Ally Folding canoes.

[Tofu Canoe]

Just saw an ad in the latest edition of Canoe and Kayak magazine. Anyone have any experiences with a folding canoe?, the brand of the Canoe is -Ally. checked their website, sounds interesting enough, but are they rugged?, easy to fix?.

[Cowper]

I haven't seen one of the Ally's up close, but per their website it is a skin-on-frame design. Even if the skin is very tough, the frame is almost certain to end up bent if used routinely on rivers like the Big Piney.

Some Coleman canoes used a frame member running along the keel line to help stiffen the boat; almost every one I ever saw in river use ended up bent badly out of shape at some point in time.

I'm sure it is a great boat as a pack canoe that can be hiked in or flown in to remote locations, but I suspect it is less than ideal for the rocky Class II's and above here in Arkansas.

[Tofu Canoe]

Its funny, did you happen to see the pics of the people using in on the Amazon River?. heck if they can use it there it seems like it can be used anywhere.

[Cowper]

Its funny, did you happen to see the pics of the people using in on the Amazon River?. heck if they can use it there it seems like it can be used anywhere.

Oh, I’d agree, it can be used anywhere, and I thought about some of those photos carefully before answering. (Some folks say I think too much…)

So let me explain some more:

The photos of these boats in white water were pretty impressive. But this was my logic: One or two photos of some experts successfully using the boat under extreme conditions still doesn't prove the boat is "good" for that type of stuff on a regular basis, it only means it is possible to use it that way.

For example, I know somebody who ran a sea kayak down the Ocoee river, successfully running every rapid and arriving at the take out with both paddler and boat uninjured, much to the surprise of those who were laughing under their breath at the put-in and looking forward to the carnage show. But if a few photos of this run had been taken, it wouldn’t prove sea kayaks are a good choice for running the Ocoee River. Even if the paddler could do it a number of more times without incident, he would still be cheating himself out of the play a shorter boat could provide, more likely to damage the boat in some future mishap, and would lack the maneuverability required to help rescue any buddies who got into trouble. The same statements would be true about “wildwater” canoes – many paddlers wouldn’t be able to keep one right-side up even in a pool, yet expert racers run those down the Ocoee and more difficult rivers every day.

It’s all about what you want the boat to do most often; I was just offering some things to consider as you weigh the pros and cons.

[Tofu Canoe]

The con is their price, even the base model is well out of my price range. I'll stick with my Buffalo.

[Clif]

Sevylor K79 Tahiti Classic

Search those up. I have seen them run lots here in the area as well as mag articles about African riers and a Grand Canyon trip. And they will do it. Doesn't mean they will hold up ... for sure over years.