Canoe question

Anyone on here canoe with thier dog? I want to buy one, but it needs to be stable enough for a four legged companion, and room for another paddler also. So does anyone have an idea for a model of canoe that could fit this purpose? I just looked at some mad river models, and they were close to what I want, but there was no way the store was going to let me put my dog in the boat unless I was definitely buying it. I think I'll take a trip up to mountainman in Old Forge.

I've brought my dog canoeing a few times. The hardest part was the first 10 minutes or so until she settled down. After that she would just lie down and go to sleep.

Try to find a boat that gives the dog some room to lie down and also stretch out its legs.

I would rent out a few different canoes and see which one works best for you and you're four-legged friend.

renting, or going to canoe/kayak festivals is the way to go definitely. But in my experience, most 15'+ tripping canoes will be just fine. I can highly recommend the Old Town Discovery 156 as i own it and use it regulary with full loads and a crazy friend who likes to fish from it standing up. It is a bit heavy at 86#, but it is certainlly manageable. And durable. I believe the Discovery series is among the best selling canoes out there, so there may be plenty on the market used. I love it. Highly recommended. My Uncle has a 18" Mad River that is alos very stable and is a very efficient paddle. Of course it all depends upon the size and demeaner of the dog. And i would recommend a doggie life vest. Very good insurance.

I have 2 dogs and a husband. We all go out in an Old Town Discovery 169. We call it the battle cruiser because it's so stable. We've loaded it almost down to the gunwhales and still paddled across Cranberry Lake on a windy day.
We also have a Grumman aluminum job that we use for day trips. Also very stable and suitable for paddling with dogs.
We also have a Coleman. Very tippy! Under no circumstances try canoeing with a dog in that. I've capsized more than once, and there was always a dog behind it!
ecc

Doug, Rent a tandem canoe and try it out. Ask for a boat with good "initial stability".

Say... aren't you supposed to be hiking?
I think that I'm gonna do the Great Range traverse mid-July, and you still need two of those peaks. Do you know your days off yet?

Be careful what you buy, initial stability usually means barge like paddling. Granted you may feel more stable until the dog gets trained, but you are going to be doing a lot more work paddling if you are trying to go any distance.

Definitely go to a large boat demo to try out several brands, but be aware that many of the major manufacturers have compromised performance for initial stability so you still may not get a representative sample of the total market. The other compromise is that some of the more popular boats hull designs were compromised to make them cheaper to ship.

ALG--I have next weekend off, then every other weekend for awhile. Other than that, it's just sparcely spaced days off for awhile other than those weekends. I'm hiking this upcoming weekend though. It'll either be donaldson/emmons, or the hasyack/basin/saddleback loop.

I have seen ruckacks for carrying your dog.

This might be a way to keep a little dog from tipping the boat.

We have an Old Town Discovery 158 and it has plenty of room and is very stabe. Room for gear and the dog. We fit all of our gear in it and we are not minimalist campers. Only trouble is the 86#. It isn't good for portages. We sent our dog out in our canoe alone with a very long rope attached to learn the rules of the canoe by herself. It didn't take her long to learn. After that she would tease to be sent out and then just sit out there and watch us like we were missing out on the ride.

dog in canoe

I have a 15-6 Sawyer Canadian. This model is similar to traditional Prospector, with high bow & stern, flat bottom, ample freeboard, but with low-slung tractor-style seats. Beam is 36", wt is 65 lbs. On one trip I wound up with two adults, one 11 year-old and, unexpectedly, two black Lab retrievers. The dogs were pretty good but got a little excited when we flushed some ducks. The boat road very well. On another trip, a friend brought his dog in an Old Town solo boat, I think a 15' with 36" beam. He hit a mild rapid, went swimming, dog stayed with the boat & didn't get wet. I wouldn't try it with a racing canoe. Rent a few models. TRy Mountain Sports in Barneveld. I think Ed would let you take a test drive with the pooch.