The Keeper

[Wannabe]

Mick
I know that you have both so I will ask you. Anyone isse who has an opinion on it please chime in. If you absoulatly had to get rid of one of them, which would you keep---The Swamp Girl or the touring pirough?
Bob

 

[a Bald Cypress]

which

When I first got the Swamp Girl, I was quite satisfied. As time passed however, I began to have second thoughts. Come to find out, she had been used prior to my getting her. She was dirty beyond belief. So much so that I had to hose her down with soap and water.

Additionally, she knew nothing about cooking and burned the grits. That being the case, I would get rid of her in a heartbeat and keep the pirogue.

Take my advice and get a Farm Girl and leave the Swamp Girls alone. There are however, many exceptions to that final rule.



Or were you talking strictly about boats ?

 

[islandpiper]

hey Bald Cypress.....yup, you just made my day.....man, I walked right into that one. Thanks for the laugh.

Piper

 

[oldsparkey]

Darn.... You guys need to live in Florida .. She treated me quite well on a 4 night , 5 day trip down the St,Mary's River. Took all of my camping stuff along with water and chow and was fun to paddle for the whole trip.

I guess I just have no idea about how things are done out there in the wilderness now days .... all I can say is it worked for me and that is all that counts.

As far as the Swamp Girl and a touring pirogue , different boats for different waters .... Or paddlers and I have both along with more boats for my enjoyment. Just remember ... Not all of us like the same things so the final decision is up to you as mine is up to me. That my friends is what makes this world turn around everyday.

If all of us liked the same thing then this world would be quite boring and no fun.

I will say that the only time tested boat for thousands of years is the canoe or the SUV , for better words , of the boating world , all the rest are spin offs for the local area and what the folks customized them for to suit there needs.

Chuck.
PS. My Yankee (born up there , raised down here) wife turned into a swamp girl doesn't burn the grits because I cook them , dang I do all of the cooking. Better forget what I just told you when she is frying the chicken an doing the greens ... southern style.....dam good.

 

[catfish]

Yep Piper I believe you & me mighta fell in the same trap on that one. :lol: :lol: Bald cypress said that one well.

I guess I did real good then, I got a swamp ,farm & country girl all in one.

 

[Wannabe]

That fella belongs in The Hall of Fame. As well a laid trap as I've ever seen. Cracked me up. The wife about fell in the floor. That wuz good.

Chuck
So the Swamp Girl will take rougher water than the pirough, right?
Bob

 

[hairymick]

G'day Bob,

I will try to do an unbiased comparison for you. Please bear in mind that I love both of these boats and the Swampgirl, being my first S&G build, holds a special place in my affections.

Paddle speed,

The touring pirogue seems a little faster and easier to paddle than the 'girl. Having said that, My 'girls lines were not as fair as they could have been and I made some fundamental mistakes in bending the bottom panels. I think this affected her performance a bit.

Manouverability.

I think they are pretty equal.

Tracking,

I installed a keel on both of my boats so tracking was exceptional. Without the keel, I think the ' girl would have been a little better.

Stability.

Swampgirl wins this one, hands down

Ease of Build,

The pirogue has fewer panels and no twist in them. It is way easier to build.

Fishability,

Both of these boats are very good in this regard. the swamp girl may be a little better, because of its immense stability. Having said that, the stability comes at a price. The price is hull speed.

Mate, I lot depends on what you want the boat for. Both are great boats.

My wife and daughters still have not forgiven me for sellimg my swampgirl and I am still kicking myself too. All who paddled her loved her.

I also made the top panel 2 inches lower than in the plans. I wouldn't do that again.

The piccies tell the story

 

[oldsparkey]

So the Swamp Girl will take rougher water than the pirough, right?
Bob

I can't truthfully say since neither have been in rough water , they are my river and back water boats.
I use a kayak or canoe in rough water ( any water with waves over 12 inches high) .

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

... My 'girls lines were not as fair as they could have been and I made some fundamental mistakes in bending the bottom panels. I think this affected her performance a bit....

I knew a couple girls whose bottom panels were a bit mis-bent. It affected their performance too. While speed was incredible, maneuverability did suffer a bit. Weather cocking wasn't a problem, though. As I remember.

 

[Wannabe]

Well fellas,
All of the input to my question is much appreciated. Micks pics. shows that you can sit pretty high in the boat. Was looking for a easy build but I never get to do things the easy way. Oh well.
Thanks again
Bob

 

[hairymick]

Hi Bob,

Swampgirl isn't a hard boat to build. Just stick to Matts drawings and build instructions and you shouldn't have any real problems.

I had several problems with my build and I am now fairly confident that I know what I did wrong.

1. I used heavier, hardwood bracing ply on the bottom panels combined with very light, thin, soft wood ply for the sides. the difference in strength and bend charactistics meant that my thin sides were not strong enough to force the bottom panels to conform to the designed bottom shape near the ends.

2. Most importantly, I DIDN'T FOLLOW MATT'S BUILD INSTRUCTIONS.

Even with the glaring mistakes I made, my swampgirl still performed beautifully for what she is, a skinny water boat. With the sides at the designed height, she would take a reasonable chop easily and is stable enough to stand in if you want. This may take some practice.

To give an idea of the extent of the mistakes I made, look at the piccie below. This was my swampgirl during build. if you look at the keel line of her from about where the blue deck of the kayak behind dissappeards behind the swamp girl, you will se a marked dip, This should not be there.

Also, where the bottom panel meets the next side panel, in about the same place. See the wavy join line? That also should not be like that. The lines, curves and panel joints should flow neatly into each other and over the length of the boat. This is not difficult to achieve. I was in just too much of a hurry to get her built to take proper care and check my work..

If you are planning to paddle skinny water, either boat will fit your needs well. What-ever boat you finally decide on, I would reccommend the pirogue as a first build, simply because it is easier in that there are less panels. There is a definate learning curve to this caper, especially in the filleting and fibreglassing the inside.

Good luck mate and please keep us posted.

 

[bearridge]

I knew a couple girls whose bottom panels were a bit mis-bent. It affected their performance too.

Uh oh.....that sounds like "my bottom's lookin' dodgy 'n my varnish wont dry...".....the country song that the High Sheriff dont allow nobody ta sing on here. :mrgreen:

I wuz drunk the day my Mom got out of prison..... :mrgreen: :roll: :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge

Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine. Fran Lebowitz

 

[Kayak Jack]

... "my bottom's lookin' dodgy 'n my varnish won't dry..."

Br'r Bear. Are you sure yer bottom doesn't look more like a De Soto? Dodges weren't all that large those years; DeSoto's were longer and wider. Had bigger tail fins too.

 

[bearridge]

my bottom's lookin' dodgy 'n my varnish jest won't dry...
my bottom's lookin' dodgy 'n my varnish jest won't dry...
my head it went ta spinnin', got epoxy in my eye

harmonica comes in here......

The Contradictions featurin' Big Ass Slim
blues band 'n barbecue team

 

[oldsparkey]

It's a good thing you guy's have honest jobs , OK ...Had and now are ... Retarded from those honest jobs and on the county , state and the national pay roll at this time.

I heard a large sigh of agony from the Nashville crowd and saw there warning posted about what you might try to do to destroy the good music that all of us like. :lol:

I can see it now ...A soul Full mourning ( painful ) voice ...... I didn't have my glasses on an used the wrong hot sauce on my meal while Momma was coming home from jail on the train. The Yankees made me suffer and even eat more. Por Me , Belly of fire and noxious gazes all night in my tent. The wife was a cussing while I was a farting , She made me sleep in the outhouse even when I went back to the table for more.

The Group out camping , all together ...... Por me , no glasses on my nose but plenty of chow and a spicut to cool it down that were a water spicut weren't it , not a dry biscuit , then back fer more. Gobble , Chomp , Gulp , HELP an fart he ain't sleeping in that tent tonight....... :lol:

Chuck.
See folks we do have fun on river trips. :lol:

 

[bearridge]

Blind Lemon Sparkey,

I never heard of a blues song bout passin' gas, but I aint done yet. In blues songs, womens leave all the time.....mostly cuz they low down 'n dirty....'er drinkin' at some crosstown bar with yer good time buddies. If yer good gal left cuz of foul smells, that would make ya move up ta the country 'n paint yer mailbox blue. :wink:

Good thing ya trashed Paris so we kin keep the talk on a high level. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

driftin' & driftin'
bearridge
bodine blues band

Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

 

[Kayak Jack]

... I heard a large sigh of agony from the Nashville crowd and saw there warning posted about what you might try to do to destroy the good music that all of us like. :lol:

Chuckus Groanicus, I'm glad you attached that laughing face after your statement about all of us liking the stuff out of Nashville. Calling that stuff "good music" is like calling Paris Hilton a sweet, likable girl.

(Notice that I didn't have to say anything about comparing gritz to good food?)

 

[hairymick]

country music, blues, - Its all good. its this bloody hip hop / rap shite that gets my back up. Makes me want to kick some punk maggot in the face. :x