Lunatic Seeks Advice

[clarenancy]

Hey Y'all!

I've been lurking in this pirogue forum for a while now and I've about convinced my husband that a cajun canoe is exactly what we need.

Trouble is, I'm having a hard time picturing the size boat we need. Or maybe we need two. Help me out, guys.

Here's the deal. My husband is a photographer and he uses some big equipment. We hike a lot and we like to camp, but we don't backpack. We drive up, unload and make a base camp and then go out hiking from there. With or without photog equipment.

Now see, we live near a lot of water. Slow southern delta water and wildlife management areas. Seems like we are missing a lot of good exploring by not scooting about on the water more. We do borrow a canoe now and then. Just for day trips, not camping.

So here's my dilemma. I'm not picturing our camping gear, photog gear, the darling dog and the two of us in a 15' pirogue. And I'm worried that an 18' would start getting too heavy for us to want to haul or too long for us to tote on the top of our taliban taxi.

AND it occurred to me that maybe we need 2 boats. We could build his first and mine second. That way we'd be half-good at it by the time we built mine and Miss Mollie's boat :wink:

I know you all like to pass out free advice and opinions. So I look forward to learning from your experiences.

Thanks

ClareNancy

 

[islandpiper]

greetings!
Last time i built UJ's I built two of them. Same repetitive cuts, same tools out at the same time, saves looking for things you have put away.

And, the big advantage is if you build them stock, with no big breasthooks or decks THEY NEST .......so they fit together on the cartop, which no canoe in the world will do. Further, with slight modifications you could use them side by side and put a little deck between them for gear, a tripod, the dogs bed, whatever.

I didn't see your location, but if you can get to any one of us here I'm pretty sure you could borrow a pirogue for a day and try it out. Mine is available anytime.

Piper

 

[oldsparkey]

Two Pirogues will give you double the carrying capacity , double the pleasure and double the fun plus they have been known to keep marriages in-tack where a single boat can have the ability of doing the opposite. It is always the other persons fault when something goes wrong when paddling together.
Plus as a safety factor if something would happen to one boat ( Nessie comes up from the bottom of the lock and eats it or bigfoot stomps on it while you are ashore for a picnic ) then both parties can get in the remaing one to make it back.

Fortunately a pirogue is easy to build and fun to paddle the only problem is that you need double of everything to build one. This really would only effect the wood and glass since the standard epoxy kit ( One gallon Hardener , 2 gallons resin) has plenty to make three or possibly four boats.
It would take 4 sheets of wood , two per boat and then the glass to cover them if you are going to glass encapsulate them for there protection.

Now you would have a boat to paddle , say you and the pup while the husband has his and all the camera gear without having either boat overloaded.
Both boats ( due there width or lack of it ) would fit on a canoe rack for transportation. Plus like piper said , stock pirogues , no decking) will nest together.

Remember this advice is worth what you paid for it :lol: :lol: :lol:

Chuck.

 

[bearridge]

Friend ClareNancy,

I never read so much I agree with. I got nuthin' ta add bout boat buildin', but most of the time folks build one big boat fer two cuz one of 'em aint comfortable paddlin' alone. I vote "build two". Yakima sells a 78" wide bar fer their racks. http://www.yakima.com/default.aspx

regards 'n welcome
bearridge

This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer. Will Rogers

 

[islandpiper]

Once, LONG AGO, my wife and I invited our family dentist and his wife and children aboard our sailboat for a quiet sail. We finished the afternoon with two of the children in the dinghy, being towed at cruising length, about 20-feet, behind the sloop where the bickering and crying was not as noticable. (yes, the Mom's were watching closely and everyone had their PFD's on correctly. )

The second pirogue could serve the same purpose if the pooch got smelly or flatulent.




8)

piper

 

[a Bald Cypress]

p

Friend C,

I also agree with most of what was posted prior to my being able to give the "best" advice.

First the facts. You have stated that;

1. Your hubby uses "BIG" equipment.

2. You will have a third family member [with 4 legs] with you.

Now, I don't know a lot about picture taking but, I do know that movement while taking them is not such a good thing. So, one must accept the fact that if the object of the picture is "alive" as opposed to plant life, then the aforementioned 4 legged boat partner may have ideas of barking at or chaseing the object in your hubbys viewfinder. This will not make him happy.

P.S. swimming dogs, having been thrown out of the boat by irate photogs,
tend to attract gators in "slow placid water"

So, to save the life of your 4 legged friend, I recommend two boats.

A JEM 500 =wide and stable photo platform

A JEM 14-29 for the rest of the faimly.

Again, as stated prior to my post. This advice is worth just what you paid for it. [but is great advice

Welcome to the nut house. :wink:

 

[Ozark]

I agree that two pirogues is the way to go as has been stated above. These are real easy builds and super good boats.

 

[islandpiper]

With what we know so far, she'll need two double paddles, two single paddles and one set of DOG PADDLES......

piper

 

[a Bald Cypress]

p

Just another thought here.

I think having a "sculling oar" proplusion system on the larger boat would be a good idea.

A yoke set into one side or the other, depending on the right or left handedness of the boater would be less cumbersome to use. It would also enable the user to just let go of it and grab a camera without having to set a paddle down [with the attendant noise] and then grab the camera.

 

[Ozark]

single pivot or double pivot sculling oar Baldy?

 

[Wannabe]

Your husband might want to talk to Sheena's Dad. He likes those big crawl under the blanket cameras too.
Talaban taxi? Also heard them called Al Quida tanks.
Bob

 

[a Bald Cypress]

p

single pivot or double pivot sculling oar Baldy?

Not being an expert on sculling oars, like I am on everything else. I had envisioned an oar lock type base with a [bearing type race welded in it].

The oar would then be put through the bearing and secured with a center pin tacked to the inner race.

With this setup, the oar could be worked side to side and feathered to aid in the movement. All this accomplished with a simple twist of the wrist.

When travelling to and from the desired photo/camp area, a normal double bladed paddle could be used.

 

[Ozark]

Mz Clare sorry about us on our drift. What kind of paddles do you folks normally use?
Paul

PS Baldy I'll PM you on a good double pivot design

 

[clarenancy]

Wow!

You guys are fast!

Thanks for the hearty welcome and the invaluable advice.

My husband uses a "crawl under the blanket camera" too.

He does regular photography for the local university but his own personal art photography is usually large format contact photography. Sounds like this is what Sheena'sDad does.

See: www.walterbeckham.com

But, recently he's really been enjoying his new nikon digital camera lately.

Me, I just take snapshots!

I'm figuring we'll paddle out and stop to take pictures with his big cameras. Either in shallow water or on land. He might run into something if he's under the dark cloth trying to compose a picture! I can see him taking pix from the boat too with his nikon though. In fact I was contemplating the value of spud holes for this very purpose. Stop the boat and keep her still. One fore and one aft?

I must clarify that our sweet angel dog would never get flatulent, well, unless she's lying at the foot of the bed with her hind side pointing in my direction.

Chuck, you make a very good point about family harmony. It IS always his fault when stuff goes wrong.

I've never used a sculling oar. I don't reckon I've ever really seen one in person. Have any of you all used one?


Piper, I've never seen anything like this mid-deck you describe either. Is this something that attaches temporarily like an outrigger?

ClareNancy

 

[clarenancy]

What paddles do we normally use?

Generally we go tandem and use single paddles. But the the last few time I spend a good part of the trip envious of our companion with his kayak paddle.

ClareNancy

 

[clarenancy]

BearRidge, that yakima site has exactly what I think we need. I like the steel rectangular frame that attaches to the truck. There's a guy at work with one that he totes his kayak on. It looks very sound and sensible.

 

[clarenancy]

While I'm being so yakative... I should tell y'all a little more about myself.

I'm a middle aged tomboy with a fine college aged son (eagle scout and great hole digger) and a real good husband. We don't hunt or fish but we love the outdoors. Bird watching, hiking, gardening (hence the need for holes), etc... We especially enjoy taking our lovely chocolate lab out on adventures. I used to fish but it was just a good excuse to be lazy out by the river. Now, birdwatching or drawing or watercolor painting is my excuse. Cuz, see, I don't really like fish. Well, I LIKE fish but not to eat!

In real life I run and maintain the puters in a university department. I build the website and do whatever graphic design the folks at work think they need.

Hubby is a pro photog and art photog. Same university, different department.

Thanks for letting me yak!

Clare

 

[Ozark]

Welcome home Mz Clare
Paul

 

[bearridge]

Friend Clare,

I wont ever fergit the first time I seen Ansel Adams pichurs. I ended up with a darkroom 'n a Nikkormat....the camera/tank. I still have my last Nikon 35mm, but digitized come along left me behind. I looked at some of Walter's pichurs. Danged nice fer a young fella. :wink: I took a few nice pichurs, but it wuz mostly due ta the ice storm that hit here in '94. I got a long list a stuff I kin do fair ta low middlin'.

regards
bearridge

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

 

[seedtick]

if you're hauling stuff around, you might want to consider a narrow skiff or bateau. You'll give up a bit of agility, but it'll still be pretty easy to paddle and a more stable, especially for handling stuff