I am looking for an oc1 for our lakes and rivers in Northwest Montana. I don't plan on racing and am just looking to get some exercise and touring in. The closest place to get a new or used canoe for me is 500 miles away. i can get a used Makia for 1800.00 or a used glass Pegasus for 2800.00 or an xm for 3500.00. Demoing and mulling over options is difficult in my case because of travel issues and the xm needs a deposit very soon. I have paddled quite a bit in an oc6 and the only oc1 I paddled is a Makia and it was fun, although after an hour or so I was a bit uncomfortable which may just be the nature of the sport. So...for my situation, do I go with an older used canoe, or will newer model and design make a difference in comfort and overall enjoyment of the paddling experience? I know this topic has been brought up in prior posts, but I want to get the best canoe (and deal) for all my traveling time to purchase it and money that goes with it.
Submitted by nadeau on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 8:33am
A Makia would be great for any flat lakes by far. If there are a lot of turning water with a chance to ride some of those river bumps... then a Pegasus or XM would be the canoe of choice.
As for comfort level, the Makia is a tough one to get use to out of all the 3 canoes, but in time you will be able to figure it out ( seat and iako adjustment ).
Hope this helps.
#1 Mon, 03/08/2010 - 8:53am
I would say if you don’t plan to racing competitively, go with what’s cheapest.
My only concern with the Makia is that you would want one made by Tiger and not one of the China-made Hypr canoes, as those boats suffered from a myriad of manufacturing defects. I personally would not pay $1,800 for a Hypr built Makia (others may disagree), but a Tiger built boat is a different story.
Also, a used fiberglass peggy for $2,800 seems a bit expensive. I don’t doubt you are dealing with a limited supply of canoes in the area and that’s inflating prices, but if you don’t want to buy a brand new canoe, you might want to consider buying something used from the west coast and paying a couple hundred for shipping. In the end it might save you a bunch of money.
#2 Mon, 03/08/2010 - 9:31am
I'd buy whatever is cheap and a good boat, let friends try it to get them hooked, then sell it for what you paid for it to that friend and buy something newer.
#3 Mon, 03/08/2010 - 9:46am
Why not contact Fuzerider - does he have any boats left ?
#4 Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:30pm
Next year you can try my Hurricane...maybe Ft Peck or Flathead
#5 Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:34pm
Thank you all for your posts thus far, they have been a great help. I have yet to find out if the Makia is China made or Hawaaian made, and I have another question concerning that canoe. The canoe is 20' 6" long and just under 14" wide. Are those measurements appropriate for a guy that weighs 175 lbs.? Also, I plan on paddling mostly on Flathead Lake which is 30 miles long/13 miles wide. It gets a lot of wind and does get some waves (I realize our swell is nothing compared to what most of you are paddling in). Is a Makia going to be a good choice for conditions like that? Thanks again for any information you can provide me with.
#6 Tue, 03/09/2010 - 7:58am
John at http://www.superiorsurfsystems.com/a/j/ is looking to become a Outrigger Connection Dealer soon to I believe.
aloha,
pog
#7 Tue, 03/09/2010 - 9:00am
Another Laker (mainly) here. Living on a 100km X 5km snakey Lake. In our group on there is a Hawaiian Makia that runs well also quite a few Huki's and some Hurricanes. With fast moving 3-5 ft wind chop those of us heavier guys in OC products also have a lot of fun. A Stingray, 3 Zephyrs and fuze all run well. I had a Hyper for a very short time and also would be cautious as parts and problems are known and some cant get replaced. The rudder cable cam in the rear has failed I saw on a post here. Mine the paint was flaking off after 2 weeks. Thankfully the dealers were stellar and provided a full return.
Check our CORA website in Canada for western boat postings as well....
#8 Tue, 03/09/2010 - 9:27am
I own a Makia and I weigh 178 pounds. Some minor features I've always liked were the footwells were comfortable and where the front iako attaches to the canoe, it "somewhat" acts like a wave deflector which is nice in cold water; I live in Seattle. I also know another Makia owner who weighs around 210 (6' 4" tall) and he likes his wife's Makia over his Fusion. I purchased this canoe (used) because the price was right and at the time was still a popular canoe. I haven't had any manufactured defects and its held up well. Good luck in your choice!
#9 Sun, 03/14/2010 - 6:41pm
I second what zebignu and anowara recommend about buying whatever is cheap, for I have done that and bought a couple of old Naia canoes that were in excellent condition for kids to use. I've gotten back my investment many times over by the enjoyment the kids received from them and the no worries about them getting busted up etc. Of course I'm lucky to be able to just shoot through the tunnels in my car to get parts, cables, rudders and minor dings taken care of by the maker real fast. I'd look around for bargains in an old Huki, Tiger, Blyth, Martin, Puukea and Karel hand made boats. You don't need the latest state of the art canoe if you can get 95% satisfaction from an old canoe. Why spend thousand dollars more to get 97% or 99% satisfaction? No make sense!
ps: Eckhart had a good suggestion about Fuzerider, for even driving to Maine to pick up a brand new (never used) most recent previous generation canoe would make better sense if you got the time and gas to do it. Maybe Fuzerider could meet you halfway? $2,600 for a brand new canoe (even if it is last years model) is a steal, compared to what a new canoe cost today plus shipping.
#10 Mon, 03/15/2010 - 9:10am