Shopping for a canoe is like shopping for kayaks...tons of chices, megs-tons of opinions.

First, go here:

http://www.paddling.net/

Enter the drawing. You might win a canoe. Then surf around, ask questions and read. Look over the reviews. There is good info there.

Look on Craigslist every day. I've bought good kayaks there for a fraction of the new price, complete with paddles, PFD's, etc. Any canoe is better than no canoe and if you are only paddling flat water, you don't need any special features. Personally, I like to start with weight. It has to be something I can manage myself without wrecking my back. I cartop my boats and usually paddle solo. Just like anything, less is more with regard to price. These things are really easy to re-sell, so a used beater to start with is a good education toward any upgrades. You'll probably end up with two or three, anyway.



Our old canoe is a Grumman aluminum....bullet proof but requires a trailer...19ft long! You can paddle, hang an engine on the transom (it's flat), even sail it. But you won't lift it or put it on the car top.