solo canoe (me & the beast)

[DougC]

[The beast is not the devil in my ear saying "build another boat" -- it's my 80 lb. Shiloh Shepherd AVA who likes to come along.]

It's that time of year again. Have had a lot of fun all summer learning the joys of sliding seat rowing in my firefly "Strider," now starting to think (i.e. obsess) about what to build next. I think the guideboat or delaware ducker will wait, and I might need to see where I am going from time to time and I will build me a nice solo double-paddle canoe this year.
Have looked at the Wee Lassie and Wee Lassie II, as well as some other nice strip-built canoes (Bear Moutain Boats' Rob Roy, Laughing Loon's Wee Two), but keep going back to Iain Outred's Wee Rob and MacGregor canoes. They are glued lap construction, which I like, and very handsome functional designs. I'm more interested in a paddling canoe than a sailing one, so the Wee Rob makes more sense, but it would be fun to take my dog along so the more stable MacGregor might be better, though I don't know how a 32" beam would be to double-paddle.
So what I want is a canoe that is:
1. LIGHT and sturdy
2. can accomodate a 180 lb. 6'1" man and 80 lb. dog and some gear
3. handles well under double-paddle

Forumites chime in with suggestions as you are wont to do. Actual experience of man-dog crews most appreciated.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dculhane/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/avadorysm.jpg
Thanks again, Doug & the beast (in the very stable Swampscott dory Tringa)

[JimConlin]

Doug-
I've tried taking the 40 lb. BTWD (Bailey The Wonder Dog) in my Wee Lassie II a couple of times and i didn't feel that it was a good idea. With two people and BTWD in a 16' "Bob's Special", it's fine.
You're welcome to borrow either boat for a while to try it.
I've been injured this summer and i'd like them be used. Come anytime.

Best,
Jim

[Tom M.]

I built the 15'8" version of the MacGregor. Although I'm building the sailing rig now, I have done nothing but paddle it for about a year. You are right about it being a little beamy for comfortable paddling, but I guess I like the extra excercise....wait...no, that's why I'm building the sailing rig ;)

My paddle is about 102" long. That's pretty long.

I have paddled about with gear and a 60 pound boy with no problem. I've also done OK with a 130 pound girl, but that's a little much. The MacGregor's design displacement is only 180 pounds. She weighs about 70lbs without the rig...I weigh 190, plus 130 is 390.

As far as stability, the MacGregor has very little. She'd be more stable with firmer bilges, but her section is basically a half-pipe. She comes into her own in chop, where the motion is easy because of the slack bilges.

When an excited child passenger shifts his weight and looks over the side, the boat heels and heads the other way.

I like it. You should build it because its beautiful.

[Meerkat]

How about this?:
http://www.selway-fisher.com/5050d1.GIF

http://www.smallsailboats.co.uk/canoe/canoe_files/sailing/sailingb.jpg
50/50 Sailing Canoe (http://www.selway-fisher.com/Sailcanoe.htm#ILI)

LOA 15' (4.58m); Beam 35" (0.9m); Sail Area 52 sq.ft. (4.89 sq.m); Approx weight of hull/deck 45lbs (20kg).

[skuthorp]

I have a 15'8" Macgreggor decked sailing canoe and you're right, she is beautiful! And tender though I have a background in K1's so it's relative. I sit much higher than recommended so a standard double paddle is ok, but I use a long shaft single if the going gets really rough. I can walk about in her in calm conditions and find her (Felicite) more stable with 5 or 7 degrees of list.
The biggest problem I've had was when completely swamped she i VERY tender and hard to stay in long enough to bale. Have fixed this with a pair of sponsons!
This summer I'll try her as an outrigger to!
:D

[FG]

I modified a bobs special to 10/12 and love it for me, but no way would I put BTWD in it. I've talked to several people who really like Gilpatricks 14 footer, the puddle duck. If you want furniture quality, you may want to incorporate some of canoecraft's techniques though. You can get the Gilpatrick book for about 12 bucks on amazon. I do not think you will find a 30" wide canoe with stability adequate for you and BTWD. The puddle duck is 34" wide.

[DougC]

Thanks for the info. This summer I met a woman in the Adirondacks who canoes with her dog. The dog and the woman are not small, and the boat is a 10'6 28" beam kevlar solo canoe. I didn't see this in action but I saw the components. This got me thinking.
Also, earlier this year on the Forum there were some very impressive pictures in a thread called "Dogs & Dinghys?":
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid34/pdbd3c34f9ea2f303fffbbe9a85a8ecb1/fd35766d.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pf467ea7dbc8bc3e0aeb52d48a5d735d2/fafeedd6.jpg

The opinions there ranged from "never take your dog out in a small boat" to "I take my 95 lb. Bouvier kayaking" (see pic). I will chew on this for a while. I'm imagining a new sport where people in little boats with big dogs in them race across small bodies of water.
Of course an Adirondack guideboat would really fit the bill:
http://www.adirondackhistory.org/newguides/picp19908lg.jpg

and I could take a friend and a dead buck along too.

Doug

[dmede]

Doug, I built Walter Simmons 15' glued lap canoe. It's a double paddle similar to the Wee Rob I guess. Easy build if you've done lapstrake before. The length and beam are just fine for two adults so should be no problem for one adult and a dog.

Dave

[Steve Lansdowne]

Wee Rob can be stretched to 13 1/2 feet, which I did given my 180 lb. weight (see the newest WB Store Catalog, page 11), so for a dog I'd be tempted to stretch it further, as the plans show, to 15 or so feet. The narrower beam (than the McGregor) is a plus for paddling. The plans show both decked and undecked versions. I added styrofoam flotation in Odyssey II bags to either end, lashed to the spaces in the inwales, just in case I go over while sailing. Doing something similar given your dog (if he is active) might be a good idea. On the other hand, giving him only a small space to sit in might keep him in one place and thus help keep the boat stable.

[skuthorp]

I've coped with obedient dogs up to say, a springer spaniel in the Mack but It's a bit of a risk and I stay close to shore.
The only time a big dog (one of my Newfies) tried to come on board I was paddling a K1 and he jumped off the pier to 'rescue' me. Straight through the boat! Splintered FG everywhere! I saw the funny side later on!!
:cool: :D :eek:

[cs]

Have you thought about the Micmac as per David Hazen's book, The Strippers Guide to Canoe Building".

Course I'm no expert on canoes, but my Micmac is as stable as a dock.

Chad