New to building boats

jess_hawk · Post by **jess_hawk** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:29 am

Just wanted to mention that I am considering suggesting the Prospector Ranger 15 for my dad, as initial stability is the biggest thing for him (you should hear him yell when my brother or I stand up partway in our clunker canoe, to reach something... and that thing is not only impossible to sink, its so stable that you can stand all the way up and not fall out if you're smart.), he doesn't paddle if there are waves... mostly sticks to the lake down near where he grew up, which is small and gets very little traffic, so since he only paddles in good weather, its 100% flatwater. I'd like to find a boat that is small enough that when it isn't in use, we could display it in the basement, which is finished off and decorated in a Northwoods theme. 15 feet is probably the maximum if I keep that as a goal. Does anyone have additional suggestions for a canoe fitting these standards?

Thanks!

ealger · Post by **ealger** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:32 am

Jess, I wonder if by "clunker" you might mean the redwood flat bottom Laker that is in Gilpatrick's book? My first canoe was the Laker which first appeared in Popular Science in 1967. That canoe was so stable that we could stand nearly to the shear and not tip over.
I was shocked when I started building the "modern" designs and found them unsettling. My first cedar threw me twice into the lake before I finally got aboard!
The Ranger 15 is very pleasent and is beautiful but I wish I had of built the Prospector 16 first.
Ed...

jess_hawk · Post by **jess_hawk** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:43 am

No, by "clunker" canoe, I mean the aluminum model my dad picked up when my brother and I decided we wanted a canoe. Its big, heavy, flatbottomed, slow... basically a fine canoe for a river float but not very asthetically pleasing, and I've never tried standing anywhere but in the middle but I do know that we were once asked in a class to swamp our canoes, and between my friend and I we could not do it from inside the canoe. We jumped out, both of us got on one side and tipped it upside down. When it righted itself, it was full of water and quite easy to get back into (they wanted us to see that we could paddle these canoes when they were swamped). Its also not a fun boat to paddle by yourself, as I found out when my friend John got blisters on his hands on a day trip we did and I had to confiscate his paddle. (This was after spending half the day in a kayak, with such lovely handling... :smile ).

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:45 am

Carrying Place's Grey Owl is another 15-footer (actually 14'10") that should be exceptionally stable.... I haven't paddled it, but the bottom appears to be flatter amidships which should increase initial stabilty. Also a little beamier, and a different sheer for maybe a more attractive, high-ended look. The pictures and desc are here:

http://www.carryingplacecanoeworks.on.c ... anvas.html

Drawings here... plans are available in cedarstrip somewhere on the site.

http://www.carryingplacecanoeworks.on.c ... reyowl.pdf

The flattened bottom isn't something I'd want, since flatness is structurally weaker than arched and doesn't perform well in rough water... still, if stability in calm conditions is the main thing, maybe it'd be the better choice. The shallow-arch bottom on a Ranger or Prospector would suit me more, since paddling solo kneeling and leaned over should be better... this might not apply to sitting paddlers.

To test paddle and test for stability characteristics more or less, 15-16 foot Prospectors are available to rent at many places to make sure this is what you want before building.... good luck!

Edited to remove suggestion that the Prospector may be a more stable hull.