Should I Rent Or Buy A Canoe? - Worldwide Tent Campers

Canoes are not a small purchase for a lot of peoples budgets. Should you rent a canoe or buy one? In this article we will take a look at the pros and cons of both.

Table of Contents

How Often Will I Use It?

The first question that can be asked is how often will I be using the canoe? If you are only going to need it once or twice per year for a weekend trip than you may just consider renting it. If on the other hand you like to get away often then you may seriously consider getting your moneys worth by purchasing a canoe.

If for example you have many lakes close to where you live and take a lot of day trips, than owning a canoe allows you to not only get your moneys worth but also you will avoid the hassles of renting such as needing to arrange to pick up the canoe, drop it off on an agreed date and taking responsibility for any damage incurred.

Renting a canoe for the day can range in price and the price will most likely be less the longer period of time you will rent it for.

What Will I Use It For?

Another question to consider is what sort of canoing you will be doing. If you are only doing lake tripping than you can get away with purchasing one style of canoe.

If you on occasion go whitewater canoeing then you can just rent on those occasions. If though you primarily go whitewater river running than investing in a good whitewater canoe may be worth it in the long run.

You do have the flexibility of using a whitewater canoe for lake tripping. The only drawback is that while durable, they are quite heavy. You could decide to rent a lighter canoe on these occasions if you only go lake tripping periodically.

Can I Store It Easily?

Another consideration is storage. A canoe requires a large space to store. If you are living in a small apartment this can certainly complicate things. You may be able to store your canoe at a friends place however most likely they will want to have free access to it as compensation.

Renting eliminates this problem. In some ways its simpler, you just call up the outfitter when you need the canoe, pick it up, and drop it off or have the outfitter pick it up when you are done your trip.

If you do have the space to store a canoe than this is a strike in favor of going the ownership route. You will have easy access when you want to spend a day or a week on the lake.

How Will I Transport It

One of the final considerations is how you will be transporting your canoe. You will most certainly need a vehicle. Getting roof racks or a foam tie down system is very simple and can be fairly inexpensive, though you can spend quite a bit of money on this as well if you want.

If you are living in a city and decide as many do not to own a vehicle, than the savings can easily help you afford renting a canoe whenever you want and for as long as you need.

Conclusions

So what are the pros and cons of renting vs buying a canoe? Well its good to not rush into buying without considering renting first. Some of the Pros of renting are:

little up front cost
avoiding the responsibilities of ownership
not needing storage space
flexibility, being able to do whitewater or lake tripping
not needing to worry about transportation (if using an outfitter)
not needing to purchase extras such as life vest, paddles, throw bag, bailer etc.

Some of the cons:

The cost can add up quick
liability concerns
access issues such as being unavailable for the times you require
date inflexibility
having to use a different canoe each time
not being able to outfit your canoe the way you would like

Some of the pros of owning a canoe are:

best value for frequent use
easy access
not needing to deal with liability and dealing with a third party
becoming familiar with your craft
ability to sell and recoup some of the cost (canoes do hold their value to and extent)
you have control of how you will outfit your canoe with extras