If you're weighing options, the Old Town is on the hefty side. But it's certainly priced right. There are other tradeoffs, including the quality of accessories, the way the boat handles, its durability and required maintenance. Each of these models is available in other hull materials, with a commensurate affect on price. If you have the opportunity, it's a good idea to get one on the water and try it out.
Many retailers have early season demo fairs.
Of course, you can also approach canoe ownership the way Raup Campfitter's David McCune has over the years. Keep adding to the fleet. They've watched from the driveway and shoreline as so many of their fellow Michiganders turned the prosperity and disposable income of the 1990s into gleaming watercraft. Michigan, always among the top states in the country in licensing things that float, has been in a boat boom. Jet skis, pontoon party boats, elaborately equipped bass rigs with big Merc Cruiser engines, and lavishly appointed yachts jammed marinas, lakes and launches.