Choosing a Canoe
Old Town offers a wide variety of canoe models and designs, each with features and design elements to meet specific paddling needs. In choosing your Old Town canoe, keep in mind that no single boat can do everything well. At Old Town, we make specialized canoes designed to do one thing very well, along with general recreation canoes that will do most things pretty darn well.
To choose the right canoe for you, first make an honest evaluation of your intended needs and uses. What types of canoeing activities will you participate in most of the time? Will you paddle mostly on calm lakes and ponds, in waves and whitewater? Will you seek lazy days fishing and exploring wilderness rivers, or the thrill of competition? Will you paddle alone or with family and friends? Once you've determined these parameters, you can choose the canoe design that will fit your needs most of the time.
Using this site
Check the Canoe Product List to compare our available models in each of the categories. We have defined our categories based on the most common category definitions we hear from you, definitions for each category are located on this page.
When you know which models you're most interested in, link to our extensive Dealer Locator search engine. You'll be able to find the Old Town dealers near you that carry the Old Town model you want.
You can also check our page on "Canoe Anatomy," a handy primer on the basics of canoe design to help you understand the terminology and the technology, and how subtle differences in size, shape and configuration can make a big difference to your canoeing experience.
One final thought: Canoeing is meant to be a pleasurable and exciting sport. Having the right canoe to meet your needs will greatly enhance your enjoyment on the water, as will having the proper safety equipment and accessories. As time goes on, you may seek new canoeing experiences and other designs. At Old Town Canoe, we're confident that no matter what type of paddling you're into, we have a quality canoe for you.
HAVE FUN, AND HAPPY PADDLING!
Canoe types
To make it easier for you, we've organized our complete line of canoe models into four distinct categories based on how they function on the water, but if you have any trouble locating what you are looking for, please let us know:- Classic Wood
- Not so much a specific use or activity, but a feeling. Old Town began its 100-year history building wood and canvas canoes, and we still make our Wood Classics today to capture the hand-crafted heritage that takes your canoeing experience back to its roots.
- Recreation
- Recreation canoes are suitable for a wide variety of on-water activities. They are perfect for people who want to paddle their local lake, pond or quiet river. Though these canoes do not have the performance features of more specialized canoes, their stability and versatility make them the right choice for families and newcomers to the sport of paddling.
- Tripping /Expedition
- Expedition canoes are high volume canoes designed for whitewater and/or carrying large loads. They are rockered for maneuverability, deep and flared in the ends for dryness and built to withstand heavy abuse. Also a great choice for large family outings.
- Sporting
- Our Sporting canoes are designed for a variety of outdoor activities. These platform canoes offer high initial stability and are versatile enough to be paddled, rowed or motored. In fact, some have square sterns for mounting a motor.