Folks, has anyone seen/used a poke boat?
I didn’t see any reviews here for it, and I’ve seen adverts for a long time for this – looks like it could be an interesting boat, and is pretty lightweight.
An early form of recreational kayak.
The company is competent at composite boat-building. I have a Phoenix whitewater boat made in the early 80s, and while the design is dated, the layup is near indestructable.
There is at least one person on this board who has one of the Poke series, I think a tandem. Hope he spots your post. Might be Yanoer, I don’t recall.
I just sold my Poke Boat.
The light weight is wonderful. The 32" width is wider than I now prefer and I have acquired two solo canoes in the last year that weigh about 34 lbs, so I no longer needed the 28 lb Poke Boat. I also no longer find much advantage to a long and wide cockpit when using a double blade paddle, because of the paddle drips - the same amount of drips in the boat as when using a double blade paddle in a canoe, but you can get the spray skirt to keep the drips out.
One of the advantages of Poke Boat shape is that it’s completely out of the way when loaded upside down on my Bonneville - I can open both the hood and the trunk lid without hitting the boat. I’d love to have a 26" or 28" wide version, but they don’t exist.
It tracks well, but is hard for me to edge (because of it’s width and flattish bottom) for quick turns.
It is VERY stable and not much effected by winds. I often had two of those 3" thick square boat cusions under me to raise me off of the seat. I used a stiff 3" thick piece of foam behind the seat as a back rest. The stock seat is very uncomfortable for me. My final solution was to mount a GCI Sitbacker canoe seat to the Poke Boat seat and that worked pretty well, but the seat back interfered with the spray skirt a little. The Sitbacker is just barely narrow enough to fit into the seat and the straps just barely fit under the Poke Boat seat.
There should be an old thread or two with some more of my thoughts.
Definately use the floatation bags if there’s even a remote chance of flooding the boat - it holds a lot of water.
What do you want to use it for?
I still own a Phoenix Vagabond and an Isere. The Vagabond actually makes a pretty good single blade solo once you get the trim right - I sit on two of those 3" thick square boat cushions just in front of the back seat.
I’ll try to answer any specific questions that you may have.
I’ve paddled one
a tandem, and was not impressed. They are very austere, meaning minimal outfitting, and of course, no gel coat. This contributes to their light weight, but what you get for the very high price is a tubby, inelegant, not too comfortable shell. I can understand desiring these characteristics in a narrow racing boat, but not in a recreational boat.
For much less, you could get a stitch and glue kit, and build a beautiful, lightweight boat like the CLC Wood Duck. Or build a skin on frame. If building is not your thing, there are some glass or kevlar boats from other manufacturers that weigh a bit more, but give you more for your money.
poke
I’m actually just curious about it as I’ve seen the adverts for a long time in things like the wall st. journal (of all places!).
They do seem to be expensive for what you get, although I guess you do pay for the light weight!
I’d be using on lakes, slow rivers/swamps, and maybe the Hudson River – I’m actually leaning more towards a Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 (or maybe an Old Town Dirigo). Not sure yet, and I’m going to wait until Spring to try and hit some paddlefests to see what I like.
I may be thinking
of something completey different, but to me, a “poke boat” is a wide, flat, difficult-to-paddle boat used for specific purposes - like duck hunting. It’s wide and stable enough to hold a hunter, all his gear, and a couple of dozen decoys, and maybe even a dog. But it’s VERY slow, for obvious reasons. The width and the flat bottom make it something I wouldn’t want to have to go any considerable distance in, nor paddle in any weather/wave conditions save some fairly calm ones.
I have one for work that I barely ever use - I find a canoe much more effective.