pirogue X two

[captaindoug]

Got the glass on the outside hull, built my folding chair, and put some gear in the boat. "test Ridin' " I tried my 55 lb thrust Minn Kota Riptide on the transom, whoa, talk about overkill. If I put a trolling motor on this one I need one of those 30 lb thrust wally world or Bass Pro Shops units. Poling, or paddling are going to be the primary modes of motivation at this point in time. More than 100 tributaries flow into Tampa Bay, and I am going to use this boat on as many as I can.

The cold weather sends the snook and baby tarpon up those creeks and we have a bunch of fun in the cold with them.

 

[oldsparkey]

Looking good and I hope you get a lot of fish with it and have a grand time doing it. The weather over here still has me locked in , solid rain today and never got past 36.

Chuck.

 

[hairymick]

G'day Captain Doug and a belated welcome aboard!

I have been a little pre-occupied of late but I am back now - I think

Mate, I have been thinking about building something a little similar to your skiff here for some time and your posts have inspired me to think about this more seriously. Our fish are different but the techniques and methods, strikingly similar.

A boat like this would work very well for me in the areas I like to fish. (South East Queensland) AU.

Very much looking forward to more of your insightful posts and images mate.

 

[captaindoug]

G'Day Mick, Thanks for the kind words. This little boat should have been a bit longer, 14'-0 or so, but she turned out 13'-6 due to my previous thoughts on what it should be,(Pirogue). Me and the boy took them out this afternoon for a short float and a real test drive. He is happier with his this time (2nd Float) and as this was my first time in mine, I gotta say she floats shallow, and I was able to stand and pole without too much trepidation. It also paddles pretty good, and I was able to keep her going straight with the "J" stroke. As one fellow quotes, " yeah it's a bit tippy, it's a canoe, not a lawn chair"

 

[Oldironsides]

Captaindoug,
Glad the snook are still alive on your side of the state. Here in Daytona they are belly up, what a waste and Lord forbid ya net one they'll throw you under the jail. Almost brings a tear to your eye what a GREAT fight that will never happen, we're just to far North for'em. PLEASE inform us on how the skiff poles, that will be my primary propulsion along with a standup surf board paddle that I found plans for on instructables.com. I spend most my time in the intercoastal and N. Indian River Lagoon.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Doug, I like the look of your set up there. And, I have to ask a stupid question, actually two of'em. If the most you need is 30 pounds of thrust, won't the 55 pounder do you well on low to mid speed? And, will you have remote controls so you can sit in the middle and run the motor? Or, will you sit in the rear next to it?

I really like the ideas of you wanting to explore and fish all the inlets possible. good quest to keep you busy for a few months, maybe a couple of years?

 

[captaindoug]

Yes sir Jack, that 55 lb motor would indeed work as far as the thrust factor is concerned, but I got that motor to use on the bow of my flats skiff and the shaft is way too long for this little boat, plus the weight of the motor is another major consideration. I've never weighed it but I gotta believe it is close to the total weight of the boat. The 30 lb Motor Guide has a shipping weight of 18 lbs, so the motor out of the box is probably 15 lbs. or so. I tried weighing the boat using my spring scale after I had the glass on it and holding it up and reading the scale, it came out to 42 lbs, give or take a coupla, due to spring bounce. Once I get the inwales installed, I'll get a little better process and get a bona fide weight.
As far as poling the boat, I didn't try it for very far, but what little I did the boat tracked straight, I was standing just aft of center using my "Custom" bamboo 14'-0 pole, which in my opinion might be just a bit too limber, but I was able to plant the pole and walk down the pole three good grabs to get plenty of propulsion. She spun around quick and easy. This test was on flat calm water, in the lee out of the wind, so results may vary in less than perfect conditions.

 

[oldsparkey]

discoverbating.com has this to say about trolling motors.

Power: More is Better
When choosing a trolling motor, get a unit with the highest output as you can. It’s much better to have extra power and not need it, than it is to need more power—and not have it.

Generically speaking, every 400 pounds of your boat’s weight needs about 5 pounds of thrust from the trolling motor to move it.

 

[captaindoug]

Let's see....me 245, battery 50? (27 series), OldSparkey's Chair 5, Ice chest w/ ice 20, motor 15, rods, reels, tackle 15, anchor 3, boat 50, = 403 lbs .... I could get by with 5 lbs. of motor thrust by those calculations, Oh wait, 25 lb Snook, 15lb Redfish, coupla Mangrove Snapper, some trout, MAKE IT TEN pounds of thrust, just to be on the safe side.!

 

[oldsparkey]

Let's see....me 245, battery 50? (27 series), OldSparkey's Chair 5, Ice chest w/ ice 20, motor 15, rods, reels, tackle 15, anchor 3, boat 50, = 403 lbs .... I could get by with 5 lbs. of motor thrust by those calculations, Oh wait, 25 lb Snook, 15lb Redfish, coupla Mangrove Snapper, some trout, MAKE IT TEN pounds of thrust, just to be on the safe side.!

Reading that the 1st thought was he forgot the fish. Then continuing I noticed you are a real fisherman. Those fish sure gained a lot of weight after being caught. :lol:

I was looking at one of the Minn-kota ( Endura ) trolling motors (50 lb thrust , fresh water, transom mount ) the thing is 27.2 pounds. Price on Amazon $185.00 and the extension handle for it is $27.95 , will extend from 17 to 25 inches. For folks fishing an no combustible motor zone........
Cabelas has a Suzuki outboard , 4 stroke 2.5 hp at a mere 30 pounds but a lot more at $700.00, they say $699.00 but I rounded it off. Lose a lot of green but save the battery weight. "O" Well I have lots of time to figure out what to do , have to get the boat made 1st.

Chuck.

 

[captaindoug]

I have a 36" tiller extension so I will be able to sit up in the middle of the boat more to balance it out. I am also modifying my "oldsparky" folding chair. I bought an $8.00 swivel they make for those pedestal bass boat seats. I am mounting the chair on a piece of 3/8" ply, then the swivel, then another little piece of ply with a 1x2 frame under, raising the seat by just under 4", but giving me the ability to turn slightly to more comfortably steer the boat with the tiller. Plus, not to get into any "Old Guy" comments, but getting up and down from the lower version is somewhat similar to some type of yoga move, not to say I'm past my prime or anything, but me and deep knee bends parted ways a few years ago.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Hell, cap'n I still do deep knee bends at 60--down, grab the chair or my cane, then back up on one knee to lift with the other one. Which knee does the lifting depends on which one hurts most that day. :mrgreen:

Growing older still beats the alternative.

 

[Kayak Jack]

...Growing older still beats the alternative.

Ger strikes the gold again! I'll be getting a new knee next year. Waiting for the trade in values to go up.

 

[captaindoug]

OK, gonna try that segmented deep knee bend method. Like I said, I wasn't trying to get into the old guy comments, I'm not 60.....yet. Three more years.
Gotta a coupla questions. How to attach the inwale. Do you put the spacing blocks on the rail, epoxy the inside of the inwale, and then glue the whole assembly into the boat? Just guessing here. Hints, help please.

 

[oldsparkey]

Not sure about the rest but I put the spacers on the sides and when they are secured I attach the rail to them.

I mark off the top of the side where I want them so when I put them in place I know where each one goes.
Epoxy them to the side of the boat , when set up then cut and measure your rail. Epoxy the one side of the spacer and the back side of the rail ... attach them with clamps. Not really tight but snug and after a few minutes go back with a rag and check for any drips on the underside... easier to clean them before they set up.

The reason I do it that way is because the inside rail normally has to fit between the tops of the ribs and not across or over the inside of them. That is why I have to mark and measure then fit it all together and not use one long piece.
When everything is done go back in and put a coat of epoxy over the whole thing , when it dries , lightly sand it and varnish it.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Doug, I put mine onto the boat first, then glued the inwhale to them. If glued onto the inwhale, they are stressed, and may pop off, when it is bent to fit the curvature of the boat. That leads to usage of a new vocabulary. Well, new to some.

 

[Jimmy W]

I did just the opposite from Jack. I epoxied the spacers to the rail then epoxied the whole assembly to the pirogue. That probably does put some stress on them, but the curvature isn't tight enough for it to have caused any problems yet. My spacers were just cut off of a dowel anyway.

 

[captaindoug]

Skiff in action, still chilly here.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Nice boats! The skiff looks like it does what you wanted--stable enough to pole. Our water is a lot harder right now.

 

[captaindoug]

The boats kinda nest together, not as good as originally planned. I think we are going to need to invest in some Kayak paddles for up wind/ current work. Of course the electric motor option is still there. The pirogue is faster upwind, but that has gotta be a combination of factors, weight, both mine and the boat's, wetted surface area. All in all, we both enjoy our boats.