How stable is a pirogue?

Nate Grace

Nate Grace

Well-known member
Hi folks,

I am looking for a light, easy to transport boat for a little backwater spot we hunt for woodies and teal. The walk in to the spot is about a half mile. The "bog" as we call it, is about 3-4 feet deep and has a soft bottom with dead trees, limbs, and so forth. Walking in the water can be a little anxiety producing. I hunted this spot with my dad this past Monday and we did OK, but the wading part sucked. So, I'd like to make a pirogue or other small boat so that we could avoid the wading part. Is the pirogue a stable boat? I realize they are really only a one man boat so we could possibly make two. The boat would only be used for sheltered inland waters with no current and probably no deeper than 5 to 6 feet.

Thanks for any insights.

Nate Grace
 
When I was in Louisiana I had several Pirogues. The traditional style open boat is very unstable and takes some getting used to especially with a dawg that won't sit still. The newer style is fibreglass and is almost like an open topped kayak and I loved it. Several bags of decoys, dog and push pole. Going through 3-5 inches of water in flooded timber was a snap. It only weighed about 60 lbs and can be loaded in the bed of a pick up with no problems
 
I built an Uncle John's Pirogue http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/default.htm and it is pretty stable. I think moreso than a canoe. I carry a dog in it with me and he typically will pivot on his butt and even jump out of the boat witout problem. The longer the pirogue, the more stable. Mine is 14 feet long and is glassed on all the seams inside and out but no glass on the hull or inside and it weights about 50 pounds. I can easily carry it where I need it. On that page is a custom designed a customer made that is wider and quite stable. There is a picture of him standing up in it fishing. The longer models can also hold two people if you stretch it to 16 feet. My 14 footer will easily hold me, 2 dozen dekes, gun, dog, and shells. I could probably hold another 200 pounds as well.

the drawbacks are that dog REENTRY is tough because I built mine with 12 inch sidewalls and it gets tippy with him trying to get back in. It also isn't as fast as a canoe or kayak BUT it is much quieter than a plastic or aluminum canoe.. it hardly makes a sound when it goes over reeds or pads. I really like mine. I built a blind for it as well.. I should post up some pics fully decked out.
 
Nate, I got a13'6" Four Rivers boat I can sell you for about half the price that they are selling for new if your interested. They are about as stable as you can find. It's rated for 2 people or 424lbs, 499lbs persons, motors, gear. You could use it in the back waters or as a layout. You could be hunting out of it by Friday,sounds tempting doesn't it.Let me know I'll even deliver it
 
Hi Nate,
I have a spot with a similar setup to yours and built one of the Uncle John's pirouge about 3 years ago. I built mine at 13' and it was really skittish. I am used to all type of small craft and this was not the best , especially when your paddleing in near freezing water. I took it on an 3 day overnight trip and stayed dry , but barely.



A small flat bottom canoe, poke boat, or even the above mentioned setup would be my choice.............................Jode
 
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NATE, HOW ABOUT AN OTTER BOAT? I OFTEN SEE A HUNTER IN ONE AT A SHALLOW SPOT ON A SMALL LAKE. IT LOOKS REALLY STABLE AND THERE IS ROOM ENOUGH FOR HIS DOG AND GEAR.
 
Thanks guys for the responses and info. Jode, that is just the info I am looking for. I had heard that the boat was a little tippy and probably only suitable for water that you could stand up in. Because this spot is so far back into the woods, we would need something that is super light and can carry at least two guys. I need to do some thinking and more searching. I would really like to build something instead of buying at this point.

Thanks again guys.

Nate
 
I see you'd rather make than buy - but what about a lightweight folding boat - like a folboat style or similar. They are light, portable and functional.

There must be folks on homebuilt kayak forums that have build lightweight take down kayaks...

Charlie
 
Nate,

I'm currently working on a Gator Boats "Bullfrog". Bought their Pirogue plans at the same time, and the Bullfrog looks much more stable (of course, it is a bit more work), and should be a great marsh boat.

-Bill
 
Nate,
what about a kara robber with a pair of bike wheels on an axle/cradel board strapped to the hull to get you and your gear to the spot?
The Kara\Fatboy type is very stable and will carry way more load than you need. Very fast to build as well.
Good luck
 
Nate,

I've never been in one of these Poke boats but maybe others have and can speak to their 'tippiness'. According to the website the hunting model weighs 22lbs and is more stable than a canoe. If you've got a 1/2mile hike before you get to the water, than weight will be a huge concern. Add in your dekes, bags, guns, etc...weight is adding up quick. Not sure how open the trail is but you might even consider those wheeled carts designed to help portage a canoe/kayak. Then you could throw most of your gear in the boat and wheel it to the water. Anyway, here's the link I found.

Then again, the picture you posted from your Dad last year of him hauling all the gear, maybe weight isn't a concern of yours. :-)

http://www.pokeboat.com/PokeHunting.htm

Ryan
 
I've built several square ended paddle boats like this:

paddleboat4.jpg


as well as an Uncle Johns pirouges. The paddle boats are much more stable but will still wet you. I have stood and thrown a cast net from the paddle boats but in warm weather and it didn't matter if you lost your balance. It's not something I would try in winter.

Even if you don't want to paddle them to your spot, they make transporting decoys, guns, shell bags etc easier.
 
I think for a pirogue to feel steady beneath you, you have to be
A) born in south Louisiana (below I-10), and
B) grow up in one.

I have spent many (uncomfortable) hours in diferent types and still feel that at any moment I could end up getting wet. They are also hell on your knees. Of course there are people who will claim that they are stable (see a and b above), but there are also people out there who can walk on floating logs. Just my .02. Alex
 
Ouch! Low blow Ryan, low blow! I'll have you know, I did buy a deer cart for Monday's hunt and I did drag it down and back all by myself. I even poured the coffee while my Dad rested on the log that we hunted from. I even ventured out into the water first while a POd beaver was slapping the water and making every effort to keep us out of his pond. I could have been mauled you know!

Thanks for the info on the poke boats. I will have to look into that as well. The Karas look like a good boat but might be a little too heavy. Ideally, I would like to get one light boat that could hold two guys and gear or make two very light boats that could be stacked, loaded onto a wheeled cart and then loaded with gear and wheeled down to the spot. Jim's square-backed boat looks like a nice boat.

Thanks all for the information and insights. I really appreciate it.

Best,
Nate
 
Nate,

I've I found a place like you discribe that I want to hunt but need a small boat also. Last weekend I purchased the last of the material I need to build something similar to this. It won't be pretty and may even leak a bit but I'm hoping I can get something built by freeze up. I'm sure you remember this from the summer pictures. Pee_rows ain't for me! I ain't that graceful and hate being wet when the winds of November come blow'in.

Good luck with your season.

Ed L.

duckboat17 (480 x 360).jpg
 
Oooohhh...and I bet the beaver was foaming at the mouth and you could have gotten rabies as well. Hehe...

Good luck with your search Nate and let us know how you get on.
 
I like that boat, Ed. Did you design that? I was going to build something almost exactly like that. What I'm going to do, though, is figure out a way to make something almost like that, but stitch n glue (if I ever find the time.) That's a cool boat. Is there any rocker to the bottom in the back? I was going to make the bottom flat from amidships to the stern.

Ed.
 
Here was my solution. I made a plug based generally on the Kara design, we created a mold from that then created several all fiberglass boats from the mold. I did put some rocker into it. It doesn't plane out under power, but where I use it, I don't want that. I'm happy tooling along, and it poles fairly well. Not as well as a Kara would, but not too bad.


boatontrailersidesmall.jpg
bentonyside.jpg
 
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