How Much Does a Tent Weigh? (And Why it Matters

How much do canoes weigh?Reasons why canoe weight differsMaterial:Size:Type:Canoe weight according to material:How much does a fiberglass canoe weigh?How much does an aluminum canoe weigh?How much does a wooden canoe weigh?How much does a Kevlar canoe weigh?How much does a plastic canoe weigh?How much does a cedar/dugout canoe weigh?Canoe weight according to size:How much does a 12-foot canoe weigh?How much does a 14-foot canoe weigh?How much does a 15-foot canoe weigh?How much does a 16-foot canoe weigh?Canoe weight according to types:How much does an inflatable canoe weigh?How much does a pelican canoe weigh?Why consider canoe weight before buying?Heavy to Carry:Extra Gear:Car Roof Consideration:Storage:Maneuverability:Which one to choose: lightweight vs

heavyweight canoe?What is the lightest canoe material?What is the heaviest canoe material?How much weight can a canoe hold?How much weight can a 12-foot canoe hold?How much weight can a 14-foot canoe hold?How much weight can a 15-foot canoe hold?How much weight can a 16-foot canoe hold?How much does a Grumman canoe weigh?How much does a Coleman canoe weigh?How much does a Wenonah canoe weigh?How much does an old town canoe weigh?Frequently Asked Questions:

The size and the material decide how heavy the canoe is going to be, and it matters because you, more often than not, will need to solo carry and maneuver the canoe

Reasons why canoe weight differs

There are several contributing factors as to why canoe weight might be different

Material, size, and type are three of the most common contributors

Canoe manufacturing companies are always working on coming up with a material that will be better, lighter, faster than the ones made in the past

The material your canoe is made of will determine how heavy it’s going to be

Even if the dimensions match, if the material is different, the weight will be different too

Even if it has the same proportions, a plastic canoe is going to be 10-20 pounds lighter than a fiberglass canoe

Kevlar tends to make the lightest canoes, a solo canoe usually ranging in at 45 lbs

whereas polyethylene or plastic is usually the heaviest, weighing 80 lbs

This only proves the material regulates the weight of the canoe

This is a no-brainer, but the size of the canoe obviously limits how heavy it is going to be as well

The size of a canoe is determined by its length, width, and depth

In case of length, shorter boats are clearly going to be lighter than their longer counterparts if made of the same materials

The width of the canoe will make an impact as to how heavy a canoe can be as well

However, this also means the wider you make your canoe, the more material it needs, therefore making it heavier

As the same with width, the deeper the canoe is, the heavier it is going to be since it means the sides are taller; therefore the canoe requires more material

It can be argued that there are two “main” forms of a canoe, one where it’s open from one end to the other (the modern/recreational) with a solo blade paddle propellor and the other being a covered deck or cockpit with double-bladed paddle propellers

It is quite apparent that the more propellors you have, the heavier it is going to be

Recreational canoes are different from river or fishing canoes, with the multipurpose canoe being somewhere in the middle

Recreational canoes are the ones people usually think of when asked about canoes or kayaks

Focusing on stability, they are relatively easier to handle, recommended for flat water activities

Made of highly durable material, it will focus on impact and abrasion handling

Also made to be durable, functional, and with storage, fishing canoes have to emphasize making the least amount of sound as well

It is rather apparent that since each type of canoe focuses on one attribute over the other, how much they weigh is going to be different as well

Whether it’s a solo or a tandem canoe differentiates their weight as well

Canoe weight according to material:

A 15 feet tandem fiberglass canoe- that is to say, it can carry two people, usually weighs 65 lbs

Aluminum canoes are heavier than modern composites such as fiberglass

A typical aluminum canoe that can hold 2 people will weigh around 70lbs, going up to 84lbs

Usually, wooden canoes are what people traditionally associate canoes with

A wooden, generally cedar strip canoe holding 2 people weigh 65 to 75 lbs

whereas a solo canoe will be around 40 to 55 pounds

Perfectly made to wear and tear proof, Kevlar canoes are becoming popular for their flat water efficient trips

Being 20% lighter than the already light fiberglass, this composite canoe is easier to navigate the water with

A tandem Kevlar canoe 15 feet long can weigh anywhere between 45 to 50 pounds

Redeemed to be one of the most inexpensive yet durable options out there, plastic canoes are also the heaviest

Despite being low maintenance, prolonged exposure to the sun can damage this material as well

Top manufacturers mostly make plastic canoes holding two people to be around 80 pounds, with solo canoes weighing 50 pounds

How much does a cedar/dugout canoe weigh?

As mentioned with wooden canoes, cedar, or dugout canoes are made custom by independent manufacturers, which makes them very expensive

These nostalgia-inducing traditional canoes weigh the same as wooden canoes, being very heavy, around 70 pounds or higher

Canoe weight according to size:

As dictated above, the size of the canoe will play heavily into how much it is going to weigh

The answers below take account into a few of the most popular canoes to show the difference in weight and sizes

It should be taken into consideration that despite being the same length, the difference of material decides how heavy it is going to be

The Sea Eagle SE370 Inflatable Sport Kayak is 12ft long but weighs only 32 lbs

On the other hand, the Third Coast Avalon has the same length but weighs a whopping 68 pounds

The Wilderness Systems Tsunami is 14ft long and weighs around 60 pounds

The Hobie Mirage Pro Angler conversely weighs 144 despite being the same length

Novacraft’s Bob special 15 is a perfect example of how the build material determines how heavy a canoe is going to be

When made of fiberglass, it weighs 58lb

In contrast, when it is made of Aramid Lite, a composite material, it weighs 40lb

Wenonah’s most popular composite canoe, Prism, weighs only 30lbs when it’s made of Kevlar UL

However, change the material to Tuf-weave flex, and it becomes 40lbs instead

Canoe weight according to types:

As mentioned before, the type of canoe will greatly differentiate its weight as well, despite having similar dimensions

How much does an inflatable canoe weigh?

Usually, inflatable solo canoes are super light, weighing in at a mere 30 pounds and tandem canoes being only 10 pounds heavier- 40lb

It should also be noted that backcountry inflatable kayaks are lighter than the ones used for fishing, the 175 pounds to the heavy 52 pounds

How much does a pelican canoe weigh?

Pelican canoes are beginner-friendly, being lightweight and allowing easy portage

Considering size and function, a pelican canoe can be around 20 pounds, with heavier ones ranging in 80 pounds

Why consider canoe weight before buying?

You should always consider canoe weight before buying one for multiple reasons, such as

Heavy to Carry:

Unless you’re living really close to the water, you have to carry the canoe to and from

Whilst 30 pounds might feel like nothing for a quick walk, carrying a canoe of the same size for a longer duration on unequal terrains is going to inevitably tire you out

Some canoes come with additional gears, which will make it considerably heavier, especially when portaging

If you’re planning for a long drive out with a canoe trip to finish it off, you’ll have to consider how tough it is going to be to pack it on the car roof

You also have to consider if your car roof can handle the constant weight on it during the trip

The weight also decides how much storage you’re going to get

If you’re focusing on fishing, then you might need to add more weight for the extra storage

The weight also determines how easy or hard it’s going to be to maneuver the canoe

The lighter kayaks tend to be easier to handle, while the heavier boats are going to be more durable yet harder to control

Lightweight canoes are preferable for recreational use since they are easy to carry and navigate

If you’re looking for canoes to rent, lightweight canoes are recommended for they are easy to maintain as well

On the other hand, heavyweight canoes- as the name suggests, are good for heavy-duty activities

Heavy kayaks tend to have propellors added to them, so it makes longer treks easier, therefore more durable on rough waters

What is the lightest canoe material?

While the industry is competing to always look for the next lightest material, for the time being, the crown goes to Kevlar or Kevlar composite or hybrid canoes

Wenonah’s Wee Lassie weighs only 10 pounds, despite being almost 11 feet in length since it’s made of a Kevlar/Carbon hybrid

What is the heaviest canoe material?

While aluminum canoes are known to be one of the heaviest in the market- it is actually polyethylene or plastic that makes the heaviest canoes

Old Town’s Discovery 169 is a monstrous 91lbs, despite its 17 feet length

How much weight can a canoe hold?

The weight capacity fixed by the manufacturer determines how much weight a canoe can hold

Typically, solo canoes can hold 400 to 600 pounds, including the person and the gear

It is very ill-advised to push the limit of a canoe’s weight capacity

Exceeding the weight capacity means endangering the lives of yourself and others, as well as losing all your gear

The formula to calculate the weight capacity of a canoe is (Width x Length)/15

If the length is 12 and the width is 3, using the formula, the answer is approx

The length being 14 and width being 3 feet, the answer is approx

Length is 15 foot and width is the common 3; the answer is also 3 people, but this time it can hold 500 pounds

Same width measurement in mind, it comes out 3 people as well, but the capacity goes up to 530 pounds

How much does a Grumman canoe weigh?

Grumman’s standard 17’ Double-Ender can weigh between 60lbs to 75lbs depending on the material

One of the newer canoes, Marathon, weighs 81 pounds

How much does a Coleman canoe weigh?

The 1985 model with 158’ length weighed 95 lbs

whereas the 1989 1567’ version weighed a pound less

The difference came from the change of material and length

How much does a Wenonah canoe weigh?

The Wenonah prospector 15 weighs in at 59 lbs, with its 15 feet length and Royalex making

Prospector 16, on the other hand, weighs 40 lbs, despite being 16ft in length- for it is made of Kevlar Ultralight

Old Towns Saranac 160 is 16ft long, made of polyethylene, and weighs 89lbs

Another popular model, the Guide 160, is also 16ft long, made with a different kind of polyethylene, and weighs 86lbs

The size, material, and type of canoe determine how much it’s going to weigh

Conversely, the weight of a canoe is going to dictate how it functions and upkeeps

Therefore, before going into buying a canoe, looking into its make and weight is a good idea

One of the first things you should ask yourself before you buy a canoe is, “How much does a canoe weigh?” Because by the time you get a canoe out of the store, onto the roof of your car, and unloaded at home you’ll realize … canoes can be heavy

How heavy depends on several factors, and after more research than—by now, you know we do a lot of research, right?

Let me break down canoe weight for you

A typical polyethylene (plastic) solo canoe weighs 50 pounds (23 kg)

Fiberglass 2-person canoes weigh between 55 and 70 pounds

Aluminum canoes weigh a little more than that at 60 to 75 pounds

Kevlar and other light composite canoes weigh about 20% less than similarly designed and purposed fiberglass canoes

However, how heavy specific canoes are depends on several factors

So, by the end of this article, we hope to give you enough information to have a good handle on how much canoes weigh and why you should definitely care

Canoe Weight – Why You Should Care?

Simply put, unless your canoe’s left on the water year round, you’re going to have to carry or transport it back and forth, to and from the water

This is where canoe weight becomes an issue for most of us

Each different method has its own issue with how heavy your canoe is

Carrying your canoe – This will be the primary way you get your canoe in and out of storage, and that last hundred yards or, if you’re lucky, few feet to the water’s edge

Carrying your canoe upside down over your head by yourself will make a 50 pound canoe quickly feel twice that heavy

hauling a heavy canoe as short a distance as 100 yards will make it feel even heavier than it really is

Overlanding (carrying) your canoe from one navigable waterway to another is called “portaging” (The dictionaries say to pronounce it pôrdij, but most people say “poor-tahzh”) Regardless of how you say it, portaging your canoe’s weight from one place to another will make you wish you splurged and bought that Kevlar canoe

Canoe Carts – There’s a reason someone invented this ingenious device—heavy canoes filled with lots of gear

Classic photos of people carrying canoes over their heads or cross-country “portaging” a canoe aside, canoe carts make heavier canoes much easier to get from point A to point B, especially if there’s some type of road or trail

Not so fast… Will your roof rack hold your canoe’s weight?

Can you lift a 50 to 75 pound canoe by yourself onto the roof of your car?

Canoe Trailer – Ah, the luxury of backing your nice new canoe trailer down a boat ramp and sliding your heavy canoe into the water

Depending on how heavy your canoe is, that will determine whether you can just mount a couple of storage bars to your garage studs or if you have to build or buy a floor-standing canoe rack for your heavy canoe

They can and do rip out if loaded up with too much side-pulling weight

Now, let’s look at what affects canoe weight

Factors that Determine How Much a Canoe Weighs

Canoe Materials and Weight

Build materials significantly increase or reduce a given type of canoe’s weight

A 2-person plastic canoe will weigh more than a 2-person fiberglass canoe of the exact same dimensions

Keep this in mind when shopping “bargain” canoes, because plastic is cheap, but it’s also heavy

This is why canoe manufacturers are always trying to come up with that next “new-best” canoe-making material

From heaviest to lightest, canoe material relative weights break down like this:

Polyethylene (plastic) – HeaviestWood Canoes – Heavy, but sometimes this is a tossup between wood and AluminumAluminum canoes – Heavy, but doesn’t weigh as much as one-piece plastic canoesFiberglass/composite canoes – Fiberglass canoes are generally lighter than aluminum canoesKevlar and graphite canoes – Kevlar canoes are roughly 20% lighter than fiberglass canoes

To keep things uniform, we’ll look at standard 2-person canoes to compare canoe weight between the following materials

Plastic – Polyethylene Canoes – Heavy

Most modern plastic canoes are made from sandwiching 3 layers of polyethylene together

Polyethylene and other plastic materials have made canoeing accessible to so many more people because of their relatively cheap cost and wide availability

Yes, polyethylene canoes are inexpensive and durable but those both come at a different price—they’re very heavy

I sampled the top 2 high-production canoe makers, Old Town and Mad River, and their two-person polyethylene canoes weigh an average of 80 pounds

POOR USE: Plastic canoe weight makes them a poor choice for portaging or if you have a smaller vehicle to transport your canoe with

Modern Wood Canoe – Heavy

This makes them expensive and heavy, but oh so beautiful

Yet, add to that the fact that you’ll probably have to varnish your wood canoe once a year, and you might want to consider another material

So, how much does a wood canoe weigh?

The weight of a cedar-strip 2-person wood canoe averages 65 to 75 pounds

And a solo wood canoe’s weight will average 45 to 55 pounds

BEST USE: Nostalgic purists who love to paddle calm lakes and apply yearly wood treatment

Aluminum Canoe – Lighter than Wood Heavier than Fiberglass

In the not so distant past, aluminum canoes were the most advanced canoes manufactured

Though they require very little maintenance, aluminum canoes used to be heavy and slow on the water

A 2-person aluminum canoe weighs an average of 70 pounds

Fiberglass Canoe – Lighter than Aluminum

How heavy is a fiberglass canoe?

Fiberglass canoe weights average 65 pounds for a 2-person canoes that’s roughly 15′ long

Kevlar Canoe – Very light (20-25% less than Fiberglass)

Kevlar canoes weigh about 20% less than fiberglass canoes, at around 45 to 50 pounds for a 15′ 2-person Kevlar canoe

Kevlar canoes are perfect flatwater tripping boats, with extremely high efficiency and very low weight that makes them easy to portage

Canoe Passenger Capacity and Weight

In doing this, you increase the weight beyond that of the average 2-person canoe weight of 70 lbs

So, it follows that 2, 3, and 4-person canoes made of the same materials will be heavier than one person canoes

Length and Width Effects on Canoe Weight

This seems somewhat obvious, but when you add length and/or width to a canoe you’ll add more build materials and thus increase its weight

And the reason manufacturers make so many different canoe lengths and widths are:

To Increase Canoe StabilityTo Increase Cargo Weight CapacityTo Increase Passenger CapacityTo get better tracking and maneuverability

Let’s use a very popular canoe brand, Old Town Canoes, as an example

Old Town canoes are made of exclusively 3-layer polyethylene construction these days, so they’re a bit on the heavy side

Old Town canoes average 55 pounds for a solo canoe, 83 pounds for a 2-person canoe, and about 93 pounds for a 3-person canoe

Their 3-layer polyethylene construction gives them a bit higher than average weight

Old Town Canoe Weights:

Canoe weights are probably one of the very first considerations most canoe buyers have and it should be high on your list of canoe features to consider

Weights for canoes vary drastically from around 20 lbs to over 100 lbs and it could be the single factor that disqualifies a canoe from purchase

Most 16′ – 18′ Kevlar canoes (arguably the most popular style) weigh between 50 lbs and 70 lbs

Polyethylene or plastic canoes of the same length weigh 80 lbs – 90 lbs, while Whitewater canoes made of tough T-Formex or Royalex weigh about 65 lbs for a popular 16-foot model

There are so many more variables that determine weight, and some of them may not be important to you while other factors will be a “make-or-break” issue

After 40 years of paddling, I’d love to share with you what factors you’ll want to consider to get the canoe that is the lightest, toughest and most appropriate for you!

1Factors That Affect Canoe Weight1 – Construction Material2 – Size of Canoe3 – Construction OptionsWhy Does Canoe Weight Matter?Overland Carries and PortagesMounting on CarStorageIf You Wonder Why Weight Matters So Much, Get This!How Much Does a 16-foot Canoe Weigh?The Experts “Weigh In!”Key Takeaways

Factors That Affect Canoe Weight

To get a lighter canoe, you’ll have to make sacrifices in other areas like durability

If you want a canoe with a great price tag, you’ll probably sacrifice both weight and toughness

Let’s take a look at some factors that affect canoe weight and why they differ in price

1 – Construction Material

The biggest factor that determines canoe weight (all other factors being equal), is construction material

The heaviest material for canoe construction is usually plastic or polyethylene

A 16-foot Carbon Fiber canoe weighs around 33 lbs and is very tough and durable

This material offers the best of everything in terms of lightness and toughness, but as you can imagine, its downside is a very hefty, premium price tag

The difference between Carbon canoes and plastic is significant since a 16-foot plastic canoe weighs close to 75 lbs while a Carbon canoe is less than half that weight at 30 – 33 lbs

Examples would be Royalex or T-Formex, fiberglass, aluminum, wood, and Kevlar

Every foot in size affects canoe weight significantly when the canoe is made from polyethylene

An Old Town 14’7″ GUIDE canoe weighs 74 lbs while an Old Town 15’8″ DISCOVERY canoe weighs 80 lbs

However, in the category of Kevlar, usually, a 1-foot difference brings about a 1 lb difference in weight

Solo canoes weigh less than tandem canoes based on their narrower beam (width) and often their slightly shorter length

Of course, the issue of size is not limited to length, but in fact, width and depth are important factors that can increase or decrease the weight of a canoe

You can research more about the length and width of a canoe and how those factors affect performance, right HERE

Options on a canoe can change weight significantly and each option affects the weight in a different manner

Also, each manufacturer has different options that change weight characteristics

And each canoe maker’s options change weight differently from another manufacturer and even from one model to the next with the same manufacturer

For example, a popular option on most canoes is to switch the standard aluminum gunwale/trim to a wooden trim option

This makes the canoe look much nicer, richer, and more inviting, but it increases weight and maintenance responsibilities

On an average canoe in the 15′ – 18′ range, wood trim will cost $400 – $500 more than aluminum trim and will increase weight by 3 lbs – 6 lbs

Other options that affect weight are items like seat style and the number of seats, yoke style, integrated foot braces, and spray skirts

If you’d like more detailed info on canoe issues like length, weight, capacity, etc

Why Does Canoe Weight Matter?

Overland Carries and Portages

The most obvious reason for canoe weight being a huge factor in determining which canoe you’ll buy is that by their very nature, canoes are crafts that will need to be lifted and carried very often

I’ve written an article all about CANOE CARTS and how they may help alleviate some pain associated with carrying canoes over portage routes

On a canoe camping trip, that may mean lifting and carrying a canoe several times a day for potentially a mile or more … EVERY DAY!

This is the joy of portaging, and it’s one of the main attractions to the activity of canoeing in the first place!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people complain about how miserable a canoe trip was simply because of the excessive weight of their canoe

A light canoe makes the task of carrying a canoe almost one to look forward to rather than dread!

Your canoe’s weight will matter as you approach your vehicle to attach your canoe

You’ll have to learn how to MOUNT YOUR CANOE on your particular vehicle safely (for you, your vehicle, and your canoe … not to mention others around you)

Once your trip is done, you’ll need a place to store the canoe

But most homeowners can’t afford the space along a wall or on a stand in the middle of their garage to store a canoe, so the best option is often to hang the canoe from the ceiling or to build a wall mount

If You Wonder Why Weight Matters So Much, Get This!

Arguably the most popular canoe size for most paddlers is a 16-foot canoe that can be used for both tandem and solo paddling

On average, a 16-foot canoe weighs 68 lbs

However, the range of weights is pretty wide from under 50 lbs to nearly 80 lbs

Here’s a chart with a quick look at various average canoe weights for a 16-foot canoe;

Times have changed over the years and mostly for the better as it pertains to canoe construction quality, weights, durability, and so on

In his book from 1997, canoeing expert Gordon Grant says this of carrying his canoe over a portage:

Carry a 17-foot 80-pound beast all by yourself? !Actually, it isn’t that bad!Gordon Grant – Canoeing, A Trailside Guide

By today’s standards, an 80 lb canoe is considered low end, brutally heavy and only those poor folks that can’t afford a “better” canoe will be stuck with something that weighs 80 pounds

The canoe which provides strength and rigidity, with comparative lightness, at a price you can afford, is the choice to go forBritish Canoe Union

Remember that the size of a canoe (length, width and depth) along with materials and extra options will affect canoe weightA general average weight range that you can expect to see for a tandem canoe would be 50 lbs – 70 lbsWeight matters because you’ll be regularly carrying, car mounting/dismounting and storing your canoe, and you’ll appreciate lightness in all those situations