Discovery 147 Description

The Discovery 147 is a canoe brought to you by Old Town Canoe and Kayak. Read Discovery 147 reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other canoe recommendations below or explore all canoes to find the perfect one for you!

Old Town Canoe and Kayak
Discovery 147 Reviews

Read reviews for the Discovery 147 by Old Town Canoe and Kayak as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

Goog all around kayak

Submitted by: paddler774427 on 5/11/2020
Goog all around kayak
4

As most agree, the Guide is…

Submitted by: paddler422920 on 3/27/2018

As most agree, the Guide is indestructable but very heavy. Bounced it off the concrete driveway trying to get it on my 4 wd truck. Not a scratch. But putting it on top by myself is out of the question. People have said this boat is tippy. I fly fish standing up in it. My wife and I both fly fish in it. I built a transom and use a 30 lb MinnKota trolling motor. Battery up front to keep the keel in the water to help steer when I'm alone. I sometimes sit on an ice chest in the middle when solo and use a kayak paddle. The only time it ever flipped was in my neighbors pool when we were learning how to recover from swamping. Decided if we ever flipped, we would just drag it to shore. We filled it to the top of the gunnels and it still wouldn't sink but recovery required pulling it to the steps. Can't think of anything negative except weight. We're canoe camping the Buffalo as soon as the water gets high enough. I would give it 5 stars if it would just lose some weight! Priced right, stable, tough, seats with backrests.

4

I have had two old town…

Submitted by: paddler234760 on 7/7/2016
I have had two old town discovery 147's for a very long time. The salesman I talked to when I bought them took a large four-wheel-drive quad and drove over them. both canoes were fine and sustained no damage. Since then they have been on countless trips, including multiple trips to the boundary waters one trip down the Cumberland River and 30+ trips down the white river in Michigan. They are very scraped up and have been quite abused but still function perfectly. My only issue with the old town discovery is that it will do everything from paddling tight corners and shooting rapids to large open lakes and portages in the boundary waters fairly OK but it does nothing great. This is a good canoe to throw in the back of the truck, take the kids out to the lake and beat the crap out of the canoe. As many others have said this canoe is nearly indestructible. I would recommend this boat to anyone looking for a nice all-around canoe. But not to someone looking for a canoe for a specific function.
5

My Old Town Discovery is one…

Submitted by: cdavis on 10/4/2015
My Old Town Discovery is one of the best purchases I have ever made and I bought it over 20yrs ago. It has lived in the yard, on the roof, under the house at one point, and on the water. It is still just as indestructible as it was when I acquired it. We just pulled it out and cleaned it up, put it on the water and there we were, just as we were 20yrs ago. I have more than gotten my money's worth out of this boat.

I purchased it off a man that had just floated the Snake River solo, as a final trip due to his age. When he saw my face as he was pulling to his front yard with a for sale sign on it, he must have seen that 20 year old sparkle. I asked him "how much you asking sir?" and he asked asked if I "would actually use it", to which I replied "yes sir!". He looked me up and down, smiled, and asked what I could afford to pay. I told him I had just done some odd jobs and might be able to come up with a couple of hundred dollars if I could get a couple of days to do so. He chuckled and said "oh to be young", and with out even a pause said "what 'cha got in your pockets right now?" I quickly began checking thinking I better give this guy a deposit if I ever wanted to see this canoe again. Between my wallet and my pockets I came up with $83.54. I held it out as if to say "please".

The old man snatched the money from my hand, handed me back a ten dollar bill, and quickly turned around and began walking back toward the house. He climbed the steps to his front porch and paused. He turned around as if to take one last look at the canoe and said "take care of her son, and she'll take care of you. We've paddled over a thousand miles together, Enjoy". He tipped his hat and went into his house.

I never got his name, but I would go by leave pictures of his old canoe on various bodies of water, taped to the arm of the rocking chair on his porch every so often. After a couple of years, and probably twenty photos, I noticed different vehicles in the driveway, and children's toys in the yard. I never left another photo and never inquired about the older gentleman.

I think about him every time I look at that canoe. He was absolutely right... I have taken care of her, and she has taken care of me. She has gently carried numerous friends and myself through good times and rough patches. Now she takes care of my children too. My boys have now began to explore the "path of the paddle" and through that we have found new layers to our relationship that will last a lifetime.

I never got a chance to actually thank the old man that sold me that canoe (for whatever I had in my pockets), but something tells me he knew exactly what he was doing when he did.

4

I really wanted to like this…

Submitted by: ouremailinbox on 9/3/2014
I really wanted to like this boat. For the price, it is a creditable craft. Good load capacity, reasonably responsive, stable, and pretty much bomb-proof. If you need a downstream tandem canoe for day or weekend tripping, this is a reasonable choice. Solo paddling, even with trim ballast, is a bunch of work.

Its FATAL flaw, however, is its weight. This canoe is a brick. I'm 63, with above-average upper body strength, and car-topping this brute took every ounce of strength I could muster. Portaging would be impossible for me. I used it one season and gave it to a relative who lifts weights for fun......

1

terrible canoe. Very tippy.…

Submitted by: paddler234172 on 7/27/2011
terrible canoe. Very tippy. We could not even have coffee in the boat much less take our guns and Forget taking our lab. We tried several different combinations of people and it was unstable in every situation...we are disappointed that it wasn't what we thought it would be
4

Bought mine used (but pretty…

Submitted by: paddler233446 on 12/2/2009
Bought mine used (but pretty pristine) and took it on a 4-day river trip as a solo paddler. It turned okay and tracked straight and the Crosslink material held up well to all the rocks that the relatively low water levels exposed it to. Not really loving the keel, but I suppose it helps keep it stable. Didn't help with the rocks, though, as it tended to get hung up and pitch the boat sideways. It seems like a decent choice if you want to river trip solo and do "family outing" tandem stuff on lakes. Wouldn't want to portage the beast, though.
5

I purchased a 17' Discovery…

Submitted by: paddler233135 on 5/26/2009
I purchased a 17' Discovery 147 Old Town canoe. It is a rugged, well made canoe. It is very stable and safe for the whole family.
5

My first canoe so I have…

Submitted by: paddler232572 on 5/16/2008
My first canoe so I have nothing to compare it to except for the old aluminum ones that I've paddled a few times. Thus, the ten rating. I have no complaints. For the money, it's a great boat. I've read a few reviews from people who complain about the weight but I personally have no problem with handling it by myself. Like anything else, you just have to figure out a routine that works and stick to it. A little arm strength helps. It tracks well and is fast and stable enough. Very proud.
5

Old Town Guide 147, polylink…

Submitted by: ewade on 1/22/2007
Old Town Guide 147, polylink 3 material. My third canoe, very stable, have used it for fishing, tripping, on large lakes, and rivers up to class 11. Would reccomend it for anyone wanting a great all round boat.
4

Solid performer. It is so…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 6/25/2004
Solid performer. It is so stable that I can stand to fish. It is also a very dry boat. It tracks pretty well for its length. I use it for both flat water and river tripping.
4

I use without troubles my 147…

Submitted by: paddler229827 on 7/22/2002
I use without troubles my 147 in a small and wild lake close Rome...Obviously it is a hard canoe, useful for training: in Italy it isn't easy to find a canadian canoe so many people are struck by its shape..It is a pleasure to paddle especially during the winter.
4

My father has a 147…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 5/16/1999
My father has a 147 (Crosslink), and I really enjoy it. We do a lot of lake paddling and we find that it is very smooth in the water and stable. I would recommend it for recreational paddling. It's a great canoe.
4

These are obviously small…

Submitted by: paddler228084 on 5/4/1999
These are obviously small short boats suitable for one or two people and limited gear at most. Mine was the proprietary crosslink. Very industrial, rugged [bombproof], very heavy, and did not handle especially well, probably a function of the size and weight togethor. So if you are not Arnold Schwarznegger, good luck!