Old Town Rogue River 154

[BlueDuck]

Any one have one of these square end canoes?   I am thinking about getting one and was wondering how people liked them and how stable they were. 

[FWCanoeFisher]

I've got basically the same canoe.  I have the Old Town Sportsman 154 square stern canoe.  I have no issues with it.  I actually enjoy the square stern since it gives me something stable for loading it by myself onto my crossover.  It can be done!  The stability seems to be quite well.  Being that this was my first canoe (both owning and using), the stability was lesser than that of a bass boat, but once you actually get used to it (after an hour or two) it is quite stable.  One thing I would recommend is using kayak paddles, you'll get the two strokes for one cycle as opposed to one stroke, you'll also have the equality of paddling on both sides of the canoe.  If you're still concerned with stability, you can absolutely add outriggers onto them to make them even more stable.  Hope this helps.

[JMZ]

I have the same model and I love it. I put a trolling motor on it for small ponds and a 5HP motor on for larger dams. It is a little shaky when you get on a large lake over 200 acres because of the waves and wind which make it turn around. I actually stand in it on a small pond. I transport it on a boat trailer because it weighs about 200 lbs plus the motor which is about 100 lbs.  Old Town is a great company. They replaced the transom boards for free which broke under warranty. They broke because I did not use a transom saver for the 5 hp motor.

[fishlessman]

i have the older smaller lighter version at 13 foot.  used to fish biddeford pools out to maybe 5 miles with it, 2 people and a big german shepard. the 15 footer is more stable but like was said, its no good on the big lakes if its windy.

[Jethro]

Yep, mine is an older model, I don't know if they make it anymore, it's about a 15', but mine is 100% PVC and heavy as can be. I think it's 120lbs, just the canoe. I usually only use it with my electric motor, but I do have an old 1957 Evinrude Fastwin 3hp for it. Funny thing- my 14' Starcraft with a 25hp and the flat floor, bilge pump, etc. has a max capacity of 900lbs. The canoe is 875lbs if I remember correctly. It's rugged and amazingly stable for a canoe. I can stand and fish no problem by myself. My fishing buddy was deathly afraid of canoes until I got this one, it's super heavy duty and stable. As said above, they get affected by the wind big time.

Here it is set up for opening day of stock trout ponds.


Nice side console- workspace is a premium with a canoe.


Gotta give your passenger a place to put things too.

[JMZ]

Jethro, that is a beautiful canoe and trailer rig. Be careful the canoe doesn't hit the back of your truck if you hit the brakes. I have a carry all trailer and I jackknifed it backing up and dented my truck and almost broke the taillight. I carry my canoe on a regular boat trailer  and it loads and holds secure. I also have a transom saver to protect the wooden back.

When I take it out alone with a 5 hp motor, I have a little problem. The front lifts up a lot and makes it unstable. I'm thinking about stabilizers for the sides. What do you think?

[Jethro]

JMZ, thank you for the comments on my rig, I love it. I have a 3hp and even when I take it out with nothing but the gas motor I still bring my deep cycle battery and tie it down up front. Keeps me level and the boat handles better.

[BlueDuck]

Thanks for the info guys.  I may just end up with one. 

[GenesCamp]

Hey Blue Duck, looks like we are both looking at similar items.  If you're looking for a square transomed canoe, I've been doing a lot of research on these as well and Radisson or Sportspal both offer models that are very lightweight and stable according to everything I've read.  I've never owned either so couldn't directly compare it to the Old Towne, but I'd love to hear from someone who owned the Radisson or Sportspal and get their thoughts.