middle seat (never used) and replacing it with a narrower aluminium thwart which is bolted to the gunwale thus pinching the side in. The canoe is extremely tough and I have taken it down many low level rivers and scraped off most of the outer hull but the canoe still performs well. The downside for WW application is lack of turning and when you run a river you head straight down it, you cannot really stop and play as it will not manoeuvre quickly enough.
If you are looking for a flat water canoe that takes gear then I think this is your choice - plus it doesn't matter if you abuse it because its cheap, and it will take it.
I love mine, and will not get rid of it. It is fantastic on a sunny day to paddle up a lazy river, find a quiet spot and simply lie out in the bottom with a few beers (if you haven't driven) and read a good book. I defy anyone to have a better time.
The serious downside is the flat hull bottom which provides good primary stability but very poor secondary stability, I would say that as an entry level canoe this one is a good choice as it will take two, or family, but warning that in choppy weather it does not feel stable (I have never capsized it on flat water but it feels as though you could). More expensive models will provide better secondary stability for family paddling and I would suggest you go down that route if some of the paddlers are not strong swimmers.
My Canoe:
That said I still think its an ideal first time canoe that on a lovely day is fine to paddle long distances, and is very roomy.
Pete