Do you canoe? With small children?

I enjoy canoeing and have no issues having a 3yo in a canoe with a life vest on, depending on what type of water I’m padding of course.

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Also is canoeing really boring? Should I buy a skiff with a 20hp and go a little faster?

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These are two different things in my book. I use my powered craft for fishing/getting to where I’m going quickly while I prefer my canoe to slow down, sneak up on wildlife, and generally relax. If I could only afford one or had room for one, it would all depend on the intended use as to which I would buy.

Two person kayak is your answer.

Thanks yall for some good advice.

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I use my powered craft for fishing/getting to where I’m going quickly while I prefer my canoe to slow down, sneak up on wildlife, and generally relax.

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This is a primary use, the fishing/crabbing would certainly not be tournament level or even baw level.

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If I could only afford one or had room for one, it would all depend on the intended use as to which I would buy.

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As I hope to hit OT Baller status some day (I'm already executive sales manager at Lundegaard Oldsmobile) I have enough $$ for a used canoe and 20hp skiff plus the chicken coop space to store them.

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How young would you put a child in a canoe?

Also is canoeing really boring

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We've been kayaking with our son since he was 2. He's 11 now and has his own kayak. Up until he was 5, he would sit with one of us in a sit-on kayak. When he got too big, we got a tandem and he would sit in the front of it with my husband paddling in the back. He would bring snacks and water guns and have a great time.

Something you might consider:
I've been using an inflatable paddleboard like a kayak. You can get them pretty dang cheap, and add a low slung camping chair to create a very stable, cheap, and portable platform. I have my 2 year old on it with me in this photo.  

inflatable paddleboard

low chair

carabiner
secure chair to d-rings with rope of your choice.

All of it fits in the bag that came with the board, which is slightly larger than the size of a framed hiking pack.




edit: not sure if image is showing, so here is link to click: LINK

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How young would you put a child in a canoe?

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Depends on the kid. Can they sit still enough to not fall out of the boat? Can they follow basic instruction from you? Can they fit in a life jacket? If yes to all of the above, they're good to go in a canoe.

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Also is canoeing really boring?

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Not if you enjoy being able to take in your surroundings. You'll definitely see more wildlife to point out to your kid by paddling than you will zipping up and down the bayou with an outboard.


Maybe look at a tandem sit-on-top fishing kayak though. The models made for fishing usually have wider hulls. Wider hull will give you more stability, but you'll sacrifice a little on speed.

You have a chance to start some life-long memories with a canoe (or a skiff, but I’m partial to a canoe).

About 14 years ago, me and a couple friends and some friends of friends, packed up some canoes with our kids and hit a river for a weekend of camping. We paddled 18 miles that year. We camped, cooked over the campfire, fished, knocked back a few beers, flipped a couple of boats, and had a blast.

That trip started something that we haven’t stopped. We’ve continued every spring and slowly, each year, putting in where we took out the previous trip, connected 198 river miles. In 2 weeks, we’re continuing the tradition. We’ll break 215 river miles this year. We’re getting close to the end of the river.

Our group has expanded since the first trip, we started with 11, kids as young as 6 years old. We’ve added some others, and we have folks begging to go with us every year. But we keep the same core group every year. I have 3 kids, and the first trip was me and my oldest. As the other two were old enough, they came with. We’ve had as many as 23 folks on a float, last year. This year we’re down to 15.

The coolest thing is now, many of our kids are grown and some live 5+ hrs away, but each year they fight to make it back for this one trip. So many memories and stories. I cannot recommend starting something like this enough. This trip is monumental for all involved and it started as no big deal. It’s a big deal to everyone now. Start something to remember with your kids now.


My canoe year #1

I got a Jon boat when my kids were young. I like to fish so I often took them fishing.

Always wear life jackets. Bring plenty of snacks. For a kid that young you hook the fish and let them reel it in. Practice casting in the yard. Practice casting low because trees are high.

And I split the day up with fishing for the first half and swimming for the second half.

I was so grateful when the kids got old enough to fish without swimming.

I have found when you take the kids the wife loves when you go fishing.

She will even make the lunch to get a day of peace.

Little kids aren't good at sitting still, which is a requirement for canoeing. When mine was little, we had a canoe. I traded it with a neighbor for a 10 ft flatbottom and put a Minn Kota C2 on it with a small lightweight lithium battery. For pond fishing, much better experience than a canoe. We are allowed to keep our vessels at the pond so having that luxury was another consideration- no trailering involved.

My niece rode with my sister in a heritage redfish from 5 to 7. I gotta her a kids kayak. She does fine. Now weight. On slack water she leaves us in her wake. We have also done bogue chitto (pretty swift) and magees creek with her solo. She is 8 as of this year.