5 Easy Steps to Get You on the Water

A beginnerโ€™s guide to a first float.

When the summer solstice comes around, a day on the lake/river sounds like the perfect way to cool down! But for those of us that donโ€™t want to buy a motorboat (or constantly mooch from a friend that owns one), what’s a simple way to get on the water? (Albeit, a season pass to the local pool)?

Enter… the canoe. An easy boat to store and maintain for those summer days that you want to hit the water. Here are 5 easy steps to think about while acquiring a new canoe!

1. Buying the Boat

Fiberglass canoe sits atop our Subaru. Paddles and life jackets in front of it.

If youโ€™re not wanting to buy new, sometimes Craigโ€™s List or Facebook Marketplace has whatโ€™s needed. Iโ€™d recommend buying a canoe made of aluminum or fiberglass, both sturdy materials that can get a bit beat up and handle the sometimes mucky water of southern Minnesota. We also own a Kevlar canoe, which is our go-to for Boundary Waters trips due to its low weight. Although, sheโ€™s a sensitive boat that canโ€™t handle many scratches. Plastic is also a frequent option, but these boats are harder to navigate and must be stored inside during the winter.

If you go with the Craigโ€™s List route, a couple of tips to know itโ€™s a good buy:

  1. Inspect all areas of the canoe, ask the seller if you can flip it over to analyze the bottom.
  2. Check for the straightness/curves of the gunwales. A dent in this spot is often unfixable.
  3. Try picking the boat up, does anything fall off or feel not right?
  4. Does the person have the canoe license/title on hand? Sometimes it can be a rigamarole to get the required paperwork when purchasing a new boat.

Oftentimes you can come across a used Fiberglass canoe that needs simple repairs, like a spot requiring a Gator Guard patch. Fiberglass repair kits are sold all over the internet, so donโ€™t be scared! Theyโ€™re easy to use, as long as you care more about the function than the looks.

Our winter storage place for boats!

2. Paddles & Life Jackets

Next, youโ€™ll need to acquire a few paddles. Iโ€™d recommend buying 1 for each person as well as a spare. Nick and I keep an extra paddle in the boat, wiring it under our seats inside the canoe. This is the โ€œjust in case bad things happenโ€ paddle, like perhaps we both get crazy and lose our paddles in the middle of the lake!

Also know that itโ€™s illegal to float without a life jacket for each person. A new canoe owner can get themselves into some inexpensive life jackets from the Fleet Farm pretty easily. But be honest with yourself, if youโ€™re not a great swimmer- maybe you need to go up a model.

3. Boat License

The next thing to think about after acquiring a new canoe is the boat licensing. With the registration of the boat and a bill of sale (one time, this was simply my name and the date on the registration card signed by the previous owner) head down to the DMV to pick up a new license and change the registration of the boat to your name. The price will vary depending on the boat but is usually in the $20-40 range.

4. Roof Racks

The next thing to consider is some cross bar roof racks for your vehicle. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, Iโ€™ve seen people use pool noodles beforeโ€ฆ.

One idea is to head to the dealership that the car is from to buy roof racks (then, theyโ€™ll put them on for you!) Thereโ€™s also the Amazon route, my recommendation here is to search for โ€œwhisper barsโ€ and to stick with known brands like Yakima or Thule. Again, thereโ€™s the Craigโ€™s List/Facebook Marketplace option, but sometimes thereโ€™s nothing available to fit your car.

The next item needed is a good set of ratchet straps, youโ€™ll need at least 2, 15-foot straps to tie the boat onto the car. Something thatโ€™s not necessary, but makes canoe hauling easier is a Portage Canoe Carrier. This keeps the canoe secure on the roof racks and is especially nice if driving far distances.

5. Find a Lake

Once everything from above has been acquired, the next thing to do is look up nearby lakes in the good oleโ€™ Road Atlas Map. With a canoe, there may be more locations available due to motor restrictions. 

At the end of the day, donโ€™t hesitate to visit a lake for fear of motorboats. Iโ€™ve been to Fourth of July celebrations, paddling up in my canoe to multiple pontoons tied together and everyone was super neighborly! And if youโ€™re scared of big waves, know that most people slow down near canoes, and if they donโ€™t just paddle perpendicular to the wake and wave a nearby bird.

Luna paddles in river ahead of canoe. Cloudy blue skies above.

Owning a canoe is an easy way to get into outdoor hobbies this summer. And the best part about a fiberglass or aluminum canoe is the minimum storage required in the wintertime! These boats can handle laying upside down outside, with or without a tarp on top, and still be ready for the next dog dayโ€™s fishing expedition.

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This post was written by Annie Schmitz, June 2021.

Annie laying on a cow in the pasture. Calves stand in the background.

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