Are wooden pirogues safe and sturdy?

troy2000 · Jan 16, 2011

ancient kayaker said: ↑

UncleJohn’s site sells pirogue frames ready made but they are for 31" beam which is too narrow for standing; people - myself included - have found flat-bottomed boats with less than 3' beam too tippy for comfort. With a 4' wide bottom you will be able to stand safely: I would prefer a boat with enough weight forward to hold down the bow while I stand at the stern to attach the motor.

It’s not clear to me why you wanted a pirogue or bateau. They are cheap, and very quick and easy to build and ideal for shoal water with little in the way of current and weather. They do not take kindly to power boat wakes and much of a swell, they are not meant for those conditions.

About “winging it” - that is exactly what I did. My first 2 or 3 boats were, er, learning and maturing experiences but learning about boat design was what I wanted to do. I know a lot more now, most importantly, I know my limitations. Wing it by all means, but not if having a useful first boat is important to you.

Think about the entire experience, how will you transport the boat for example. So far it sounds like you might be well served by a moderate size canoe with a small transom carried above the water line so it still paddles efficiently, just big enough for the smallest electric trawling motor. A flat-bottomed canoe is just a pirogue; a five-plank stitch and glue design would offer better all-round characteristics and still be an easy build.
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Terry, I'm not sure why you think 31" is too narrow a bottom to stand in. The first pirogue-type boat I ever built was a Caddo Lake Bateau. It was a double-ender with a max beam at the chines of only about 22", so I could plank the bottom with two nominal 1x12's.

I used to stand up in it quite comfortably, once I got used to it. And I'm certainly no gymnast.

Seems to me people in this thread are getting a little worked up for no particular reason. If thirty bucks and twenty hours gives someone a pirogue that does what he wants it to do, I'm certainly not going to argue. If someone else wants to invest more money, labor and planning to wring the maximum performance and looks out of a pirogue instead, I'm OK with that too.

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Are wooden pirogues safe and sturdy?

troy2000 Senior Member

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