After I took up canoe poling this past year I have become more intrigued with stand up paddling. But, I am not really inspired enough to fork out some big bucks for a board and paddle for flat water. Frankly it looks lame to me, a surfer in my younger days. So, why not a hybrid SUP/open boat that I could paddle on my knees and also pole and paddle while standing? I guess I could mount an ass and knee killing pedestal seat on top of a SUP but that don’t sound like much fun either.
There are some hybrid SUP/SOT kayaks on the market. But, I ain’t a butt paddler, wouldn’t want to have to wear a dry suit to keep my cheeks dry in cold water, and these rotomolded things look pretty clunky due to the need for floatation. And I don’t want a freaking fin in the creeks.
So, why not a hybrid SUP/canoe with less depth than traditional tandem canoes? Most water I paddle/pole is pretty tame so I don’t need all that depth to keep the water out. The high sides in the stern do function some for prying with the pole and paddle and I suppose do help keep one from stabbing the pole into the bottom of the boat on a misplaced pole entry (schitt happens).
Many native dugout water craft that are poled and paddled are relatively shallow in depth. Ever wonder how tippy those narrow, rounded bottom boats are when you get 20 people in them in rough water?
So, is there anything out there on the market I am unaware of that resembles this hybrid I propose? Or could I just fork out the bucks for a really nice composite Milbrook tandem, buy a SUP paddle and good pole and call it a SUP/open canoe hybrid? I’d be out the same amount of money as a nice SUP but I’d have something much more functional and adaptive. And a lot lighter than my royalex MR Explorer?
Please do not sick the Crazy police on me.
Sounds to me like you need a pirogue
Or just get an old canoe and cut it down, buy a stand up paddle, and you’re set to go.
Pirogue
http://www.pirogue.com/lainfo.htm
Pete, check out the Copperhead Pirogue. 40 lbs. $400.00
Yes, that is 4 hundred dollars. Right length. Good rocker. But flat bottom. How do you think that would handle in moving water?
Road trip to Louisiana?
Don’t know
The Copperhead model looks to have at least a bit of rocker. But with a beam at the chine of only 22" I suspect trying to stand up in it could be a pretty wet experience.
But it has a lot of flare in the sides going out to a beam at the gunwales of 33" so it might firm up when heeled.
pirogue
I used to have a cypress pirogue made by a good ol boy from Luesiana. Amazingly light for a plank boat and real manoverable. I bought it as a cheaper,more long lasting alternitive to a birchbark canoe for my living history paddles. I got rid of it because I could keep up,but it would have been great for poling.
Turtle
Plans
Swing by Duckworks.com It might not be too hard to modify something like this - or you might get the designer interested making the change.
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/larsboat/index.htm
Yeah, a Millbrook Coho or Souhegan
Our Bluewater tandem is firmly stable and probably would pole and paddle well standing.
Of course the difference is that a SUP board has fins at the rear, which makes flatwater control easier, but must be upsetting in shallow water…
Native Watercraft
I can paddle my Native Watercraft Ultimate 12 standing pretty well. I do it in the shallows to move to different fishing spots. I would not want to go a long way like that though. Easier to sit down and just scoot over to the next are with double blades.
Native Canoe/Kayak hybrid
The position of the mounted seat is about where I would want to stand for poling. Pics I see of guys standing up while fishing show too much weight forward in the hull. Are these hulls symmetrical? I.e could I pole or paddle it backwards, standing just aft of where the seat is mounted?
That tunnel hull design? I can see the advantage for stability and for stand up fishing. But for maneuvering in moving water or getting high centered on a submerged object between the “pontoons”?
The seat does look comfortable and would beat getting your rear end wet on an SOT.
Native does sell a SUP/kayak hybrid, the “Versa Board”.
Anyway, thanks for the reply.