Versatile, portable, fast, and convenient transportation to and from and on the water… A Scanoe is just cool. The Scanoe was just a more purposefully engineered version of that concept, so I love it for that reason alone. I’ve written about trolling motors for canoes and have fond memories of my youth, trolling for trout in a squareback aluminum canoe. Now listen, I’m completely prejudiced when talking about canoes made to mount trolling motors. Scanoes are no longer made by Coleman, but plenty of these “scout” canoe types are on the market, taking the place of the branded “Scanoe.” What is a Scanoe? The Coleman Scanoe is/was a cross between a skiff and a canoe – hence “scanoe.” A Scanoe is wider than a regular canoe and has a square back so a trolling motor can be mounted to it.
Ever since, there have been imitators called Scout canoes, but the good old Coleman Scanoe? Maybe you can find one used, but new? Not anymore, my friend.
The last Coleman branded Scanoe was made in 2001. If you’ve never heard the term “Scanoe”, you’re probably not alone.