TCF - Texas Canoe Fisherman?

[Neumie]

Ever since my twins were born I've been looking at adding a canoe to the paddling fleet. I was wanting a short, wide, flat bottom, lightweight tandem I could use on our smaller sections of Hill Country rivers. This Northern Paddler Sportsman 12.6 popped up and quickly messaged the seller. Initially, they were asking $125, but without even negotiating they offered it to me for $50 since there would be some minor fiberglass work to be done. I jumped at it.

There is very little information about the brand on the internet, so all my research came up empty except for a couple posts on other forums. The sellers were the original purchasers of the canoe back in 1996 and still had their original paperwork. Originally from Massachusetts, they had moved to San Antonio to be closer to family.

Anyways, the canoe should work out perfectly for my needs. 12' 6", 42" at it's widest point, and 55 lbs.

The hull and ash components are in amazing condition given it's age; just some minor oxidation. The gel coat barely has any scratches in it. It was certainly well loved. I will need to do some work on the front and rear bulkheads, as the paper thin chopped glass has started to break away. Easy enough to fix with some heavier cloth mat.

Super excited to get this canoe on the water and introducing my kids to spending time on the water.

[Ron Mc]

cool score

[TexasJim]

Great buy, Josh! It doesn't look like it would weigh 55 pounds. Says it has a vee entry. How do you tell which end is the entry? I remember you talking about your Perception paddling as fast backwards as forward, so you're already trained. Have fun with the kiddos, and stay off the rocks. Hope your waters have come up, like North Texas. TexasJim

[Kayak Kid]

Nuemie, I got my small craft instructors license at age 17. It insured my employ as canoeing/sailing counselor at girls summer camp all the way through my college years. The economic gain was of immeasurable importance. As such, my association with canoes has led me to never having met a canoe that I didn't like. Yours looks like a winner that will offer you and your family many years of enjoyment.

The addition of the portaging bar insures you that whoever built the canoe was serious in the endeavor.
He built you a canoe that was meant to used for serious canoeing, as opposed to one built just to sell.

A couple of tips:
The wind is much more unfavorable to canoes than to kayaks.
Master the J stroke.
The Medina river loves canoes.

[Neumie]

Great buy, Josh! It doesn't look like it would weigh 55 pounds. Says it has a vee entry. How do you tell which end is the entry? I remember you talking about your Perception paddling as fast backwards as forward, so you're already trained. Have fun with the kiddos, and stay off the rocks. Hope your waters have come up, like North Texas. TexasJim

It does feel slightly lighter than the stated 55 lbs, I'll have to weigh it one day. This is a symmetrical hull, so both ends have a vee entry. This was another feature I wanted in a canoe.

The addition of the portaging bar insures you that whoever built the canoe was serious in the endeavor.
He built you a canoe that was meant to used for serious canoeing, as opposed to one built just to sell.

A couple of tips:
The wind is much more unfavorable to canoes than to kayaks.
Master the J stroke.
The Medina river loves canoes.

I'm anticipating the wind having more effect on the canoe. I was wanting something more maneuverable than my normal river kayak, so I'm pretty sure I got that with this canoe. At the very least this canoe has a full length keel, so maybe it'll help a little with how wide and flat this hull is. I also won't be spending too much time on open water, at least nothing larger than a few surface acres. I do spend a lot of time in the Medina.

[motoyak]

cant beat the price, happy paddling!