16' Old Town Guide performance

[chris pearson]

Hi guys,
Anyone own a 16' OT Guide that could fill me in on its performance in the water? I just bought a 1964 Guide for mostly river work and just wondered how well they perform in rivers and/or lakes.

thanks,
Chris

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

They're pretty decent all-round boats. Kind of "middle of the available range" as far as the general characteristics of canoes in that size category. I ordered mine back in 1972 without a keel and have certainly never missed having one (especially for river paddling) but that doesn't mean that you can't use a keeled version in a river. Plenty of folks have over the years.

 

[chris pearson]

Sailing too

OK, I posted a question in the sailing forum too, what about sailing it? Seems it was ordered with a sailing rig, and I would imagine she would be squirrely leaned over? How hard are these canoes to sail? Do you need the keel to sail it?

 

[Dan Miller]

OK, I posted a question in the sailing forum too, what about sailing it? Seems it was ordered with a sailing rig, and I would imagine she would be squirrely leaned over? How hard are these canoes to sail? Do you need the keel to sail it?

Should be no harder to sail than any other open canoe, and certainly not as dicey as a 16-30 (right, Andre?). Keel would actually be a hindrence, slowing you down through your tacks. You will need leeboards. Lots of opportunities to learn sailing if you want, including the Maine Canoe Symposium, No-Octane Regatta, WCHA Assembly (with Canoe Sailing Master Captain Hupfield), and every Wednesday night at the Antique Boat Museum.

Cheers,
Dan

 

[Andre Cloutier]

dicey

Dan, dont know what you mean. 16/30 is rock steady, its those silly cedar canvas boats that are treacherous...

 

[Fitz]

Sailing Guide

I put a sail rig on my 18 foot Guide and it works great. You will have a blast.

My only prior sailing experience was a fair amount of time on a Sailfish as a teenager.