jdupre' said:
That's right , Ron. No one boat for all situations. Probably no one boat for ANY specific situation. It comes down to the paddler and what works for him. For the man that just wants to fish in a 1 acre farm pond, a 4x8 plywood box would probably work fine.
Jdupre , I am glad someone finally said what you did.
At the penalty of expressing my views and thoughts in this matter and intelligent discussion and that I should not say or express anything or so it was suggested
......I have to post my unintelligent , primitive views or thoughts. So as a Knuckle Dragging Cave Man here goes nothing .... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Different boats for different uses and all of those uses depends on the person , not the boat. A boat will float and do what it was designed to do. The
MAJOR Controlling factor is the person paddling it. The boat is nothing more then a tool to be used for our enjoyment.
For the sake of conversation about boats...... Here are some things I have learned about them in my 65 years of paddling them. Well almost 65 years more like 55 since I was paddling one at the old age of 10. A Old Town wood and canvas canoe. :wink: I am not new to this game by any stretch of the imagination.
Lets consider all the boats as the same length.......
1. Flat bottom boats. Pirogues. ( A Middle Width Boat )
A. They are about the middle range between a canoe and a kayak. Faster then a canoe and slower then a kayak but a nice mode of transportation in skinny water and especial over obsticals that would stop other paddle craft. The flat bottom lets you get away with a lot of stuff when paddling. For me it is my 4 wheel drive boat , a go anywhere craft.
More rocker in it makes it easier to turn around on itself , less rocker the higher it will float but will be a little harder to spin around and faster when paddling it. (
More water resistance to it due to the less rocker in it )
Pulling into a campsite the flat bottom will sit nice and solid on the ground so you can get up and walk out of it to the ground.
B. You have to pack carefully and be sort of chosey about what you take , the capacity of them dictates what you can have but mine will take everything I want. Not as much as the wider canoe since the pirogue is narrower then the canoe. But wider then the really narrower kayak.
2 Round bottom boats... Canoes. ( The Wide Boat )
A. The old time favorite load hauler and wilderness explorer of the north. Slower paddling boat then the pirogue or kayak but it will take a ton of stuff , the freight liner or pick up truck of the paddling world. The round bottom draws more water and when pulling into a campsite will be tippy when beached and trying to get out of it.
Also when paddling it will tend to hang up on obsticals under the water a lot more then the flat bottom boat will.
Personal experience.... When paddling the Okefenokee I was in a pirogue and the guys were in canoes... I slid over all the logs in what is called the bone yard , they got hung up.
3. Kayaks...... ( The Skinny Boat)
A. The narrow speed demons of the water world , pack them carefully and you can have a ton of fun. There load capacity is all dependent on how and what you pack them with , getting in or out at times can be a challenge , anyway for me it is. Old age will make things like that a little if not a lot harder to do.
Again a round bottom boat so expect to get the bottom bumped at times when paddling over obsticals , if you are paddling skinny water.
B. A great boat for open water and long distance paddling , they will cover some miles for you at a leisure padding pace. Just one fun boat for open water and I have a ton of fun in mine.
4. The Modified V Bottom Boat or TV. ( No not the TV you watch at home) :roll: .
A. About like the pirogue but more of a straight line paddler since the v act's the same as a keel to help maintain the direction , turning them does take more work and when beaching them they can be tippy. Expect to hit more with the bottom then the flat bottom boats would do.
If you get hung up , just lean it slightly to one of the flat sides and scoot off the obstical.
B. The same load capacity as the pirogue or a small canoe , close to it depending on if it is decked over like a kayak , the height of the deck dictates that or just left open like a canoe is.
C. This is a hybrid of all three boats , combined into one. The rocker , width and length has a lot of control on the action of the craft. This is one versatile boat , depending on how you made it.
To get back to the original thought .........
The ones I have seen on the water and paddled along the side of have sure impressed me , don't be shocked if a little later on I have one. It could of been the paddlers skill level that I enjoyed but there boats sure did what they wanted them to do and did it rather well.
Myself I think the 15 x 32 would work the best , 4 more inches for camping gear then in the 15 x 29. That is just my personal thought. If the boat would not fit threw a 32 inch area then I do not need to be there. :lol: I am not looking for speed since I want to see and enjoy where I am paddling and some more goodies with me makes it that much enjoyable. The boat being my backpack that extra width is appreciated.
Again it all boils down to the person operating the boat and there knowledge of that boat , what they expect it to do and how it does it for them. Think of the boat as an extension of your self not something you just get in and use. I don't care which one you paddle as long as you consider it a friend and an/the extension of yourself , then it will do wonders for you. You might flip over in a 8 foot wide boat or you could be rock steady and dance in a 20 inch wide boat , I have no stinking idea of your boating skills , only mine.
For my paddling areas down here and the area I know so well , give me a flat bottom or almost a flat bottom and an open boat for the swamps.
There is no way I would tell a rapid paddler to use the same boat I like , Hell ... I am not him and we probably don't share the same likes or dislikes , plus I have no idea about his paddling skills , that would be utter stupidity on my part or anyone else to suggest it , the same as telling you what vehicle to drive. DUH.
As far as the what if's..... Only one way to see if it works for you , TRY IT. Everyone can 2nd guess it all day and no one will have the right answer.
OK.... FIRE .... When ready , load , lock and fire .... I am behind a big stump so make sure you have a lot of heavy rounds. :lol:
Chuck.
