SOR for myself

A lot of my posts have been about boats meant for other people, not myself. River dories for the Grand Canyon and drift boats for fishermen. I doubt that I'll even have the chance (or nerve) to row my own boat down the Grand Canyon, and, though I like to fish, I don't do much of it because if I'm not getting exercise, I feel like I'm waisting my time. My idea of a good time is riding my Davidson (Bill, not Harley) bicycle over a pass in the Rockies.
So I've made up an SOR for myself. Here it is.

A boat for a float trip down the Nahanni river, NWT, a multi-week trip down the Missouri to the confluence with the Mississippi, and shorter trips down the San Juan, Green, and Colorado Rivers in Utah.

No more than two people and often just myself.

The speed to cover miles of reservoirs and slow moving rivers, mixed with the capability to do up to class three rapids.

Might be handy to be able to sleep on the boat at times.

Moderate to good primary stability, with strong final stability (I can't swim).

Easy to beach and get on and off the boat by myself.

Car topable would be nice.

Will still float if heavily damaged and repairable in the field.

Self bailing would be handy, but not a priority

 

Looks interesting.

Cost?

Propulsion - row, paddle, motor, sail or some combination?

Materials and construction method?

Carry gear? How much?

 

hmmm... inflatable dinghy....

 

It would be either oar or paddle. I'm thinking something wider than a canoe (capacity, stability). That pretty much leaves me with oars.
I've done dozens of canoe trips of around five days. I've never weighed all my gear, but I've done a lot of backpacking and know that my pack usually weighs between 40 and 50 pounds. On dessert trips, I always carry all the water I need for the whole trip, figuring a gallon a day. On longer trips I'd probably figure on a resupply somewhere, and on non-dessert trips, I'd probably do some filtering. Figuring more food, clothing, and a seven gallon water jug, plus me and a lawn chair: I'm figuring about 350 pounds, not including the boat. I'd like to keep the boat under 120 pounds. So a displacement of around 470. Two people on a shorter trip. Maybe 700. Quite a range.
Cost: it's just a row boat, whatever it takes.
Construction method: Kevlar/fiberglass over foam core.

 

Sounds like a fat canoe to me.

I have thought about similar trips for myself. I have a few more people and gear to haul around so I am thinking about 24' long, small outboard for primary power with paddles or oars for backup. My idea is to build a boat in 8' sections that can be connected together. The three pieces can nest inside each other for car topping or shipping to far off places. It would not be much fun, but it would make it posssible to portage if taken apart.

I think that single chine construction in plywood is the best choice. Build it with a straight run aft if you are going to power it. The hardest choice now is how narrow a bottom you think you can sleep on.

C.O.

 

I'd forgotten that the put-in for the Nahanni is accessible only by float plane, so a canoe, raft, or take apart boat would be necessary. Outfitters up there have huge multiperson canoes that come apart in sections.
I've been toying with the idea of a hard hulled rowing catamaran for years. I could make it take apart so that it would be easy to transport. The problem with a boat like this is lack of carrying capacity, but if it was only me, it might be the way to go.

 

r.r.,

Are you familiar with the Nucanoe?

Google it and see if it suits your fancy.

They have a lot going for them and in the 12 footer, may be just what you're looking for.

-Tom

 

I knew about the Nucanoe, though I'd forgotten they had a rowing version. A really cool boat, one I'd like to have in my quiver, but was thinking of something quite a bit larger. Even larger that the river dory I built last summer. The Nucanoe also isn't designed to operate with the rower facing the stern, which is the norm for running rapids and rock gardens. I think I'll study the Nucanoe some more, but I'm inclined to think it isn't the ticket.
I'm leaning more and more toward a hard shell cataraft.

 

Yes, the inflatable version is ONE answer to just about every one of RR's queries on boats... The inflatable versions are the most versatile and can serve in just about every boat's requested criteria, but is almost impossible to meet his desire to custom build. RR posts indicate he has been an inflatable owner and doesn't like for various stated reasons...

Porta

 

Willallison, I think, was referring to something like a Zodiac. Great for an outboard, but not for rowing. portacruise, I think, is refering to an oval raft. Besides my dislike of inflatables, oval rafts are simplyl too inefficient to row. It most definitely would not fit my criteria, which includes being able to row long stretches of slow water. A cataraft with inflatable pontoons would fit my criteria, and I am rethinking this one. Part of my objection to my Aire Leopard had to do with it's huge size, the heavy frame that I purchased with it, and the fact that I didn't own a vehicle capable of towing a trailer big enough to haul it around in it's assembled, inflated state. A smaller cataraft with a take apart aluminum frame might turn out to be acceptable, especially now that I own a full size pickup. It would take less room to store in the winter and I could easily pull a trailer with the raft ready to put in the water.

 

Maybe there's something in these specks that you could customize for your use.

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2011catalog/specs.html

The sunrise is a pontoon, but some of the other designs are supposed to have floors that stay above the water, effectively leaving a pontoon to row.

Porta

 

Sor

In your case. S O R means.

Swim Or Retire.


I discourage people from going on my boats who can not swim. Jackets are great if they are worn in turbulent water or cold water or distant shore.
Problem is drinking cuts survival rate WAY down. We drink & eat a lot. Good swimmers have drowned 200' from shore.

Learn to swim DAMM good first.

Rich

 

portacruise: checked out those boats. Way cool, and I want one, but I was thinking more of something like this:
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=11091&pdeptid=2301
Rich: You are right, but I'm almost 58. A little late to learn. I don't plan on being more than a 100 feet from shore and buy the best life preservers money can buy. Ones designed for white water. I actually can beat my way accross a pool, but it isn't pretty. I've been canoeing for many, many years and have only dumped once. The chances of me dumping a cataraft in the sort of rivers I'm likely to run are negligible. If I did flip the boat, it would most likley be in a rapid and no one can really swim in a rapid. What you normally do is float on your back with your feet downstream (so they hit the rock first) and do a back stroke to shore.

 

O K

You have enough confidence & have passed the written test portion.

I am 73 & just as goofy doing a DIY 21' 2 seat old woody race boat.

See you on the waters.

Rich

 

Your SOR seems like it could live with a fat "tripper" canoe, maybe with an outrigger if you're really unsteady underway.