New boat with Grand Daughter | SouthernPaddler.com

New boat with Grand Daughter

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oldyaker

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
1,949
31
Joe..That's a million dollar picture! My Grandaughter looks to be around her age......I believe I'm alot younger than you though. :roll:
Anyway....I hope to bring her down your way some day to paddle the pirogue
I built her. Maybe our two pride and joys can paddle together! I named her boat the AllyGator since her name is Ally. I put her name AllyGator on it with a small alligator logo. It's a great feeling...ain't it Joe! :D :D
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
If you ever paddled Joe's River you would retire instantly and move down here , second thought .... Ya better not paddle it till you are ready to forget that w%^k thing. :p

Clear , spring fed , water , lots of trees , wildlife ( even some , Primates ( not related to anyone here on the forum ) swinging from the trees ) Heck we use the trees to make boats according to some folks who might be related to the tree top swingers. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lots of good fishing and plenty of wilderness. No snow or iced over waters , just good times all year round.

Chuck.
 
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Lazyriverguy

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2006
180
0
Eureka,Florida
Good Morning Mick
I have added some pics of the boat to the same link above if you would like to see more of it.
Here is the only way I can describe it.
I started with a fiberglass boat that a fellow was throwing out do to (his words) it was a piece of crap.
12' 11" long, 28" wide at the widest point 13" at the deepest point.

No seats that a human could set on. Small cracks small holes, just a red piece of ( my words) useable craft. ( Please note I never said My wife said that)
I saw that it would float and with a little care and resin would'nt leak too much.
I have been wanting and needed a cover canoe. SOOO I set in the shop and stared at this thing. Saw that if I put a couple of bulkheads in it and some canvas tops that could be removed to allow gear to be inserted then covered it just might work. So without spending much of our tight tax time budget I started looking around at the stuff I have in the shop.
#1 old pieces of ply that were cut offs from some other project.
#2 An old canvas tent that I found along the river discarded by some body.
#3 plenty of insight and the loving push from the Lady of the house sayin( If you think you need another boat to paddle then before you go spendin a bunch of cash please this time make sure it will be one you can actually use for at least some perpose.)
In her defence I have some where in the range of 60 paddlable boats here at the Outpost so I really did'nt need to build one.
But this is different. It needs to be a solo canoe and covered.
The canvas is held in place on 1 side with screws and has snaps on the other to make puttin gear in easy. It is held up in the bow form by 2 fiberglass tent rods from a discarded dome tent. Once again found on the river. The canvas is sealed with spray sealant.
I have done what Chuck said was an eskimo roll with it with the tops on and was able to soak all the water in the dry compartments with 1 peanut sponge no ringing it out . So i guess it will be fine for a rain storm or 2.

So there you have it one covered canoe for one person for under $25. and it even floats.
Joe
 
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bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Looks like ya aim ta paddle 'n camp with the High Sheriff (in a hoodoochie).....who dont know a Eskimo roll frum a Tootsie Roll. He knows half a roll.....we all seen it. :wink:


A hooker once told me she had a headache. Rodney Dangerfield
 
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Lazyriverguy

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2006
180
0
Eureka,Florida
Mr. Bear
I didn't know what the heck that eskimo thing was but I know I flip the dang boat. I thought eskimo rolls was some thing ya did while rubbin noses in a tent covered with snow.
Joe
 
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bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Lazyriverguy said:
but I know I flip the dang boat.
Click to expand...
Sure Joe. We know ya did, but trust me, the High Sheriff dont know how a Eskimo rolls. He mite have known, back in the ole days (before the printin' press), but I figger he musta cut back on hiz grits. He used ta look like that fella on the gator in the top left. Now days he caint even find hiz overalls. :lol:

regards
bearridge

ps Truthful Jack wuz showin' Guttenberg how ta make rub on tattoos when he come up with the idea of a type writer. Not long after that the Diet of Worms spread all over europe cuz folks wanted ta lose some weight. Jack quit sellin' snake oil (tired of squeezin' snakes) 'n made near bout az much money az Doc Atkins off that one....but I heard he spent most of it on women 'n whiskey......but wasted the rest. Good thing folks didnt know how ta read back then.

Reg: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Xerxes: Brought peace.
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Joe, I like your addition of covered cargo bays. I'm asking here, for your opinion. Would it help if you had small drain channels in the bottom center of the bulkheads? Any water that got in would then run to the center of the boat where you could sponge it up.

Another thought, is put a sponge int he bottom center of each bay to catch any seepage right away.

Too bad you're not lucky like me. I never tip over and it never rains on me. Well, I did fall out of an easy chair once, but that doesn't count, I don't think.
 
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Lazyriverguy

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2006
180
0
Eureka,Florida
KJack
I had thought some one would help and give me an idea for the water problem. I think the sponge in each hold would be very good idea. I had thought of the hole in the bulkhead but it would let water run into the holds so it would defeat the porpose of the covers. But I do thank you for the insight of your years of experience.
Joe
 
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hairymick

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

Thank you for the added piccies and information mate. I like the way you are thinking on this one.

How well did the boat paddle?

I also like the very steep sheer on the stems of this boat as well as the lines of her, in general. Please understand that solo canoes are allmost non existant in this country and I have allmost no experience of them.

More and more, I am beginning to realize the advantages of a small-ish solo canoe and to this end, have been playing with some ideas re another custom job for Matt for just such a boat.

Pirogues are very good, but I like the rounder bottom and secondary stability of a true Canadian Style canoe. Your covered decks are a stroke of genius IMHO and a beautiful job too. :D
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
hairymick said:
... solo canoes are almost non existent in this country ...

More and more, I am beginning to realize the advantages of a small-ish solo canoe and to this end, have been playing with some ideas re another custom job for Matt for just such a boat.

Pirogues are very good, but I like the rounder bottom and secondary stability of a true Canadian Style canoe. Your covered decks are a stroke of genius IMHO and a beautiful job too. :D
Click to expand...
It's hard for us Americans to conceive a country without open canoes. Those who came before us carpeted this land with them. Like grass, they've always been there.

I concur with Mick, a smaller, solo canoe is a fun - and utilitarian - vehicle. And, that the rounded bottom provides dependable secondary stability rather than the totally surprising lack of it. And a decked solo is an ultimate boat!

Joe, thanks for the compliment, but my experience is more like only one year - repeated lots of times.
 
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Lazyriverguy

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2006
180
0
Eureka,Florida
MR. Mick
The boat does very well, I use a double ended kayak paddle. It is narrower in the area were I set. I have heard it resembles a swedish style in the beam. I just know that I paddled it against the flow here again today and had no trouble keeping about 1.5 mph for the 4 mile trip, this against about a 1.75 mph current. I did it with 70 lb. of gear in the boat plus me. I needed to do a resupply to one of my river guests that ran out of beer. But it tracks well, it does take alittle extra to turn as it has a keel of about 3/4 of an inch. I may think of putting a rutter on it but not right away. I feel it is a good platform to figure out what it is I need in a good craft.
Joe
 
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