Old Town Charles River RX

Length: 16’3"; Width: 35.5"; Capacity: 790lbs; Bow Height: 24"; Depth: 14"; Weight: 62lbs by layup (unmodified); Colours: Green/Red; Hull: Oltonar/Royalex®

This is my first canoe. I bought it about seven months ago after a sudden inspiration that I needed (and I mean needed) a canoe. I spent a long time looking at what was available, but knowing nothing really about the whole business, I trusted my local canoe shop for their advice. They showed me the models they had in stock, and both my wife and I really liked the Charles River. It seemed like the most suitable for our requirement, which was a boat for a family of four (including two kids of eleven and five), none of whom had any previous experience of open boats. This review then aims to show how the boat has lived up to our expectations during this last seven months.

The first thing I did when I got the boat was to add floatation bags front and back. This involved pop-riveting plastic P-clips into the gunwales, which was a pretty scary exercise in a brand new boat, but it all turned out OK. I also added a centre seat. This comes at over 40" wide, and has to be trimmed down to the correct size for the boat. I fitted the back of the seat into the holes for the rear thwart, but had to drill new holes to attach the front of the seat. I added bungee straps at both ends to hold the painters down, a piece of pipe lagging around the portage yoke to make carrying a little easier, and a couple of knee pads on the front gunwales as my wife found her knees getting very sore from the friction. I reckon all these things have added 3-4lbs to the weight, making it theoretically 65-66lbs. However I know boats are weighed "by layup" so the weight is only theoretical anyway. I’ve read reviews where the actual weight has been 10lbs more than the spec so who knows?

Most of our paddling has been on the River Medway which is flat with no discernible current, and the boat has been great for that. It carries two adults and two children easily, with lots of gear. We haven’t camped yet with it, but I think you’d get everything in. It has very good initial and secondary stability, and no-one has even come close to falling out. That may not sound much of an achievement on such flat water, but kids can be unpredictable. The boat tracks well, with one, two or three people paddling. It has a slight keel line moulded into the outer hull, though this is not really visible inside. The hull is strong with no flexing at all in normal conditions. Solo the boat handles pretty well, though I find it quite slow so far. That may be me as much as the boat.

We spent a week with it on Windermere, and found it handled well on more open water. Once or twice we had pretty strong winds to contend with, and found it caught the wind and would broach very easily, possibly as a result of the high prows. However these do have the benefit of keeping you dry when running into very choppy water. No water came over the bow with waves I reckoned to be about 10" at times.

The high prows are one of the most striking things about the boat, and I still find it pleasing to look at. However they are of mixed benefit. On the one hand they are very good at keeping you dry. They also allow you to turn the boat over and leave it at a 45 degree angle, voyageur style. Handy if you need it as a shelter! However it will not lay flat upside down. They also make it hard to manhandle. If you lift it up from one end upside down, in order to get it up on your shoulders, the high prows make the boat so unbalanced it is almost unmanageable. I find I can’t car top it by sliding on from one end, as the prow digs into the roof, and I can’t angle the boat down without hitting the rear of the car (that’s due to the position of my roof bars, not the boat!). It hangs down a long way into your vision in front of the car as well. Not a problem, but it takes some getting used to.

The weight is my biggest problem. With most 16’ boats somewhere in the 60-80lbs range this boat is nothing unusual. Maybe I’m getting old! I’m happy once the boat is up on my shoulders, but the getting up and down part is always tricky, and it’s easy to pull a muscle during this process. The perils of being forty I guess.

Good Points
Very stable. Well suited to beginners. Accommodates a family plus gear easily. Stays dry in choppy water.

Bad Points
Catches wind easily. Difficult to manhandle due to high prows.

Summary
We have had great fun with this boat, and plan to have much more fun. People often tell me what a nice boat it is, which is always pleasing. It’s really got us into canoeing, and whilst it may not meet our needs indefinitely, I think it has been an excellent boat to start in.

This review first appeared on our Forum HERE