Canoe outriggers

[finkm1]

Does anyone have any ideas for homade canoe outriggers? I would like to build some for bowfishing from my canoe this spring. Bowhunter mag. had an article this past spring where a guy used 4 5-gal pails his set up looked very crude. I figuted a pail on each side laying on there side would work.

[lpcjon2]

Pvc pipe as large as you can get it with caps on the ends.

[ChuckC]

I was looking at possibly using store bought boat bumpers as the floats.  Not free, but they seem to be shaped just right.
ChuckC

[finkm1]

Never thought of pvc pipe. Maybe fill them with insulating foam? How long should they be? How far out do you suggest they hang out from the sides of the canoe?

[Tatersalad]

I've seen someone use 5 gallong buckets filled with insulating foam before.  They looked pretty stable.

[VTer]

I've used 5 gal buckets before, 2 to a side. While wicked stable it was like you were dragging your anchor when you tried moving. Lotta drag on those blunt barrels. Now I use floats that I made out of plywood and fiberglassed them to make them waterproof.
This is a picture of the plywood floats before I got the idea to fiberglass them. They lasted two years with just a paint job.
 http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/whitneycreek6-6-06004.jpg

[VTer]

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/fiberglassingthepods009-1.jpg

Fiberglassing the new floats.

[Kevin Winkler]

VTer

That's cool! I'll have to make a set of those this winter for my canoe. Could you give me an idea of roughly what the dimensions are?
Also how are they fastened down?

[VTer]

They're about 3' on the top about 10" high and 8" thick. They're shorter on the bottom obviously because they taper front and back. The platform is right above the center thwart and I have two long carriage bolts that go from the platform deck to each end of the thwart and I tighten them up with wingnuts. Very easy to put on and take off.

[bama]

4 to 6 inch pvc works for me

[Old York]

Google 'amalash' and/or 'ama'...the Hawiians been doing it for 5,000 years.

[mater]

Ive used the boat bumpers on some light weight tubing before. I bent the tubing enough that the floats just touched the water. It could tip a couple inches before they did much. Didnt cause much resistance paddling that way.  Mark

[Fallguy]

Go to this web site they sell outriggers for canoe's. If you want build your own you can see how they build and attach them to the canoe.     http://www.springcreek.com/a/j/

[Bill Skinner]

If you use the long PVC pipe, put a 45 or 90 on your leading end.  Otherwise, it will spray large amounts each time the leading edge hits the water, and if you have a motor, you will be so wet, you might as well waded.  Bill

[bartcanoe]

Check out this forum thread

 http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=fishing&tid=1220042

I can't speak for how well this works.  But, when I saw your question I remembered reading about it.

[Lefty]

I bought some off the auction site and they work better than I ever thought possible.  Here is a picture of me and my daughter trying them out in our 14 1/2 foot canoe.  Paid something like $125 for them.  VERY well thought out and constructed.  They are easily adjustable and removable.
   

[Covey]

Lefty, do you have any idea what the name is on the outriggers? those look nice and there out of the way! Jason

[Lefty]

PM sent Covey.