PERFORMANCE REVIEW
I had never paddled a pirogue before so I wasn’t sure exactly what
to expect. I initially put the boat in at a local weir, mainly to work
out seating positions but had that much fun paddling her I didn’t
want to go home to make the seats!
This boat is remarkably fast for such a simple design. Using a single
blade, canoe paddle, it slips along effortlessly at a very nice cruising
pace that just eats up the miles. A Kayak paddle is even better. Tracking
is excellent and weathercocking is almost nonexistent. My long keel
has somewhat reduced maneuverability, but this can be easily remedied
by installing a shorter keel or, not installing a keel at all.
Since being completed, this boat has been paddled in semi-open waters,
over exposed shallow flats in 15 knots of wind. Chops were 6’ to
12” in height and the only water to come on board was what dripped
from the paddle. However, I am used to paddling open waters and take
all safety precautions so please use good judgment as to where you paddle
yours.
As I said earlier, I built this boat primarily to fish from and to
cover miles while doing so. I target serious Australian sport fish like
barramundi, king salmon mangrove jack and bass. All of these fish are
hard, dirty fighters, capable of blistering runs on any tackle. The
asymmetrical pirogue is now my preferred fishing and paddling platform
and the one that I choose to use more than all of my other boats combined.
In summary, there is nothing not to like about this boat. It is easy
to build, a hoot to paddle and a delight to own. If I could only ever
build one boat, this would be the one.
The grin on the littlun says it all. Cool.
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