Old Town  Penobscot 164 Canoe

I purchased this canoe online for pickup at the Alderwood store. The store staff was excellent at helping me bring out the canoe and get it loaded on my truck. Unfortunately when I got home I noticed the hull had 2 large indentations. I contacted Old Town and REI and was told that it most likely occurred during shipping due to how it was supported and the heat it was exposed to. Old Town recommended I either set the canoe out in the hot sun and try to push out the dents or even apply heat to the areas to speed up the process. I did this and managed to work out the dents where they are hardly noticeable. This canoe handles very nice. It is rather efficient to paddle and easily handled 2 paddlers, a labrador retriever, and a weeks worth of camping gear and food. The wind came up strong in the afternoon resulting in some small white caps and the canoe handled it just fine. All in all - I'm happy with the canoe and would recommend it to others looking for an affordable, durable canoe that can handle loads for longer trips. I'm still not satisfied with the shipping and hope that Old Town & REI correct this so others do not experience the disappointment of warped hull due to improper shipping.

We got this canoe last Summer and have taken it on several class III runs. She's always stayed upright so far. The Penobscot handles very well and can be maneuvered in rock gardens and punches through big waves. It is also less affected by wind than other canoes we've paddled. We can't wait to tour with it in June!

This canoe performed admirably on the west branch of the Spanish River. Although the capacity is somewhat limited, two 105 litre river packs and a couple of day packs is ideal. The boat proved responsive and capable in white water and tracks well in heavy wind and waves on lakes.

Gotta love an Old Town. I took this canoe on a small lake with my daughter, who is 7, and was a bit nervous about how it would balance. To my surprise (and pleasure) neither of us fell out, despite having a child climbing around in the canoe the entire time.

Great product. Have used the canoes before. Would highly recommend.

Like any poly boat its heavy but it's fast and durable. Great canoe for covering a lot of water in quick fashion.

I bought my Penobscot in 1987 and have paddled it through out mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arkansas rivers and streams. The material back then was called Royalex, but it sounds similar to the triple layer material Old Town is using now. It as been a very durable boat with a hull design that performs well on small and large rivers. It's time for me to replace my old boat, the hull shell is finally wearing thin after 37 years of frequent use. My hope is to replace it with a new Penobscot 164, if I can find one. Wish me luck!

I bought this canoe over a month ago and it arrived two weeks late. When it arrived I got a call from my local store that it was in, but the shipping company had badly damaged it en route. The REI worker actually saw the delivery man dragging it on the asphalt to their receiving door. They offered me 20% off, which I took at the time, with the understanding that I could still return it. I picked it up at night, but in the light of the next day I saw that the bottom of this canoe had HORRIBLE scrapes, and deep gouges on the bow and stern. I decided that 20% wasnt going to cut it for the condition this canoe was given to me in, and unfortuneately I plan on returning it (canoe friends of mine said their boats didnt look this bad after 30 years of use!) ...long story short, beware of having this very large and expensive canoe shipped to your local store, they do NOT handle with care

I purchased this canoe in 2002! It has been a great boat. The boat is comfortable on up to class III whitewater, so lakes, rivers, and streams are no problem. The boat gets a little tippy when the payload exceeds 400 pounds, and there is a definite difference in its handling with this weight. For two average size people this is a great boat to experience white water thrills on the class I-III variety! I will keep it for life!

I bought a 16 ' - 4 " Old Town canoe some 30 years ago and went tripping for quite a few times with it. It endured and resisted being wrapped around a rock and I was able to replace the gunwhales and seats to make it seaworthy again. This is a quite robust canoe! I highly recommend it.