Offloading my canoes, new boat project.

[dbhost]

Given our age, and health issues, the odds of us going canoeing, especially since my wife has no interest, are basically zero. So I am looking to offload my 2006 Pelican Excursion 1465DLX, and my God only knows what year and model, 15 foot Old town.

I am not wanting to get out of boating all together though. And remember, I live in the south. I am looking for something that is...

#1. Affordable.
#2. Safe.
#3. Stable.
#4. Shallow drafts.

So a modified John boat is in order. Most notably, I need something with a v nose for directional stability (traditional flat bottoms veer all over the place and are hard to steer).

After a mess of research, I think this can do double duty too. You see the bed technique I have found so far is fiberglass over foam construction, with some critical wood reinforcement at key points.

I am figuring on something around 16' long with a 6' span.

I am not looking for something that will rip across the lake at 100 mph, but rather leisurely glide me into that perfect fishing hole without scaring the fish off, and loading people up for the next hurricane / flood recovery we will need to do.

Skills learned from this project will be transferred to the truck camper project that is likewise planned...

 

[kcsa75]

I had a 1972 14-foot aluminum fishing boat with a 10-hp Johnson outboard. It was a great little boat. Small enough that it was easy to load and unload just about anywhere and big enough to take on a big lake.

 

[dbhost]

I had a 1972 14-foot aluminum fishing boat with a 10-hp Johnson outboard. It was a great little boat. Small enough that it was easy to load and unload just about anywhere and big enough to take on a big lake.

I've got the plans drawn up already, I am aiming at a 16'.

Part, and no small part of this issue, was our experience with Hurricane Harvey and the massive flooding. My wife and I are both to be blunt, obese, and while I can operate my canoe solo, with both of us in there, we are too close to weight limits on the existing boats. We need more bouyancy. Also my wife has zero, no, none, nada, and zilch experience prior to this with canoeing. Stability is a HUGE problem.

My boats are from my single life, and from my BIL. Long story but there you go...

A flat bottom / john style boat would provide stability, and load handling capability that we need. I have no intention of putting it to use anywhere near whitewater, or long canoe touring, but rather for hunting and fishing trips, and the occasional emergency response / rescue after a hurricane.

I have a friend that scours estate sales and the like, and has sourced up an engine for us. a low hours 4HP Yamaha. I have the life vests, ropes, cleats and some other misc stainless hardware such as the stainless hoops for the bow pull for the trailer, bow and stern lights etc...

It is shocking beyond words what happened here with Hurricane Harvey, and I really want to be ready the next time one of these things comes through.

 

[Dingit]

If you think you'll miss the canoe, check out the big tripping canoes. They have a really big payload. I have a 19' boat I got to hold the kids and dog and it's stable. I don't recommend my particular model if you are both long-legged or wide (Wenonah Itasca) because it's got super squished ends, but other models don't. Watch craigslist for something in kevlar--I can pop up the top of my truck camper without removing the boat and 43 lbs makes it more manageable to carry around. (The 19' makes it less manageable though!)

 

[nineoaks2004]

I sold the Yak and today I gave the 12 Old Town solo to a kid that has been feeding the animals for us during our move. I just bought a new jon boat etc. and made it my own, but have not put it in the water yet. (no time) I will probably never canoe again (age and medical) so rather than let it sit I decided to give it to someone who will use it and take care of it. I have too many great memories of the solo camping trips I have taken in it to just sell it to a stranger and maybe even get a young man into canoeing.

 

[dbhost]

I sold the Yak and today I gave the 12 Old Town solo to a kid that has been feeding the animals for us during our move. I just bought a new jon boat etc. and made it my own, but have not put it in the water yet. (no time) I will probably never canoe again (age and medical) so rather than let it sit I decided to give it to someone who will use it and take care of it. I have too many great memories of the solo camping trips I have taken in it to just sell it to a stranger and maybe even get a young man into canoeing.

Well I still haven't listed the Old Town and honestly the Pelican got very little use when I had it. The guy that bought it was a young Dad In his early thirties that was new to Texas and was looking for an affordable Canoe to enjoy with his son. I feel good about where the boat went in I got to hold on at least for now do the better quality of the 2 canoes...

 

[bheff]

Go to the Bateau website......it is like popup portal on steroids for home boat builders. There is a ridiculous amount of knowledge on that site