I used to bowhunt with a coleman that handled like a log, but got the job done. I'm looking at getting a Voyager for streams and lakes in Ohio. Anybody use this boat for hunting? How does it handle if waves come up? Do you need ballast without a load?
That’s quite a step, …
… going from a Coleman to a Voyager. Not knowing about your paddling skills, I can’t say for sure how this might work for you. The Voyager is a fairly tender boat as canoes go, with a width of near 28 inches, and it’s not a boat for beginners. Width between the gunwales is considerably less, which doesn’t give much room to sit/kneel in various positions for shooting a bow (or does “hunting” mean you are just using the boat to get where you’re going?). If String doesn’t post here soon, shoot him an e-mail through this board. He started out using 100 pounds of sand as ballast in his Voyager until he gained enough confidence to go without it.
Personally, if I wanted a canoe for bow hunting, I’d go with something a bit less speciallized, with more interior room and a bit more manueverability, but my expected needs in that regard might be different from yours. The Voyager will get you across big lakes in a hurry, if that’s what you need.
Agree With Guideboatguy
Without knowing your exact style of hunting use for the boat, it strikes me that you are going from one limiting extreme to another. I haven’t paddled a Voyager, but think Guideboatguy is correct in his characterization.
My Sawyer Cruiser saw lots of action for hunting and fishing but it was always a little tender, particularly when I had a less experienced person along, but I did paddle it with a lab or two and decoys and I also bowhunted with it for a number of years. I shot ducks from it a few times but typically use the canoe to get to and from hunting areas.
What I’m getting to with the Cruiser discussion is that it was a fast, sweet paddling, smallish tandem, that could be solo paddled pretty well. Again, without knowing your size, skill level or uses, I’d guess that a small tandem would be the ticket for you. some names that come to mind would be Bell’s Morningstar and Northstar; Wenonahs Adirondack and Soloplus; and Souris River’s Quetico 16. Those boats are all around 16 feet long and have a maximum beam of between 33 and 36 inches. They’ll all be a marked improvement in performance over the boat you paddled before, yet provide you with some extra stability and load carrying margin relative to most true solos.
That is just my 2 cents. Some of the bigger solos might work fine for you. I’d be comfortable hunting with my Swift Shearwater. I’m sure some of Wenonah’s solos like the Prism or Encounter might serve OK as well, if you get comfortable in them.
Good luck and let us know how the hunt turns out.
I ain’t no tenderfoot
I been runnin’ canoes longer ‘an mos’ you fellers been alive. I ain’t bowhunted in 20 years cause I been in the Rocky-by-god mountains. I got a tandem Horizon an’ have had a 2 other solo canoes. My partner is my wife, so I need to get a solo for my hunting. Anybody who hunts wanna give me some advice on puttin’ a 200 lb carcass in a hole in the water an’ gettin’ it back up the river and across a lake to my car all by my lonesome?
The Voyager will certainly handle the
load . Like Wenonoah says, it is designed to carry a heavy load very quickly with a solo paddler. It does take some getting used to, but is actually pretty seaworthy. I am still getting to know it, but I like it better every time we go out.
Wenonah Voyager?
Are you talking about the Wenonah Voyager? If you are, no way! That boat is way too “tender” (tippy) for hauling a deer out. To have a chance, you’d have to split the deer in half with a half in front and a half in back. As someone else suggested, use a small tandem, one that can be soloed – Old town Penobscot 16 or Souris River Q 16 or wenonah Solo Plus all would be good choices. I think the wenonah Adirondack, OT Camper and others don’t solo well and so wouldn’t consider them.
Paddle in sitting in the center or sitting in the bow seat backward. Paddling out, sit in the stern seat with that big buck nearer the front.
Canoe Abuse
Though I haven’t paddled one, I would think that the MR Horizon would work for you. As far as loading it, all I can think of is “canoe abuse”. 
I’d put the canoe on shore; roll the deer into it, center the load; and drag the canoe into the water. I hope it is a dirt/mud bank and a royalex Horizon.
I haven’t deer hunted from a canoe since I owned a Sears aluminum. That’s how I loaded it. Reverse at the take out. The really hard part is getting the deer on the car. A low utility trailer really helps there.
Solo/Tandem is the best
You can paddle any canoe solo but you cannot satisfactorilly haul a large animal carcass in any dedicated solo canoe unless you are going to butcher it on the spot and distribute the weight of the load so that the canoe is properly trimmed.
You are going to have to get a tandem canoe that is reasonably satisfactory to solo when it is not carrying a load.
The Wenonah Solo II is basicallly a solo canoe that can be paddled tandem. The reason I say this is plain if you look at Wenonah’s assessment of this boat; you will find Wenonah rates it is much more seaworthy when paddled solo than when paddled tandem. Another considerationis its seat layout. To maintain proper trim, you will have load the deer in the stern and then reverse the boat and paddle from the nominal bow seat. You will find you have a thward right under your thighs, which you may find inconvenient.
IMHO, A better choice would be something like a MT Malecite, which is a tandem and has a center seat for optional solo use,like the Bell Morning Star, but is a foot longer (16.5’) and has less rise at thends and should should track better. Or, alternatively, a Bell North Star, which is the same length as the Malecite and can be outfitted with a kneeling thwart near the center for solo paddling. instead of that can be soloed,
Or a Bell North Star, which is the same length and can be outfitted with a kneeling thwart near the center for solo paddling.It has more rise at the ends than the Malecite, which could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the kind of paddling conditions you tend to encounter.
I’m sure there are other canoes that would be satisfactory (maybe even Bill Mason’s beloved 16" Prospector!) but I have paddled all the canoes I mention (including the Prospector) and so I can only speak for them. I have also paddled the Voyager … great boat but not for what you want to do!
Mal
Solo/Tandem is the best
You can paddle any canoe solo but you cannot satisfactorilly haul a large animal carcass in any dedicated solo canoe unless you are going to butcher it on the spot and distribute the weight of the load so that the canoe is properly trimmed.
You are going to have to get a tandem canoe that is reasonably satisfactory to solo when it is not carrying a load.
The Wenonah Solo II is basicallly a solo canoe that can be paddled tandem. The reason I say this is plain if you look at Wenonah’s assessment of this boat; you will find Wenonah rates it is much more seaworthy when paddled solo than when paddled tandem. Another considerationis its seat layout. To maintain proper trim, you will have load the deer in the stern and then reverse the boat and paddle from the nominal bow seat. You will find you have a thward right under your thighs, which you may find inconvenient.
IMHO, A better choice would be something like a MT Malecite, which is a tandem and has a center seat for optional solo use,like the Bell Morning Star, but is a foot longer (16.5’) and has less rise at thends and should should track better. Or, alternatively, a Bell North Star, which is the same length as the Malecite and can be outfitted with a kneeling thwart near the center for solo paddling. instead of that can be soloed,
Or a Bell North Star, which is the same length and can be outfitted with a kneeling thwart near the center for solo paddling.It has more rise at the ends than the Malecite, which could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the kind of paddling conditions you tend to encounter.
I’m sure there are other canoes that would be satisfactory (maybe even Bill Mason’s beloved 16" Prospector!) but I have paddled all the canoes I mention (including the Prospector) and so I can only speak for them. I have also paddled the Voyager … great boat but not for what you want to do!
Mal
Idea for loading your deer
This is something I’ve thought about some, but haven’t tried. I think the easiest way to avoid the “canoe abuse” method would be a system that works great “in my head” but which I haven’t yet tried “for real”. Wrap a rope around the carcass several times, so that the legs are all tucked in tightly as if the deer were alive and lying down. Tie a rope around the neck and install a loop on the free end. Now straddle the deer and pick it up using two of the rope-wraps as handles, and put the looped rope over the back of your neck to keep the deer’s head from hanging down. Then plop it down in the boat. If you have a Voyager and you don’t have really short legs, you can straddle the deer AND the canoe at the same time, so you’d basically pick the deer up and set it down again a little to one side and presto, the boat is loaded. Good luck! I’ll let you know if/when I have the chance to make this work.
Unless its a trophy
field butcher it to get it in. Tanning the hide? Quarter the deer, debone as much as practical, the hide becomes a seperate bundle that you could carry the good stuff in, liver, heart, boudins if yer a buckskinner, and load it in five easy pieces. Waugh!
Watch yer topknot,
Taj AKA: Sasquatch
Hunting and paddling memories
I used to paddle a Coleman canoe a couple of miles to my favorite hunting area, and even though the paddling was tedious, it was still a great experience. I worked up quite a sweat in the cold weather, and was aware that the lake water in hunting season would be no place to cool off. I have had several other canoes since then, and now have a Galyan’s Woodsman 16.5’ canoe, which is made by Bell. I highly recommend it for what you want to do, because it paddles extremely well from the solo position sitting on a plastic drop-in box seat. It has the ideal combination of initial and secondary stability to keep you moving and stable in cold water, and can handle extra weight easily. One other suggestion would be to wear an extra heavy duty life jacket. Good paddling, and hunting… mickjetblue
I usually set out a few decoys with
dummies in them. It helps if one or two dummies appear to be bailing, or drinking beer. 00 buckshot is effective when yer solo boater coasts in to troll for a beer.
Now we’re gettin’ there.
Good advice. Kinda all over the place, but easy to see where its headed. Stability needs to be a factor. After handling elk and moose for some time, deer seem like dogs and I can quarter or half one pretty easy, so trimming out the load won’t be problematic. I think I’ll look into the solo/tandem canoes. I used to have a small tandem that I used quite well in the backwards, rear seat position. it was symmetrical as I recall. Thanks for the advice. Nothing worse than spending lots of money for the wrong boat. I’m also thinking that Royalex will be the best material. I like kevlar, but this may be duty better suited for the heavier stuff, if I can find one made of that stuff that handles with a load. My Horizon handles surprisingly well for a Royalex canoe. We get it going pretty fast, even when the whitecaps are breaking over the bow. I swear we even get a little air when traveling over the waves into the wind.
galyans
I also have a 16.5 galyans made by Bell. I couldn’t be happier with it. If you haven’t heard Dicks sporting goods bought Galyans. They are currently getting rid of all galyans named product. I would think u could get 1 real cheap now. I paid $549 for mine 2 years ago. I have my eye on a bell wildfire at dicks but i’m not about to pay $895 for it.