hey whitetail,
there are a lot of great canoes out there, from a lot of different sources. we- no-nah canoes has a lot of good advice, on their website, about buying canoes... all of it is geared towards buying a we-no-nah.... by the way, they are a great company and have a lot of options... for a time, wenonah was all that i would own...
bell is another good company which produces a superior product, and stands behind it...
if class II rapids (or even class I) were a regular thing, i would avoid a square stern canoe....
i avoid them anyway because i enjoy paddling, and, for my money, there's never been one made which paddled right...
perhaps my personal favorite canoe today is my kippewa, made by swift canoe out of dwight, ontario. it handles superbly. i can put people in it who have never paddled anything before, and they have a great time... it has what the experts call "an easy turn of speed", which means that it paddles efficiently and easily... mine is a glass- kevlar hybrid, with wood trim and weighs about 55 lbs.... i know nothing about their service or how they stand behind their product, as i have only had this one for 12 years and am just breaking it in... and i'm the only person that i know who has one...
if you want to truly enjoy a canoe, do not get one built for heavy hauling, or wilderness tripping, as they are too deep, and sit too high in the water when lightly loaded, as for the average day trip... this causes them to catch more wind and control becomes work...
the average day tripping, or touring canoe will carry enough gear for 2 paddlers for a long weekend, or a short week.
a good canoe will provide you more enjoyment, and cause you less frustration, and worry, than any other type of watercraft.....
on average, i would steer a new, or casual buyer towards bell, or wenonah companies...
i think that they both have hulls geared towards hunting and fishing...
a glass canoe, built for touring is what most people want...
i think a web search of any of the companies mentioned would turn up a lot of info...
i have dealt extensively with wenonah...
bell has a great reputation as well...
both companies have people who will answer questions on the phone, and who know canoeing...
there is a paddling specialty shop in madison wisconsin called Carl's Paddlin' ... they are the true experts and have a wealth of integrity... a web search under that name would be productive as well...
have fun.... john w
