Round bottom pirogue? | SouthernPaddler.com

Round bottom pirogue?

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m4a34u

Active Member
Jan 18, 2007
35
0
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
I know this forum is about building, but I'm in the market right now to buy! There is a company called R & H Fiberglass in Loranger, LA that is building some and I'm unsure of their design. They have a 12 footer with 2 seats (no real floatation just a fiberglassed plank/sheet foam) and it has a round bottom and stepped sides. The stepped sides I am OK with, I can always add a wooden gunnel. The rounded bottom has me worried, I hunt in a brackish marsh in SW LA and I'm used to a Ron Chapman and Uncle John design. What do you experienced paddlers think, how will a round bottom work compaired to my traditional flat bottoms?

Thanks,

Bill
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
The round bottom will not get you into the area that a flat bottom will. Besides that with a round bottom if you run up on something it will want to move ( tilt ) to one side or the other. A flat bottom will just sit there till you get off what ever it is.

Not sure about you but for me in the skinny water the flat bottom ( Pirogue ) works a lot better , normal paddling I do like a round bottom canoe. My Sasquatch is ideal for the rivers around here but when it comes down to scooting over logs and mud the Pirogue is the one.
Even the additional benefit of paddling the pirogue up part way on the bank and then just standing up and walking out of it without any worry of tipping over. Something you can not do in a canoe or round bottom boat.

It all boils down to personal choice on the paddlers behalf and what they want the boat to do in the area they are going to be.
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
87
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Chuck summed it up pretty well. A round bottom will be more efficient in the water, and more clumsy in the mud and stumps. A flat bottom will provide more stability on obstacles, but it's a bit slower getting to them than is a round bottom.
 
M

m4a34u

Active Member
Jan 18, 2007
35
0
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Thanks for the response, we normally have 1-2 feet of water at all times, but I do have to enter and exit quite often when hunting. A flat bottom is prob my best bet, I guess I'm going to have to build another one instead of buying.

Bill
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
m4a34u said:
Thanks for the response, we normally have 1-2 feet of water at all times, but I do have to enter and exit quite often when hunting. A flat bottom is prob my best bet, I guess I'm going to have to build another one instead of buying.

Bill
Click to expand...

As you know the Uncle John Pirogue is easy to make since you are using one. Assuming you made it .
I hunt in a brackish marsh in SW LA and I'm used to a Ron Chapman and Uncle John design.
Click to expand...

The Uncle John Pirogue can be stretched out to what ever length you want and even expanded on the width to suite the paddler. Just add a 4th rib to the center of the boat , equal distances between all the ribs. I made one a 17 1/2 feet and it worked really good , so good that a buddy of mine claimed one of mine as his. :D

Personally I think you will have a better boat by building it yourself and even have a lot less cost in the boat when done , I would bet about half the cost of a manufactured one , or less , and yours will be the way you wanted it. Plus you can control or determine the weight of the completed boat where a contracted builder would not be able to.

Chuck.....
 
M

m4a34u

Active Member
Jan 18, 2007
35
0
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Bald Cypress,
Yeah I saw your Pirogue and fell in love. Kieth and Seedtick do fantastic work, but I'm hard on my stuff and would wreck it over a short time. My idea is to build something similar, but something that would be a little lighter for carrying over levees and sinking near the duck blind. Let me know how it paddles...


Thanks,

Bill
 
A

a Bald Cypress

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2007
577
0
81
Northwest Louisiana
m4a34u said:
Bald Cypress,
Yeah I saw your Pirogue and fell in love. Kieth and Seedtick do fantastic work, but I'm hard on my stuff and would wreck it over a short time. My idea is to build something similar, but something that would be a little lighter for carrying over levees and sinking near the duck blind. Let me know how it paddles...


Thanks,

Bill
Click to expand...


Nope, not mine. Was built for another person but is [ I guess} now available.
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
m4a34u said:
Sparky,
I know you advise on saturation coats of epoxy on the plywood, what's your formula? If I make a 13-14 footer out of 1/4" ply should I be between 50-75 lbs?
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Either a normal mix of the epoxy rolled on the raw wood or if you wanted to a diluted mix with some acetone in it. ( it would be runnier and soak in deeper but the acetone evaporates really fast and is quite flammable. DO NOT have any sort of a flame in the area if you use that mix.

I like to do two coats of the normal epoxy mix. My insurance against any water getting into the wood and later it helps the fiberglass stick to the boat.
 
M

m4a34u

Active Member
Jan 18, 2007
35
0
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Kayak Jack,

On sinking the pirogue at the blind, I try to keep the blind looking the same day in and day out so the ducks won't be the wiser. By sinking the pirogue instead of brushing it up while it's on land the island (from above) looks the same. This year we have killed over 560 ducks (including blue wing teal season) which is an outstanding year for us. We only hunt the weekends, normally 2-3 blinds with an average of 2.5 hunters a day.

I'll try to post some pics today as well as some pics of that R & H Pirogue

Thanks,

BIll
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
m4a34u said:
Kayak Jack,

We only hunt the weekends, normally 2-3 blinds with an average of 2.5 hunters a day.

BIll
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The 2.5 hunters and then they feed there families and with some luck friends of there families , the number of folks adds up really quick .... Anyway that was how we did it back in the dark ages. It is called sharing the wealth or in this case the delicious meals.

Plus Blue wing Teal are not that big , about the size of a fat Quail ( Bob White) at the best. Small but really tasty , both the Blue wing and Green wing. Three of them per person makes a good meal for a hungry person. Dam speed demons and hard to hit till you learn to lead them by a country mile as they pass you. :wink:

Plus the number is added up during the whole season and not just from one trip as I understand it....... One successful trip equals a lot of good suppers but the main dish needs to be resupplied which means out for another successful hunt. Bluebird days will really reduce that count........

A bluebird day is when nothing is flying and the weather is just to nice ( calm and sunny ) to make the ducks fly. That is when it is better to fish then to hunt ducks. :roll:

Chuck.
 
S

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
when you say round bottom, do you mean a pirogue with a flat bottom and a soft chine - like most canoes
or do you mean a pirogue with a truly round bottom

a truly round bottom boat would be very unstable unless you kept the center of gravity below the waterline
 
R

rhutchinson

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2008
138
0
Middle Tn.
My ears perked up when you said these boats were built in Loranger because I spent several of my formative years living there. I found the company on the internet, but they don't seem to have a web site and no pictures on line that I could find.

Richard
 
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