Need advice re: light aluminum boat
Will West
lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle two
people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
--
Will West
Lionheart Fishing Safari
http://www.lionheartsafari.com
Mr. G
_________ A canoe is good and streamlined for atop a vehicle. You can
get one with a flat stern for a small 4 CYCLE pony motor to go across
lakes with. Stay away from cold aluminum boats for a variety of reasons
or you can go ahead and buy one anyhow and figure that one out for
yourself. Riveted aluminum boats are high maintenance and noisy in the
bargain. They have to be the most uncomfortable little dinghies you can
get.
--
Mr. G.
'all's fair with fur or feather'
http://www.gink.com
http://www.rodbuilding.com
http://www.xink.com
509-243-4100 or 5500
© 1999 by George Gehrke
asadi
molded plastic, oars drink holders and the works for $400...dang near bought
just 'cause I liked it but don't need it.
Any decent trolling motor really makes a canoe scoot......
Myself, I ought two kayaks (Keowee) and will use those over a boat I have to
load and unload any day of the week....these types area very stable fishing
platform. Lighter, one man managable, usable in streams or lakes...can't
beat 'em.
I DO have an aluminum boat.....on a trailor.............what Mr. G
said.................john
mrdancer
Mr. G
______ Yah, sure. I put the boat and trailer on top of my car, right?
Mike Connolly
foot Grumman (hmmmm not sure about the spelling but it's the same as the
aircraft manufacturer) "jon boat" - a flat bottomed boat with a sqared off
nose. I thought that this was the ideal rig because it was light and I could
easily hoist it up onto the roof rack myself (ie lift up the front end and
raise it onto the rear rack then walk around to the rear of the boat and
lift it and slide the boat forward). The jon boat style gives you a flat
stable bottom and the sqared off nose means you don't lose as much space
inside the boat coming to a point given the short lenght. I used a 10 hp
motor - just clamp it on, throw in the gas tank and gear and go. The Grumman
is a welded design and really strong.
mike
Will West <will...@lionheartsafari.com> wrote in message
news:fnar3.1$dc1...@wdc-read-01.qwest.net...
John Knight
welded aluminium, flat bottom and square across the front. Two adults can
stand and cast flies in a ten footer, plus carry lunch, drinks, heaps of
tackle etc. 10hp would be plenty. A good electric trolling motor and
batteries would be better for fly fishing.
They are light, cheap, rugged and very practical in flat water.
Strangely, a popular brand here was "de Havilland" - another aircraft
manufacturer- but then, the use of aluminium was greatly pioneered by the
aircraft industry.
They break your arse when travelling at speed over a 4" wind chop. They
generally only have a few inches of freeboard, which in rivers and dams is
fine, but take a lot of water and can swamp easily in rough conditions.
Cheers
John K
Sydney FlyRodders'
Bob
Will West wrote in message ...
>I am looking for a decent lightweight boat I can haul on top of my
SUV for
>lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle
two
>people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
If you want a boat, rather than a canoe, I would recommend a Meyers
boat. I went looking for the lightest aluminum boat I could find,
and the Meyers fit the bill. Better yet, I found they are making the
small "Gamefisher" boats for Sears. I bought a 14' Gamefisher
(Meyers 14" Laker) two years ago and I am quite satisfied with it.
It really sails along with the 15HP outboard, rows nicely, or trolls
fine with my MinnKota 3HP electric motor.
Bob Scott
Bob
Bob wrote in message <7olcr8$fia$1...@Usenet.Logical.NET>...
>If you want a boat, rather than a canoe, I would recommend a Meyers
>boat. I went looking for the lightest aluminum boat I could find,
>and the Meyers fit the bill. Better yet, I found they are making the
>small "Gamefisher" boats for Sears. I bought a 14' Gamefisher
>(Meyers 14" Laker) two years ago and I am quite satisfied with it.
>It really sails along with the 15HP outboard, rows nicely, or trolls
>fine with my MinnKota 3HP electric motor.
Ooops... forgot the weight detail. 125 lbs. That may sound like a
lot, but it's considerably lighter than other brands of boats that
size. The 12' model weighs 112 lbs.
Bob Scott
Jeteye
runs down the new river and price lake in NC. Great all around three man
boat.
Bill M
over the 12/13' as the 14 weights less than 10#s more and carried 150#s
more. Some recommend a canoe, but they are a pain to flyfish out of. Get a
set of wheels for the back of the boat. Eide and Wheel-a-way both sell
them. I have the one with a pin you pull and then can flip the wheels up
for water travel, or if the boat is turned over for putting on the roof top,
you can lift the front to put on a rack and the back just rolls along. One
of the 2 vendors I mentioned has a better setup. There is a spring latch,
where you move the pin in a slot, and do not have to pull the pin and reach
into the water to install it. With the wheels down, you can roll the boat
down the beach or ramp to launch. Get the sand wheels, they roll across the
beach, no hard surface required.
Bill
Will West <will...@lionheartsafari.com> wrote in message
news:fnar3.1$dc1...@wdc-read-01.qwest.net...
> I am looking for a decent lightweight boat I can haul on top of my SUV for
> lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle two
> people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
>
brian
> news:fnar3.1$dc1...@wdc-read-01.qwest.net...
> > I am looking for a decent lightweight boat I can haul on top of my SUV for
> > lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle two
> > people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
Mike Connolly wrote:
>
> I had a similar situation for several years and was quite content with a 12
> foot Grumman
I have been down this road and I'll tell you what I've seen.............
I started out with tubes and they were/are fine as long as you don't want to cover
distance. Got old as I got older. Also some what of a pain to have to "dress up" every
time. Great for small places.
I then bought a plastic "bar of soap" boat that you sit on top of on a couple of swivel
seats. Great for fly casting, very stable, but also very susceptible to blowing in the
wind. Weighed in at about 100lbs. I can't really say why it fell out of favor. Perhaps
it was a little hard for me and the wife to handle when putting up on our lifted CJ. We
are a bit long in the tooth ;-).
A sq. stern alum canoe with the addition of floats for stability. Light, about 90 lbs
and stable with the floats, but it was a real physical pain because you have to sit in
one fixed position. Also because of the length it is very hard to pass things back and
forth and the front person can't turn to face the guy in the back. Very easy to power
(electric or gas) but a motor mounted on the stern is very hard to reach because it is
directly behind you and with the narrow boat it is impossiable to sit sidways to run the
thing. Though long can be put on any vehicle with or without a rack.
A 10ft jon boat. The best so far. Amazingly stable, even with two. We easily stand to
cast (one at a time). Very cartopable and easily powered by small outboards. I use a 2hp
honda and don't need a trolling motor for bass yet we get around all but the very
largest of lakes.
brian
Bob Dewar
name. The old Grumman boats now go under the name of Marathon. Look at
www.marathon.com .
Fish often
SM Bob
Mike Connolly <conn...@globalserve.net> wrote in message
news:7okdiu$f2s$1...@news2.tor.accglobal.net...
> I had a similar situation for several years and was quite content with a
12
> foot Grumman (hmmmm not sure about the spelling but it's the same as the
> aircraft manufacturer) "jon boat" - a flat bottomed boat with a sqared off
> nose. I thought that this was the ideal rig because it was light and I
could
> easily hoist it up onto the roof rack myself (ie lift up the front end and
> raise it onto the rear rack then walk around to the rear of the boat and
> lift it and slide the boat forward). The jon boat style gives you a flat
> stable bottom and the sqared off nose means you don't lose as much space
> inside the boat coming to a point given the short lenght. I used a 10 hp
> motor - just clamp it on, throw in the gas tank and gear and go. The
Grumman
> is a welded design and really strong.
>
> mike
>
> Will West <will...@lionheartsafari.com> wrote in message
> news:fnar3.1$dc1...@wdc-read-01.qwest.net...
> > I am looking for a decent lightweight boat I can haul on top of my SUV
for
> > lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle two
> > people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
> >
Bob Dewar
http://www.marathonboat.com/index.html
SM Bob
Bob Dewar <de...@techheadnet.com> wrote in message
news:37b1...@techhead8.techheadnet...
Dan
1. Sportspal canoe. A thin aluminum canoe lined with foam, foam floats
on each side and foam seats. The 12 foot model weighs 21 lbs. It comes with
2 oars. The canoe is over 40 inches wide and very stable. I have the 14 foot
model with 2 pointed ends that weighs 29 lbs. A motor mount in order to use
a small motor is provided for free. I use up to 2 h.p. motor. There is an
optional kit comprised of a sail and rudder. The foam seats can be placed
anywhere inside the canoe and it can be rowed like a row boat. They cost
about +ACQ-750.00 here in Canada. There is even a 14 foot squared off model and
a 14 foot very very wide boat style model that came out a few years ago.
This model looks like it weighs about 45 lbs. They are a bit fragile but I
have used mine for over 20 years with no problems. I loaned it out once and
it came back with a hole in the bottom. I repaired it with a piece of
adhesive metal tape over 15 years ago and the patch is still there.
2. The second model, may not be available anymore but it was a foldable
10 foot punt. It weighed about 80lbs. It was made of aluminum and thick
rubber at the joints. The bottom folded in 2 and the sides folded out. 2 end
pieces fitted tightly into slots and the seats were installed as supports.
Very handy for those with storage problems and for transporting by aircraft.
They took only a few moments to prepare and could take motors up to 4 h.p.
at least.
Will West a +AOk-crit dans le message ...
+AD4-I am looking for a decent lightweight boat I can haul on top of my SUV for
+AD4-lake fly and bass fishing applications. It must be able to handle two
+AD4-people easily. Anyone been this route before - recommendations?
+AD4-
+AD4---
+AD4-Will West
+AD4-Lionheart Fishing Safari
+AD4-http://www.lionheartsafari.com
+AD4-
+AD4-
Robert L. Crocker
I've used a Meyer Sportspal for 7 or 8 years now. I owned a number of
small boats prior to buying the Sportspal, but the Sportpal has worked
out best for me. Think Dan's off a little on the weights though.. I
have the 14' squared off model and I think the weight is more like
65#'s.. but that's still much lighter than other makes. Meyer uses a
Titanium/Aluminum composite to get the strength per pound up (or at
least that's what the sales guy told me).
Sportspal is also amazingly stable in rough water (up to 1 1/2 foot
waves). The lake I used to take it to all the time was 7 miles long. And
I would row the canoe (sportspals are easy to set up for rowing or
paddling) from one end of the lake to the other end and back in a day of
fishing without any problem. Got caught in nasty weather a few times
and made it back every time without ever really feeling threatened.
I've also rowed it 4 to 5 miles out into Lake Erie (but I picked a
really nice day).
The Sportspal is a "riveted" product though and I did have a leak in one
of the rivets after about 2 years of use. I took it back to dealer and
it was sent back to factory and repaired. Been great ever since.
Sportspal is also on the pricey side.... I believe I paid $1300 or $1400
for it in 1994.
One of the reasons I prefer it to other makes though is because I use a
lot of lakes and streams where I have to carry (portage) the boat
anywhere from half a mile to over a mile. Sportpal is great for that
kind of application. If you don't anticipate having to carry the boat
very far to launch it and won't be working any large water with big
waves, you will probably be happier with one of the "Jon Boat" kinds of
products mentioned by other contributors. The "Jon boats" are also
better if you might ever want to use it as a blind for duck hunting.
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Dan
sold in Canada. I guess it is not sold in the U.S. It has the picture of an
indian's head on one end. The word +ACI-Sportspal+ACI- is written upside down so it
can be read when the canoe is being hauled around on the canoe rack. The
original small 11 foot model used to weigh around 20 lbs and was made from
one piece of aircraft aluminum that is as thin as paper. They are very
fragile and even a branch can pierce the aluminum skin.
Robert L. Crocker a +AOk-crit dans le message +ADw-7paap1+ACQ-nk+ACQ-1+AEA-nnrp1.deja.com+AD4-...
+AD4-
+AD4-
+AD4-I've used a Meyer Sportspal for 7 or 8 years now. I owned a number of
+AD4-small boats prior to buying the Sportspal, but the Sportpal has worked
+AD4-out best for me. Think Dan's off a little on the weights though.. I
+AD4-have the 14' squared off model and I think the weight is more like
+AD4-65+ACM-'s.. but that's still much lighter than other makes. Meyer uses a
(snipped)
Fred Ipwanshek
Series V model), it is very portable and convienent to use; just slap it on
the roof on my Ford Aerostar and I'm ready to go fishing. If you need more
info on how to carry a light aluminum boat, e-mail me at ipw...@yahoo.com.
Good Luck,
Fred
Robert L. Crocker
> No Robert, I was not wrong. The Sportspal canoe that I mentioned is
made and
> sold in Canada. I guess it is not sold in the U.S. It has the picture
of an
> indian's head on one end. The word +ACI-Sportspal+ACI- is written
upside down so it
> can be read when the canoe is being hauled around on the canoe rack.
I just checked the front of mine and it also has a picture of an indian
head and the Words "Sportspal" and Meyers... but it's written to be read
while canoe is floating.. not while canoe is being portaged.
Mine also does not show the letters "ACI". Probably a different
model... This is some good info though. There are some lakes in the
area that require a 4 to 5 mile hike to get into and a 20 pound canoe
might be the ticket... I had been thinking about getting one of the
We_No_Nah 1 man Kevlar canoes, but I think the lightest you can get them
is 35 to 40 pounds.
Jim Howarth
Robert L. Crocker wrote in message <7pd7hk$38a$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
Sportspal canoes are made in Canada and are marketed as Radisson canoes in
USA.
See http://bwmarineproducts.com for specifications etc.
...Jim
Bob L.
canoes under the Radisson name and they are sold in the U.S. I recently
purchase a 14 foot canoe, weighs approximately 41 pounds and it has
worked out great for me. I am retired and have no problem lifting the
canoe onto the cab of my truck and off again. It can be paddled or
rowed and is ideal for small lakes and ponds.
Not affiliated with Radisson Canoes.
Bob