We bought this canoe in February of 2002 and have used it extensively since then. We decided on an Old Town after reading reviews and talking to canoe owners.

Old Town is certainly not the least expensive canoe one can buy, but it represents good value and solid construction methods. The canoe is light and sturdy. The construction material, SuperLink3™, is extremely durable and durability is important when fishing the areas of the Shenandoah which we frequent. I do believe there isn't a rock in those sections of river that we haven't been introduced to.

We liked the fact the Old Town has been making canoes for over 100 years. We figured they knew how to make a canoe after that much practice. Old Town is also keen on keeping up with new material advances (they've pioneered many of them).

We opted for the center seat model which has a seat in the center rather than the typical yoke. I use the center seat when I fish alone as I've found it much more efficient to use oars rather than a paddle on my solo trips. You'd be amazed at how fast you can propel a canoe using oars. I felt a bit foolish at first (you don't see anyone rowing a canoe around here), but the speed, power, and agility I have with the oars made a believer out of me

We purchased and applied Old Town's skid plate kit which is a Kevlar®/epoxy system to beef up the front and rear skid plates (keel). This extra protection for the bow and stern makes a difference when beaching the canoe on rocky shores. I think it is a must buy unless you use your canoe on calm lakes with sandy beaches to launch from.

We also bought a pair of Old Town's anchor brackets and use them with 8-pound mushroom anchors. This makes it easy to hold a position to fish a specific area. With only one anchor, the canoe is too difficult to position with any current or wind. Using two anchors overcomes this.

After two years of hard use, the canoe is well-worn with many scratches. All of the scratches are superficial and nothing to worry about although Old Town sells a variety of repair kits should they be needed. We have yet to dent the canoe despite several collisions with mid-river rocks. The SuperLink3 material is advertised to pop out dents but we have yet to dent it.

My only complaint, and it is a small one, is with the construction of the center seat. There are two cleats underneath the seat which are meant to act a stiffeners. These are attached to the underside of the seat with staples. On our canoe, these cleats have separated from the seat by about 1/2" and have to be put back in place with clamps. A much sturdier method of attaching the cleats would have been to glue and screw them. I intend to do that over the Winter. That is my only complaint with the canoe after two years of hard use.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Discovery 133K to anyone wanting a light, durable fishing canoe.