Teton

Has anyone else noticed an alarming propensity for the bow seat of the Teton to fail after a few seasons of normal use? The camp I manage has a fleet of 8 Tetons; This spring, I've had to repair 7 of 8 bow seats. Getting parts has been (maddeningly) difficult, as the machine screw used to hang the seat is apparently a custom-built part.

Otherwise, a fantastic canoe for flat, lake, and whitewater. Tandem or solo, they're a nice design.

An excellent canoe... I got mine used from an outfitter. I have taken it on flat water and on a slow moving river and it has been great, easy to navigate. Solo portages would be challenging, but I'm not going to be doing much of that. I would highly recommend this canoe especially for those looking to do some fishing or carry camping gear.

This is our first canoe and I just love it. Very stable and roomy. Sure I would have liked it a little lighter but was not willing to spend the extra 50% to get it. My son and I use it mostly for fishing. I expect to get a lot of pleasurable experiences from this canoe.

The Teton is our first canoe. We did a good deal of research before buying in order to find a boat which would suit our needs - quiet rivers, flat water, camping trips, and fishing. The outfitter we ultimately bought from recommended the Teton without hesitation even though it was probably the least expensive canoe in the shop. After 6 weeks of using the Teton, we are thrilled. It does all of the above very well (although we haven't taken it river camping yet - that's next week!). Yes, it is heavy and requires 2 people to transport (3 would be nice) BUT that is the only drawback. And, as long as you know you are buying a heavy boat, the weight isn't really a problem. Our decision to buy the Teton is confirmed every time we take it out.

I've had a slightly used "demo" Teton about 3 weeks--my first canoe. Being a newbie, I don't have much to compare it to. As I recall, it weighs 79 pounds, and it took a while to figure out how to get it on top of my evil gas-guzzle surburban without killing myself. I can't imagine portaging the thing solo, so I'm getting the yoke replaced with another seat. I got a good price about $150 below retail which fit my wife-allocated budget. I imagine I'll keep it a couple of years and replace with a royalex or Kevlar Explorer so my son can take it out by himself. There's nothing but flatwater around here, but it maneuvers very easily in the water.