Old Town offers a wide variety of canoe models and designs, each with features and design elements to meet specific paddling needs. In choosing your Old Town canoe, keep in mind that no single boat can do everything well. At Old Town, we make specialized canoes designed to do one thing very well, along with general recreation canoes that will do most things moderately well.

To choose the right canoe for you, first make an honest evaluation of your intended needs and uses. What types of canoeing activities will you participate in most of the time? Will you paddle mostly on calm lakes and ponds or in waves and whitewater? Will you seek lazy days fishing, exploring wilderness rivers, or the thrill of competition? Will you paddle alone or with family and friends? Once you've determined these parameters, you can choose the canoe design that will fit your needs most of the time.

Canoe types
To make it easier for you, we've organized our complete line of canoe models into 5 distinct categories:

• Classic Wood
  Not so much a specific use or activity, but a feeling. Old Town began its 100-year history building wood and canvas canoes, and we still make our Wood Classics today to capture the hand-crafted heritage that takes your canoeing experience back to its roots.
• Recreational
  Recreational canoes are suitable for a wide variety of on-water activities. They are perfect for people who want to paddle their local lake, pond or quiet river. Though these canoes do not have the performance features of more specialized canoes, their stability and versatility make them the right choice for families and newcomers to the sport of paddling.
• Touring
  Our Touring canoes tend to be more technical than general recreation canoes. Designed for efficiency and speed, they are normally long and narrow; although initial stability is reduced, secondary stability is enhanced. This versatile class of canoe is at home in a variety of water conditions, from calm lakes to moderate whitewater.
• River Running & Tripping
  River running/Tripping canoes are high volume canoes designed for whitewater and/or carrying large loads. They are rockered for maneuverability, deep and flared in the ends for dryness, and built to withstand heavy abuse. Also a great choice for large family outings.
• Sporting
  Our Sporting canoes are designed for fishing, hunting and a variety of other outdoor activities. These platform canoes offer high initial stability, and are versatile enough to be paddled, rowed or motored. In fact, some have square sterns for mounting a motor.

Choosing a kayak is similar to choosing a canoe. Both move through the water powered by a paddle and both are used for similar activities. But there are several differences. To begin with, you are using a double-bladed paddle, allowing for easier correction and extra speed. And you are sitting much closer to the water, which gives you better stability and allows for a narrower, lighter craft.

Like canoes, it is important to remember that no single kayak can do everything. So choosing the right one for you means first coming up with an honest idea of how you intend to use your kayak. There are a lot of designs out there and some will fit your needs much better than others. Perhaps it might help to break down your intended usage into percentages, such as 80% lake paddling, 10% fishing, 10% ocean day trips.

Kayak types
We've organized our line of kayaks into four distinct categories to help you decide which is best for you:

• General Recreation
  User friendly kayaks for those who just want to get out on the water. General Recreation kayaks are stable and easy to maneuver, making them ideal for quiet water paddling on lakes, ponds and class I rivers.
• Recreational Touring
  These versatile kayaks offer good stability and improved tracking and efficiency. Large open cockpits permit easy entry and exit, and allow you to stretch your legs as well as stow your gear. Recreational Touring kayaks are a great choice for sportsmen, or simply an enjoyable way to get the family on the water.
• Day Touring
  Day Touring kayaks are designed to efficiently cover long distances and carry large amounts of gear. This sleek class of kayak fits the needs of kayak campers, those taking longer day trips and paddling large bodies of water. More technical than recreational kayaks, their decreased initial stability and maneuverability allows for increased secondary stability and speed.
• Sporting
  Old Town has introduced the Predator Series to give serious hunters and fishermen a kayak specifically designed for sporting use. Lightweight and extremely stable, they're packed with features to make life easier and more enjoyable on hunting and fishing excursions.