Open main menu

Old Town Saranac 146

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
photo: Old Town Saranac 146 recreational canoe

I chose the Old Town Saranac 146 canoe because of its quality, features, size, and price. Not too small or too big (needed to fit on roof rack w kayak). It's fairly stable and can easily be paddled with a kayak paddle! The padded seats, rod holders and extra storage are nice for extra gear. Plenty of room for 2-3 passengers, poles, tackle, cooler, etc. A quality compact canoe (for the price) that seems very durable. You can't go wrong with legendary Old Town brand quality.

Pros

  • Easy for one or two paddlers
  • Great quality (for the price)
  • Durable and stable
  • Storage options

Cons

  • A bit awkward for single person lift

My wife and I were looking for two kayaks, but we love canoes. She bought the kayak and I chose the Old Town Saranac 146 canoe because of its quality, features, size, and price (boat clearance sale was less than $500). It's not too small or too big (needed to fit on a roof rack with kayak).

It's fairly stable and I can easily propel it with a kayak paddle! The padded seats, rod holders, and extra storage are a bonus because I use it primarily for fishing small northern lakes. I use the center seat storage to hold a compact 12volt battery for my Garmin depth finder. There's plenty of room for two adults and a child, tackle, net, cooler, etc.

Quality is nice for the price and it seems pretty durable so far (only two years old). It's a great "starter" canoe for a couple or for those who need to fit two boats on a roof rack. It's a great compact canoe that fits our needs and budget and you can't go wrong with the legendary Old Town brand.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $475

Great boat.

Pros

  • Room for 3
  • Small enough for 1
  • Comfy

Cons

  • No yoke

We are a family of three that loves to kayak, but our little guy is now too large to fit in our boats with us so we opted to get a canoe for family trips. The center storage unit provides a good seat for the kid while also providing space to store lunch and drinks.  

No issues for us in terms of stability as we are very used to being in canoes for fishing and lounging. I had no issues standing to cast in this boat even with others in it. The seats are comfortable, but I wish I could lay the back down flat on to the seat if I didn't want to use it. For instance if I wanted to sit on the front seat facing back to paddle my self around. I guess that is why I have the kayak.  

The one negative thing about this boat that I knew before I bought it was that without a yoke in the center it is harder to carry when I am alone. I opted to have a place for the kid to sit instead.  

Source: bought it new

Very comfortable due to padded seat. Easy rowing canoe. Great value for the price.

Pros

  • Padded seats
  • Durable hull
  • Lots of room and weight capacity

Cons

  • Little tipsy for beginners

Bought this canoe last summer it was our first experience with a canoe. Canoe was a little tipsy to begin with but added a set of stabilizers to the sides and it made a big difference. Really liked the idea of the padded seats with backs to them, makes it more enjoyable to stay on the water for long periods of time.

Source: bought it new

Your Review

Where to Buy

Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support Trailspace's independent gear reviews.

You May Like

Specs

Price MSRP: $549.99
Current Retail: $899.99
Historic Range: $549.00-$899.99
Reviewers Paid: $475.00
Product Details from Old Town »

Recently on Trailspace

Black Diamond FineLine Stretch Rain Shell Review