Top 5 Square Stern Canoes Under Review
- Grumman 19’ Square-Stern
- Old Town Discovery Sport 15 Square-Stern Recreational Canoe
- Old Town Rogue River 153
- Sun Dolphin Mackinaw 15.6 Square Back
- Esquif Heron Square Stern Canoe
Square Stern Canoe Review
Grumman 19’ Square-Stern
This hand-crafted canoe is made from special age-hardened, stretch-formed aluminium alloy and far longer than a lot of models on the market. The ‘Bulb T keel’, adds stability to the canoe, even with an outboard put on the back.
Being a longer canoe, it does help that this is robust and stronger due to the shape and material used to make it. It is a great size for longer journeys, as it is still super light-weight and easy to manoeuvre when using a paddle or outboard.
Even heavily laden, it can still be pushed along with a 5 HP motor (the manufacturer’s suggested limit). It can still be put on an average car’s roof rack (check recommendations) due to it’s light weight and doesn’t take a lot to pick it up when portaging or storing on your own. This version of Grumman’s square-stern canoes is ideal for those wanting a larger model.
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Old Town Discovery Sport 15 Square-Stern Recreational Canoe
This light-weight and very durable canoe is Old Town’s smaller version within their Discovery range, but it still gives you a great carrying capacity.
It does come with oar sockets and durable vinyl gunwales, but the real selling point is the three comfortable webbing seats that are often undervalued by other manufactures.
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Old Town Rogue River 153
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This is a nice, long and well designed square stern in Old Town’s range of boats. Having the square stern allows for motors to be mounted, but still gives a nice balance on the water.
The centre seat has an insulated collar and water resistant day hatch, which is helpful during longer rides, but like all boats that offer this, is does take away a little bit of usable space and can make self-portaging a little harder.
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Sun Dolphin Mackinaw 15.6 Square Back
This is Sun Dolphin’s more ‘specialised’ canoe range. It’s aimed towards paddlers that enjoy canoe-fishing and need a very sturdy and comfortable boat on a variety of water types.
The three seats are moulded and have built-in-storage, plus a cooler that helps when you are using bate (helps with the smell). The square-stern allows you to mount on a trolling motor, which means you can search for fishing spots without your entire day spent paddling. This smallest model can still comfortably house three adults and is still a relatively lightweight when un-laden (95lbs).
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Esquif Heron Square Stern Canoe
This versatile, light-weight and multi-purpose canoe has been perfectly adapted for those wanting to also fish and hunt. It’s got the benefit of being a great size, whilst also being versatile, having a foam core hull that insulates you from the cold water, and it is a quiet and comfortable ride to the more secluded fishing spots.
You can even get the interior of the canoe painted in camo to help with fitting into the environment and opt for wooden gunwales too.
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Introduction
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A square-stern canoe may look a bit odd to some people and hard for the more traditional-canoe fans to appreciate, but in so many ways, this style has a huge advantage whilst on certain paddling trips and specific paddling experiences.
It may look like it won’t paddle correctly, but they do, plus the added hull strength that this style of canoe offers is actually very noticeable when you are out on the water. But which model or style do you choose? There are differences between the models, so here are some examples of the best square-stern canoes currently out there:
How to choose a square stern canoe
If you like longer canoes, like family canoes, then a square-stern model might be for you. This style of canoe has the added advantage of being a lot sturdier than other types on the market, mostly because there is an added support laid into the hull that increases the overall stability and strength of a longer canoe.
Do you want to try out a variety of paddling trips, but think that the longer ones might be too tiring? Or perhaps you want to try fishing or hunting from a canoe, but find you can’t because you are a loud paddler (hitting the gunnels when you paddle).
Although square-stern canoes can’t be paddled in both directions, you can attach a trolling motor to give you a rest while on longer trips. What you need to do is figure out which size suits you best e.g. do you need more storage capacity, or do you need a smaller canoe so that you can also solo-paddle easier.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of square stern canoes?
Key aspects to think about when choosing a square-stern canoe is that you can use a motor when going on long journeys or when you want a break, but the obvious disadvantage is the slightly more tricky shape to tie down on a rack or trailer. The other issue is that you can’t paddle in reverse as easily or spin it round like a double-ender.
Things to look for in a square stern canoe
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The manufacture of your canoe will recommend the maximum power of the trolling motor that best suits your canoe (typically 4hp), so make sure you follow these guidelines when looking for the bolting plate and motor size. You also want to consider where the stern seat is located in relation to the trolling motor mounting plate, as some models do need you to reach quite far back to get to the motor’s controls.
What’s the best way to use this canoe?
You can use this style of canoe like any other traditional canoes on the market, but you have the added benefit of taking it easy when using a tolling motor.
You can’t use this like a power boat, so don’t think that you can bolt on a high powered outboard motor and create a wake. Most manufactures will only advise you to use a motor with a maximum of 4hp and only use on water that won’t require you to keep the engine revving all the time. Remember that you can’t simply turn around in your seat if the canoe spins uncontrollably (like double-enders can), so you won’t be able to just paddle it if the square-stern faces against the current.
There isn’t any specific paddling technique associated with a square-stern canoe, as there is no change to how you paddle. All you need to check is that the trolling motor you have fits the manufacture’s guidelines and off you go.
Conclusion
Square-stern canoes are a good choice if you want something that is truly versatile and has a multi-purpose use. This style gives you the benefits of cutting through the water like a traditional canoe, but allows you to bolt on a trolling motor to help with longer trips. It is known within the industry that longer square-stern models are a lot sturdier and stronger whilst on the water, due to the support structure within the hull’s design. It does mean you can’t paddle it in reverse like a more traditional design, but some manufactures have their own take on the “square” part at the stern.
If you want to put a square-stern on the water, your paddling skills will be totally transferable, so it’s not like you have to learn the basic strokes all over again.
