canoes for HUNTING ?

[creekwood]

I have an Old Town pack canoe. 12' and 35 lbs. It is a fun and nimble canoe and as stable as many other 17' canoes.

[Dave Bulla]

Look up "pirogue".  

The cajun's pronounce it Pee-row. (Or so I'm told.)

If you go to this site and scroll down to the link for pictures from builders you will find some really cool boats.  The best thing is, you build it yourself!

  http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/

[Uncle Buck]

My hunting partner bought a Grunman aluminum 15' canoe 38 years ago and it is still going stong it has been through all kinds of torture including  being tossed about 200 yards by a small twister. it has been  used for fishing, Carp hunting, sightseeing and hunting transportation. I know a lot of people dont like aluminum because its noisy. but if you are careful you can avoid much of that. I dont know about the more current models but those old grunmaans are tough as nails!

[Osagetree]

Stone  knife,

This 15" canoe is made in a couple days using 1/4" marine plywood 2, 8ft sheets or 1, 16ft sheet. Includes double paddle in plan.
 I used this canoe for over 15yrs and it was stored in the weather the entire life. Weather and swift water finally took there toll but it was very worth while.
I think this is a boy scout project called "The 6 hour canoe" bet you can search it on the web and find the plans.
 
 

[J-dog]

If you do the pirogue alter your plans for 12" sides. You will have to have a table saw to do this and just buy the paper plans not the kit. I say this as you will have to cut your own stems, making them 12" stems.
Pirogues are the way to go, I built a 14' one but now going to go back and do a 12' one with 12" sides, little wider, and with 2 layers of 1/4" on the bottom (no need just the swamps I go in ot a lot of stobs. Think this will be the ultimate slippin boat.

J

[Mike Most]

We use an 18' fiberglass and a 13' aluminum, the 13' is nicknamed "ol tippie" I try and use the longer canoe when I can.....

[BigStriper]

I had a 17 Foot Fiberglass Canoe years ago,I don't remember what brand it was but it was quiet and stable,Good Luck,

Kurt

[joekeith]

I checked the piroque boats out before.  They look like a real neat boat to make.  I'm tight on money, as in I'm basically broke.  From what I've read it'll cost $200 or so to make one of these boats.

 I finally got my fiberglass canoe back from my son, but it's in pretty rough shape.  Figure I ought to put a coat of fiberglass over the whole bottom.  I called Raka and got a price of just under $200 to cover the whole bottom and half way up the sides.

    Right now Dick's has a 10' kayak for $200, and another for $270.  I feel like just buying the kayak and being done with it for now. I've never had a kayak before and ain't sure just how happy I'll be with it.  I'd like to do some bowfishin' but out of a kayak it seems like it would be pretty tuff.

  Any of you guys that use a kayak for bowfishin' tell me just what to expect.  Seems like the canoe is the only thing that I could take someone else along in.  The piroques don't seem like they will handle 2 adults, but seem like they'd be the most stable.  Help me out here guys, I'm perplexed.

   

[pickaspot]

Our favorite all purpose canoe is a Wenonah Fisherman. It is wide enough and stable enough to stand in and is very maneuverable. At about 15' it weighs a little over 50 lbs. We have a lot of rocky creeks and small rivers around that make the "Royalex" hull ideal (foam sanwiched between plastic, I think). It is tough.

I loved the pirogue messages and Ron's picture. Great stuff!

The most versatile canoe for two people is a 17' souris river, for one and two with a smaller load is the 16'  souris river.  right now I am using a kevlar mad river explorer, the best layup they ever made.  I paid $100 for it, it had a small puncture which was easily fixed. the coleman may be tough, but it is heavy and clumsy and slow. If you do not mind the weight and the speed, it will get the job done.  if you get more into the canoe game, careful it is addictive, and will one day go on a real major north woods canoe adventure, a longer lighter and faster tripping canoe will be worth it.  Canoe tripping, if you are prepared, can be more fun for the family than just about anything and the souris river models are tough enough and stable enough to use for hunting as well.

[calgarychef]

Canoes for hunting...We've used canoes for moose hunting.  I think we went for 7 days and about 50 miles or something like that.  It's a great way to get into areas that others can't, even quadders can't access some of the areas you can.  We like each person to have his own canoe with all his gear in it.  I hate tandem paddling and flat out wouldn't do it for a trip. Additionally you'd need two canoes to get a moose out.  A deer would fit in a canoe nicely.

 The thing to realize is you don't use the canoe for hunting you just use it to get to good hunting areas then you get out and hunt.  In other words use the river as your highway but stop in lots of places and really concentrate on hunting instead of concentrating on canoeing.

the chef

[Dave Bulla]

Another option I saw in (I think) Wooden Boat magazine was a little boat called the "ladybug".

Picture a smallish wooden johnboat of normal width but shortened up to not much longer than it is wide.  Add a wheel to the front enclosed in a wheelwell on the inside and exposed outside and two good sized rowing oars and oarlocks and you've got a good picture of the boat.  There are two holes through the transom (back end) and the idea is that to get to the water or to portage, you lay the long paddles across the seat and stick the handles out the holes a couple feet and you walk it to the water like a wheelbarrow.  The weight rating was pretty surprising.  More than enough for a big guy, his gear and a dead critter or hunting buddy.  Er, that's a live hunting buddy... dead critter.

[Mark Normand]

Keith, I sent you those plans.

Pirogue definitely not stable enough for most adult bowfishing IMHO. Maybe a wide canoe tho..

I build my pirogues for about $50 each.  I use 2sheets of exterior 1/4 plywood and butt-join it, nothing fancy. One 16' clean fir 1x4 cut into 2 long chines and 2 rails, the rest is mostly scrap wood. Ring shank nails, tiebond glue, good paint job using reject paint from DIY stores, keep stored under cover, and it'll last just fine. This is a work boat, not a dining table, LOL.

  ,

[joekeith]

Mark,  thanks for the plans.  They sure look simple enough.  I just may have to give it a try.  I think I'd like it more than a kayak.  Thanks again.

[Ron LaClair]

 

 

[Billy]

Ron...just made the trip from Mackinaw City to Marquette and out of the U.P. by way of Escanaba (no moonlight,though)..turkey,deer, and canoes everywhere!!!!

Stoneknife, I picked up a 14' Coleman for $50...See where you got a low cost one too!! Congrats! Hope we both get to use them well this year.