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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Chris Surtees on December 22, 2006, 11:11:00 AM
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I was wondering how may of you use a canoe or small boat for hunting?
Looking at getting a Creek Boat but want to see if there is anything else out there that I may be a better option.
Chris
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I'm looking at the SPORTSPAL canoe from BWMarine. The 16 footer weighs less than 60lbs. and can carry 1000# ! There's a few coves that I wanna reach into and a creek to cross. May wind up with the 14 though...
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Check out Kpaul's avator, we picked up this boat used, having been just retired from the WV Navy and boy has that come in handy, both fishing deer out of the pond, and getting them all the way back without having an infarction. The video of him coming in with a big mac draped across the front is awesome. This link 'might' work:
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/?action=view¤t=PB070003.flv
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I want to get a Sportspal, too. Had one many years ago and loved it. When the time is right here is where I'll be getting mine, Billy.
http://www.castlecraft.com/main.htm
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Chris,
I use a canoe/kyak hybrid to hunt on some locations of the local wildlife areas, it all but removes the competition. The boat is a 15 ft Stalker, kevlar smooth belly about 60#s. It excels in shallow marshes and lakes but works well in rivers, just does not track as well as a canoe.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/Picture207.jpg)
Sean
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I use a canoe quite a bit here in the south. If you want to give it a try without wasting a bunch of money, do like I did several years back, pick up a second hand Coleman canoe. It has a keel and fairly flat bottom so it is stable and tracks pretty well. If I'm going far, I'll often clamp a little trolling motor on it and you can get fairly far without sweating yourself up on the way in. The polyethelene hull is made for rapids, but it is quite - just don't go clanking on the aluminum braces. Will hold two hunters, with gear, including tree stands, plus a deer/hog or two. It does open up a lot of territory in some places and makes for a quite entrance and a lot easier than dragging a deer a long way. Steve
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My wife is the expert canoeist/kayaker. She bought us a 16' Wenonah kevlar Aurora, and that is the nicest boat I've ever floated, bar none. It also weighs 40lbs. This year I will bowfish the Feather River with it.
If you decide on a kayak, and have to choose between a medium quality boat with cheap gear or really good gear and a lower quality boat, get the good gear. A good, light paddle for a hundred bucks more makes a much, much bigger difference than an extra hundred spent on a boat. BTW, my kayak is a Perception Sundance, an inexpensive boat that paddles wonderfully.
Though I am partial to American companies that focus on good watercraft, any little boat adds a dimension to hunting, and therefore any boat will do. They all have personalities, and the views you get make the trip worth it every time.
One last little piece of advice: Practice before you put your hunting equipment in it!
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I think hunting with a canoe enhance's your hunting experience :thumbsup:
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Armstrong-Buck.jpg)
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Buck-in-canoe.jpg)
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Yew_canoe.jpg)
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aYak - Where did you find a lake on the side of a cliff like that? LOL
I plan on building this one when I get a shop done. prospector (http://noahsmarine.com/United_States/Strip_Canoes-us/Canoe_Plans-us/Prospector-us/prospector-us.html)
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I've got a poke boat that I float down the creeks and sloughs around here. http://www.pokeboat.com/
Mine is called The Maxi Poke boat.
Its a pretty cool little ride. Only weighs 30lbs, and holds 500lbs. I've ran mine in as little as 4" of water.
I mainly use it for running juglines and trotlines for catfish in the spring and summer in places that modern boats can't really go because of mystery stumps and low water areas.
This fall I've been taking it up remote creeks looking for new places to hog and squirrel hunt, and I packed it full of gear and was never pressured for space. I really enjoy it.
Cam
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Tom,
That's a beaver pond (just recently remodeled by the beavers after a few hurricanes) that sits between two hi-walls on a property that had a coal-drag-line pulled thru it about 40-50 years ago...makes for some exciting deer drags.
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Thanks for the help everyone. I like the looks of the Sportspal with the square transom.
aYak, Great video, and also liked those other pics and vids you have.
Ron and Sean, Those are some awesome pics.
I really appreciate everyones help. This has given me some options to chose from when I am ready buy.
Chris
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I mainly use a 12' square stern Radisson and love it. I have an old 3 horse that powers it along when I want or it paddles very nicely (if the front is properly weighted). I also have a 12' square stern fiberglass made by "Cranberry Creek" in Wisconsin. That is also a nice ride. They both get used hard during the trapping season and have held up to the abuse.
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I have also used a 10' aluminum jonboat with the 3 horse before. I found out quickly that with the kicker, traps, gear and my fat butt in that little skiff it was WAY overloaded!
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Nothing like the view from a canoe. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/edoetzel/051027021300.jpg) 12ft radisson super light and very stable
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Chris,
Here's a boat I built a couple of years ago that's great for getting up in those tight spots: http://sports.webshots.com/photo/1154446908054848947seOWfg
It's 13'6' long and stable enough to stand up in and cast a rod.
You can do it, too! - drop me a line and I'll walk you through it.
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I spend a lot of time bowhunting with a Bell Morningstar (http://bellcanoe.com/products/canoes/morningstar.html)
Light(55lbs)royalex for durability, asymetrical design, good capacity, stable, and a tandem that can be easily paddled solo. One of the most versitile canoes made. I can easily handle this boat myself or fit two people with gear. I have yet to have two people and two deer in it at the same time, but I'm sure it would work with the right placement. :)
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to expand on this theme a bit... and let me start by saying I'm green as grass with the question... does anyone use a canoe for standup bowfishing? I'd like to, but I have the impression that they're way too tippy to be standing up in.
dick in seattle
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Dick,
When shooting archery from a canoe wearing a bathing suit is mandatory....
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Ron, I particularly like your second pix. Wood and Canvas. Nothing like it. I build them. My poke around boat is 12 1/2 feet long and 34 inches wide. Stable and fairly light.
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I have a Maxi poke boat and use it creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes. I can stand up it - it's stable.
I duck hunt and fish out it all the time.
It's awesome.
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I haven't hunted in a canoe in a while but I've fished out of a few. I use to use a Gruman 17 ft Alum. but sold it to my brother. That canoe was bullet (broadhead) proof but might be a bit noisy for bow hunting, especially in stealth mode. I've been looking at a 16 ft square stearn, plastic laminated boat by Old Town. Its their Predatoer SS150 model. Looks stable, should take a beating, and will support 950 lbs. Has oar gunwhales as well.
Good luck in your search,
Brad
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I went through the same question just last year. I ended up buying a Riverhawk. It is kind of a cross between a canoe and a boat. I feel I could not have made a better choice. It is stable enough stand up and bowfish from and will take up to a 25 hp motor. Made of fiberglass and is only 15 feet long. It is almost impossible to overturn.
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Bill your Riverhawk sounds like my cousins 16' Geehnoe. It the most stable thing I've ever seen and will take a 25hp motor also. Its slightly wider (not much) than a canoe but way more stable.
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Doug R
You are correct. It is similar to the Gheenoe. I researched both and decided on the Riverhawk because it is 60 inches wide which is wider than the Gheenoe(I think). I have used it several times and am really happy with it. I am a pretty big lad(old man) and I can stand on the very edge of it with no problem. For its size it is the most stable boat I have ever been in....much more so than a john boat.
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Is the price of the Riverhawk close to the Gheenoe?. I've been thinking of getting one soon.
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i've had a gheenoe for over 25 years now, used it to go fishing, move camping and duck hunt on rivers. I've used it for bowfishing and it did fine. It has been the best boat i have had the pleasure of using, and I've had a good bit of experience with boats.
Gheenoes are a quality design and come in various sizes - only problem with the larger ones is that you really can't car-top them.
Good things about the Gheenoe is that you can pole them, paddle them, row them, power then with and electric motor or a gasoline motor - I've done all with mine. I have heard of a gheenoe being rigged as a sailing craft.
I guess the main weakness is the the gheenoe is not a rough water or white-water boat, it likes still waters and really nothing more than moderate currents.
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Last year I was looking for a small canoe for solo float-hunting. I looked at many of the canoes already suggested, but ended up going with a 12' Old Town Pack canoe. I love it. Here's the manufacturer's description:
Pack:
Versatile and lightweight, the Pack is an ideal easy-paddling canoe for novices or experienced canoeists. A V-entry hull with keel makes the Pack easy to handle, and it's particularly well-suited for a double-bladed paddle. Tough and light, at 33 pounds, this 12' long and 32" wide canoe can easily be carried by one person on a portage or on and off a vehicle. Carrying capacity is 400 pounds. Pack has black vinyl gunwales, polyethylene decks with grab handles and a cane seat. Color: green.
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If I had a choice (given the wright conditions) it would be out of a canoe EVERY time--
I have a 10' (actually measures about11') Raddison--36lbs and will hold 2 men up to 500lbs (yes--it has been over it capacity several times)
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I've had a Radisson (Sportspal - same-same) for about 16 years. Love it (only 35# @ 12 ft. - even I can pick it up and walk away with it). Outside is flexible aluminum, Soft Foam inside keeps it pretty quiet, very stable (I wouldn't stand to shoot, though), oars or paddles. Used it for fly fishing (10 ft. rod), duck hunting, deer hunting, camping, transport. You can almost use it to navigate a mud puddle. Do yourself a favor and look at them real good - I noticed their web site is already posted in this thread.
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I built this one from 1/4" marine plywood. 15 1/2' long, about 70 lbs with about a 4' draft in the water. This thing did'nt track well but would float in a mud puddle without dragging bottom. It lasted over 10 years. Even though it was kept out in the weather!
Materials costed me around $100.00 back then. It came from a plan called "The Six Hour Canoe". Cause that's how long it takes to buid it!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/canoe.jpg)
Took several long trips in it, over 15 miles each downstream hunting the banks along corn feilds. Almost got close enought to a whitetail to put an arrow in him, but when he realized I was not a floating log it bolted like it had been shot.
Tried to bow fish out of it for turtles and carp this summer with no luck. It is spooky standing up to shoot and the best light to see into the water is overcast sky's. Sunlight glare makes it tough.
This was my last trip in the canoe. As you can see I had a patch on the side and the trim is rotting off. It was a good boat while it lasted!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/Osagetree/bowfishing.jpg)
I enjoyed this project of canoe building and it seemed to make my adventures in it even more memorable! Whish I had taken pictures on more of our adventures on the water.
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I have seen a lot of the Gheenoe's or similar boats around my home town in FL. They are very practicial boats and are just about as common as the John boats.
I have looked real hard at the Old Town Predator SS but the weight of the canoe is the only thing holding me back. The over 1700lbs weight capacity is impressive though.
The Sportspal or Radisson seem to have the best combination of canoe weight and capacity.
I still have a couple months to decide and the options are numerous but I do not think I could go wrong with any of them.
Thanks for the help and suggestions.
Chris
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I had this birch bark canoe for over 10 years. It's a great feeling to float a river in a traditional bark canoe.
This was an Algonquin style.
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Birch_Bark_hunters.jpg)
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This one was a cedar strip canoe made by a Professor at MSU. He used it for solo canoe trips into Canada. It didn't have any seats and you had to kneel on the bottom (I had better knees back then) :D
I used it on a trap line for a number of years and then sold it to a man that was moving to Alaska....that boat sure got around :biglaugh:
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Father%20&%20Son,%20Trappers.jpg)
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Thats an awsome looking birch bark conoe Ron,I would love to have one for trapping and hunting.
You have the best pictures,I could look at them all day.Have you ever wrote any books?Because I sure would like to read them if you have.
Merry Christmas
Tracy
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Thanks Tracy, I'm glad you like the pictures. I've got a lot of them and hope to get them in a book one of these days.
I started my biography a while back and work on it from time to time. I have to go back every once in a while and add something that I forgot. If I'd have wrote it 50 years ago it would have been a lot eaiser :biglaugh:
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Like Osagetree, we built our own. 'Cause I'm cheap/poor and it was fun, the boys helped a bunch. Made a lot of memories.
The style is called the Cajun Pirogue, and here's link if you want more pics... or a starter kit.
http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/default.htm
You can put a transom on it for a motor or even rig it for sailing.
BTW, some of my best hunting spots in VA were public land areas that I got to by water.
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Mike--thanx for bringing up the uncle Johns link--that would be a nice project for myself and the Kids---
Happy Holidays---Mark
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How about the otter stealth 2000, its mainly a duckboat, but very stable:
http://www.otteroutdoors.com/stealth2000.html
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/johnbeattie/THE_DA29.jpg)
:rolleyes:
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I'll second the six hour canoe (except that it takes more like 24 hours to build) I built this one with my son Ru in april. He took a goose out of it (he got the message loud and clear: cover those broadheads! :readit: ;) ) (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/Oarceas/Goose.jpg)
To help it track better we put an exterior center keel. We smeared it with bedding compound and attached it with brass screws from inside the boat. This allows us to replace it every year. Here it is at the end ofthe summer:
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/Oarceas/boats/KfisherHull.jpg)
Note: we also made it wider by mistake. That gave it more rocker (which is great if you like to play in rock gardens :) ) and also allowed for a lot more cargo.
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Have a pirogue that I paid $50.00 for 20 years ago, have used it in Maine,Tennessee,Maryland,Florida and now Texas.
Found a spot yesterday that I'll be using it for next Fall.
ROOTER
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Dick in Seattle, here's one for you, 15' grumman I paid 30 bucks for year before last, 10' outriggers, and 3/4" marine plywood deck, it disassembles and I can have this from the back of my truck to water in less than 2 min. it's a blast!
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/voodoofire1/canoe003.jpg)
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Hey ED- 3DMuzzy--I recognize the pic on page 1..
........Love this Topic :thumbsup:
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I am going to give building one a shot here this summer. Need to heal up a little more before attempting something like this.
Found a sportpal here locally that I am going to buy as well. Could not pass on the price with the condition the canoe is in. Almost looks new for less than half price.
Ron...once again those are some cool pics. You need to add more of those to you website.
Chris
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Voodoo...are those store bought outriggers ? If not...how did you build them ?
ChuckC
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I built one about two years ago with my son. I really enjoyed it. I think I spent about $200 in materials. It took me about two weeks to finish it working on and off. I have used it for deer and hog hunting works great and only weighs 45lbs. You can find some great info. at www.southernpaddler.com. (http://www.southernpaddler.com.) I hope that's O'k to mention that site on here. God Bless.
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/122851605ueBxyu
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The "pods" were bought at an auction for a dollar, the extentions are 2" aluminum tubing 10' long, it's held together by ratchet straps, and the deck just sits on top, in the pic, you can see ripples, they are from my Daughter Jess, ans she tries to rock the boat while I shoot to throw me off, didn't work, as I still hit my target,lol,lol the boat is very stable, but much harder to paddle, hence the trolling motor. and one time this summer we had some people over and I put my lazy boy on it for kicks and went fishing, should have seen their faces,lol,lol. Priceless!
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I have the booklet for the "6hour canoe" if anyone wants it. Pat