RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

Since I have a place in North Carolina near some lakes and rivers I have been looking at kayaks for my wife and I. I have an old canoe my dad bought from Montgomery Wards when I was a kid up there now but is pretty short and fat and not all that stable but is easy to transport on my mini van.I ran across a guy on a website (next door neighbor) who was giving away a 16ft kayak but I had to haul it off from around the back of his house. Turned out it wasn't a kayak but a small boat called a Gheenoe which weighs about 150 pounds. It took everything my son and I had to lift it on top of my van so I'm going to have to get a trailer to pull it behind and actually launch at the lake. My son won't be with me most of the time and I don't think my wife has that kind of upper body strength to load and unload it. It is paddleable but probably will get a small motor at some point. Already have a trolling motor that someone threw away so I'm going to try that at some point.

Gheenoe are great boat some can take up to 25 hp motor, I talked to a guy a few years back at the lake he had one and said they can be tipsey if not use to them. that's a great find for free. most canoes aren't that stable anyways I have a pelican 15.5 and I made outriggers for it and can actually stand up of course that's in calm water .

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

since many guys that are pretty big have to consider their own weight besides what they want to haul. Shorter kayaks with flatter bottoms are quick for turns on flat lakes but sluggish in paddling due to the length/width ratio. Long sea touring boats are tough to turn around but so nice to be able to stroke the paddle and see your boat move 30 ft in a few seconds.. I have to be content somewhere in between....
All boats are compromises but the more compromises a boat makes, the less likely it will be able to do anything well. Best case is to own several boats and use the one best suited for the type boating you'll be doing on a particular day. No one boat can do it all.
As far as getting older, I'm getting there fast, so I can relate. But I can't yet see me getting rid of my canoe or kayaks. At some point though, I'll mostly be using something more like 14' (+/-) Jon boat for flat fresh water, and a Skiff for lumpy salt. A small outboard can easily power either one of those and they can be just as much fun for the day. A different kind of fun, more stable and less work, yes, but fun nonetheless. I see a gheenoe as a great transition boat to have for when I realize I'm getting too old (like now) to when I KNOW I'm too old (like soon) lol!

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

I had 2 sealion ocean kayak which were about 17 feet long and sit in style. they needed the rudder they had... and they were hot to sit in.. i got 2 sit atop boats about 12 feet long which im very happy with. they are sealed hull boats so no bailing. and they have thru holes i can use for a portable axle. so i csn portage the boats by myself. since its a sit atop i also get to display my nudity much better.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

Since I have a place in North Carolina near some lakes and rivers I have been looking at kayaks for my wife and I. I have an old canoe my dad bought from Montgomery Wards when I was a kid up there now but is pretty short and fat and not all that stable but is easy to transport on my mini van.I ran across a guy on a website (next door neighbor) who was giving away a 16ft kayak but I had to haul it off from around the back of his house. Turned out it wasn't a kayak but a small boat called a Gheenoe which weighs about 150 pounds. It took everything my son and I had to lift it on top of my van so I'm going to have to get a trailer to pull it behind and actually launch at the lake. My son won't be with me most of the time and I don't think my wife has that kind of upper body strength to load and unload it. It is paddleable but probably will get a small motor at some point. Already have a trolling motor that someone threw away so I'm going to try that at some point.Gheenoe are great boat some can take up to 25 hp motor, I talked to a guy a few years back at the lake he had one and said they can be tipsey if not use to them. that's a great find for free. most canoes aren't that stable anyways I have a pelican 15.5 and I made outriggers for it and can actually stand up of course that's in calm water .

I read up on the one I have and it can accommodate a 9 horse power motor. It's also pretty wide and has a very flat bottom so I'm hoping it is more stable than not. They promote it as being able to stand up and fish from it. Hoping that's the case.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

It is paddleable but probably will get a small motor at some point. Already have a trolling motor that someone threw away so I'm going to try that at some point.
I think before I gave up on paddling, I'd look into ways of rowing it. If it doesn't already have oarlocks, it might take a bit of engineering to make oars work, but rowing would also be a good backup for when the outboard breaks down.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

nice thing about canoes and even small jon boats over kayaks is you can slap a $99. trolling motor on them and when tired of paddling click forward or reverse when necessary and be on your way. I like my canoe and regret sometimes getting my kayak as the canoe is more versatile I can fish - more easily, go in shallow water, haul people , camping gear and just get around. in previous post I've made a motor mount and put on outrigger floats . my power besides a kayak paddle is a one speed vintage sears 9# thrust trolling motor that moves me along quite well surprisingly. again just me and the fact i'm old lol so much easier to get in and out of over a kayak and don't get me wrong kayaks have afforded anyone nowdays to get out on the water for little investment.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

nice thing about canoes and even small jon boats over kayaks is you can slap a $99. trolling motor on them and when tired of paddling click forward or reverse when necessary and be on your way. I like my canoe and regret sometimes getting my kayak as the canoe is more versatile I can fish - more easily, go in shallow water, haul people , camping gear and just get around. in previous post I've made a motor mount and put on outrigger floats . my power besides a kayak paddle is a one speed vintage sears 9# thrust trolling motor that moves me along quite well surprisingly. again just me and the fact i'm old lol so much easier to get in and out of over a kayak and don't get me wrong kayaks have afforded anyone nowdays to get out on the water for little investment.

I agree on all points except I don't regret having kayaks. I DO agree though that if I could have only one boat, it would be my canoe. But just remember, in many states (I don't know about Georgia), when you slap on a 9# trolling motor (didn't know they made them that small lol!) to anything that floats, you subject yourself to another layer of Govt bureaucracy. Boat registration is required in many (still don't know about Georgia) states. Which means you'll need to buy 3" high bold, block, registration numbers and keep them glued, screwed, or otherwise attached to your boat with the correct and precise spacing. And don't forget the State Decal at the precise distance from the numbers. And remember to carry your registration card with you on every trip. And don't forget to renew every year or two or three (depends on the state) and replace that decal when you renew. None of that is free of course. Granted, it's not dreadfully expensive. You pay the same for a 18' canoe with a trolling motor as a 18' bow rider with a 150hp outboard.
Please forgive my sarcasm. I just get frustrated with bureaucracy in certain situations.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

nice thing about canoes and even small jon boats over kayaks is you can slap a $99. trolling motor on them and when tired of paddling click forward or reverse when necessary and be on your way. I like my canoe and regret sometimes getting my kayak as the canoe is more versatile I can fish - more easily, go in shallow water, haul people , camping gear and just get around. in previous post I've made a motor mount and put on outrigger floats . my power besides a kayak paddle is a one speed vintage sears 9# thrust trolling motor that moves me along quite well surprisingly. again just me and the fact i'm old lol so much easier to get in and out of over a kayak and don't get me wrong kayaks have afforded anyone nowdays to get out on the water for little investment.

I have a trolling motor someone was throwing away and it works. Wonder if it will push that 16' Gheenoe I have. Any ideas?

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

I have a trolling motor someone was throwing away and it works. Wonder if it will push that 16' Gheenoe I have. Any ideas?
If it works, the prop is ok, and you have a strong battery, it'll definitely push it. But how well it will push depends on the thrust of the motor. Anything 30lbs or above should work fine if you're not in a big hurry. Any faster than hull speed (iow up on a plane) will take a gas powered outboard.

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RE:Length of canoe - kayaks

will push that 16' Gheenoe I have. Any ideas?

This video will give you an idea. Your boat is a little heavier but not enough to make much difference. They're using a 32lb thrust motor.
I can't get the link feature to work so you'll need to copy/paste the url into your browser.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUkfeXaL5D4

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