my ignorance | SouthernPaddler.com

my ignorance

hi all, i havent posted much here but have had a good look around and luv reading about all your exploits.... i fish out of glass and aluminium and have never owned a paddle craft in my life, but being an old waterman i enjoy looking at anything to do with water ....
so my silly question is where does the name PIROGUE come from and what is specificly the said vessel... ?? im guessing its a term used for a small timber boat powered by sweat :lol: :lol:

i know this sounds stupid but please humour me on this one.. ive never heard the term before untill i followed a link from hairymick on a fishing website here in aus. to here ..

cheers

Maxi
 

hairymick

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
2,107
2
Queensland, Australia
G'day Maxi,

I asked a question very similar to this to this here some time ago.
I am sure the Cajuns on here will be along to answer more succintly than I ever could. - but here is my understanding.

Pirogue is a cajun word and was originally used for a dug out style canoe.

Later it evolved into a boat made from boards, typically with a flat bottom and singe side panel on each side.

They are still evolving hoever, and Matt, of Jem watercraft seems to be leading the charge.

Here is a link to just some of Matt's pirogue designs.

http://jemwatercraft.com/PirogueCompare.php

I have built three of them and love them all to bits. trust me when I tell you that as a fishing paddle craft in calm water, they have no peer in Australia.

I am continually getting email request from the kayak fishing mob here asking if one of my progues is for sale. Everybody who has paddled and/or fished from any of my pirogues has wanted it. They really are that good mate.

As word of them gets out here, expect to see many more in our waterways. 8)

Uncle John Also has a very fine pirogue (lovely in fact) and he is very good people too. here is a link to his boat.

http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/default.htm

Mate, either of these designs would be superb for quietly sneaking up on bream and flathead in your lovely Richmond River, or for a little bass fishing further inland.
The beauty of pirogues is they are remarkably cheap and easy to build and their performance will surprise and delight you.

Go on mate, have a go. ya know ya want to. :D
 
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ya bastard :lol: :lol:

ya picked me in one .... :lol: :lol:

i would love to build one, but ive got other boat stuff happening atmo..
just finishing an ally project that i think you've seen on fishytales
so time is at a premium for a while as we have 2 other ally projects to complete to help fund the main project...

but apart from that i would thoroughly enjoy getting into a pirogue build ..
maybe when ive cleared all the other.... ????

cheers for the links to those fellas mick .. i like the 500 .. jem ... from Matt.. i wish i was in a position to start it right now ... :lol: :lol:
who knows ?
maybe 1 day ...


also just wondering if i could post a brag somewhere of our current project ... ahem !! it has a motor ....... dont want to upset anyone or get bagged out ....

:lol: :lol: :lol:

its definately not in the canoe category ....

regards maxi
 

hairymick

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
2,107
2
Queensland, Australia
Mate,

Post away!

Chuck can give me the uppercuts.

I'm sure our American cousins will appreciate any fine boat, particularly a home built jobbie. :D

If I can ever get round to retiring, am definately gonna do a road trip back down your way for a few months. chase some jewies in your river and some big bream in the Clarence. :D
 

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
Best info I have is............

The Spanish showed up in the early 1500's - remember Juan Ponce deLeon in Florida?

Anyway they saw these native Indians paddlin around in dugouts made from logs - they called them piraquas

The French showed up in the 1600's and frenchified the name to pirogue, pronounced with the o sounding like the a in ahhh

The English, Scots, Irish, etc. showed up a hundred years later, kept the same spelling but changed the pronounciation to peerow
 

jimsong

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2008
247
1
lakside village, texas
I am befuddled. (My natural state of being) I grew up pronouncing "piroge" as "Peerow". Mainly due to Hank Williams' song. (But then he mispronounced "Bayou" as well. (Great song, in any case!)
When I was working in south Louisiana, I was informed by local fishermen, that the "G" is pronounced.
And on "The Ragin' Cajun" 101.5 FM, on the duck hunting reports, the announcer, talked about the pee-rogues going out and coming in.
So, I am guessing either pronouncment is correct. It just depends on who you are talking to.
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Pretty much smack in the middle of Cajun country here. Always heard the "g" pronounced --- almost never heard it pronounced "peerow"
(Mostly by tourists and city people). Some of the oldtimers even use the french rolled "r".

Joey
 

Bilgerat

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2006
324
1
Texas!
www.bilgerat.net
jdupre' said:
Pretty much smack in the middle of Cajun country here. Always heard the "g" pronounced --- almost never heard it pronounced "peerow"
(Mostly by tourists and city people). Some of the oldtimers even use the french rolled "r".

Joey
So, how would that sound? Something like "pierrog"?

Mike
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Pee-rog " ee " as in free -- " rog" as in frog . Emphasis on the first syllable.

End of lesson two. :) ( Lesson one was with Jack on the back channels)
 

Lee Schneidermann

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2007
150
1
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Maxi said:
hi all, i havent posted much here but have had a good look around and luv reading about all your exploits.... i fish out of glass and aluminium and have never owned a paddle craft in my life,

cheers

Maxi

Maxi,
If the truth be told we all paddle glass.(Well most of us)
Most every boat on Matt's site you hear about here or there is in fact a fiberglass boat.
We just have a different way of disguising it to look like wood. :wink:

Lee
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Lee Schneidermann said:
Maxi,
If the truth be told we all paddle glass.(Well most of us)
Most every boat on Matt's site you hear about here or there is in fact a fiberglass boat.
We just have a different way of disguising it to look like wood. :wink:

Lee

:lol: :lol: :lol: My thoughts exactly , they are a wood core for looks and glass everywhere else for protection.
Some folks follow tradition and do make an all wood boat and it is hard to tell them apart in the pictures of the boats all of us make.

Chuck.
 

keith

Well-Known Member
all of us dont make plastic, but we dont make less of those that do. you make what you want or can and i say go for it, have fun , get on the water. thats what is so good about this forum, people willing to help each other if we need. later keith