here's muh boat or canoe or kayak or whatever

[tonyj]

Very nice pointy thingy boat (whatever the name). Have fun paddling.

[Podunkfla]

We used to build a boat something like that when I wuz a kid... Only it had a little bitty transom in the back and we could put a little 5 HP kicker on it. I think my granddaddy got the plans from Popular Mechanics. Was a lot of fun. I lived on Fishweir creek off the St. Johns in Jacksonville. If my momma knew how far off we went in that boat she woulda had a heart attack.

Scooter... Great lookin little boat, Have fun with it!

[EZ]

Great little boat Scooter! I built a highly modified Uncle Johns skiff turned sailboat. I was seriously considering doing a pirogue so that I could take a boat with the camper. Are you planning on taking it with the teardrop and if so how?

I am not too sure how a 14' boat on top of the camper would work on windy days and putting it on top of my van sounds hard (and I have no rack up there). But having a small boat to go out on the water with my kids when camping would be nice.

Thanks for sharing the pics!

Ed

[dhazard]

Scooter, looks good. But do you think that you could put a inboard with a jet drive on one of those.

[Scooter]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Juneaudave: my first boat-on-water experience was on Kentucky Lake a bit south of LBL. Luv Rockwood too; it's on the way to the Smokies and you know you're over halfway there when ya pass Rockwood.

Ed: first plan was to haul it on top of the teardrop, but once ya get setup in camp, howya gonna haul it to water?? So, gonna put a rack on top of the Honda and haul it that way. Pirogue is 15 feet and the teardrop is only 8 feet plus tongue, so it might bump the car because the TD is lower than the Element. Although the boat isn't too heavy, it is unweildy, so I definitely understand your concerns about cartopping in the wind. We'll see how that plays out.

Sam: they say pirogues are pretty fast, somewhere between a canoe and a kayak. but that means nothing to me because all I've done so far is a buncha dry land stuff like walking.

Dhazard: Jet drive!!! How 'bout a pedal gizmo?

[Scooter]

Got the new rack today, had to try 'er on for size.

[bledsoe3]

Looks good up there Scooter. Now we need a picture with the Element, pirogue and the tear hooked up. Is it time to go camping yet?

[anonymous2]

Scooter,

Take it from a long time sea kayaker with 18' kayaks. Spread those racks as far as you can,and use bow & stern end tie downs. Even at that length a passing truck will wind buffet your boat to pieces. The narrow rack spread will allow the boat to piviot,and put undue stress in that area. Bow & stern lines will help prevent what us sea kayakers call rack whip. The piroque is the same as a canoe,air will get underneath,and try to lift it off the racks,again bow & stern tie downs will help prevent stress at the rack points,or rack release from wind pressure. Since your boat is not reinforced inside by bulk heads it is more at risk of damage from rack whip. Many boaters fail to use bow & stern lines,and end up sending their boat into the windshield of the guy behind them. I can't see if your rack is factory,or aftermarket,but canoe gunnel stops mounted on the rack also helps with rack whip. If the Element has no place underneath to tie the tie downs to,there is an easy fix that works on almost any car. Take some flat nylon web strapping,and fender washers. Open the hood,and look for fender bolts along the hood edge line. Remove the bolt,make a loop in the strap,drill a hole in the strap ends. Take the strap run the removed fender bolt though them with the fender washer on top of the straps,and bolt to the fender. Make them long enough to allow the strap to be outside the vehicle when the hood is closed. When not in use ,open the hood,and fold them inside.{see picture link} For the stern lines you can usually find plenty of places to make a heavy nylon rope loop to tie the stern lines to. Need more info PM me. Just hate to see you loose the pretty boat before you get to enjoy it

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2525 ... 6027QsongZ

old setup,and vehicle,but with my sea kayak

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1143 ... 6027lQDlhG

In the first picture you can see the bow lines and my nylon tiedown loops,at the rear I just tie to the trailer hitch for the stern lines.

pateardropper

[Scooter]

Thanks for the tips pateardrop. I'm the type who'll spend hours hyper-analyzing my tie downs. Some would call me anal...I prefer the term "rigid," which by the way is how that boat's gonna get tied down!

[Juneaudave]

I haul my canoes on an Element. One thing I would do (besides tie it off fore and aft) is slip a couple pieces of pipe insulation over the factory racks. That will keep the gunnels (and the racks) from getting scratched up. That combo looks mighty nice together!!!

[s4son]

Is this the same process as "glassing" a teardrop? It might be a really good practise project for us folks not experienced with fiberglass and epoxy.

Scott F.

[Mary K]

....
I am not too sure how a 14' boat on top of the camper would work on windy days and putting it on top of my van sounds hard (and I have no rack up there). But having a small boat to go out on the water with my kids when camping would be nice.

Thanks for sharing the pics!

Ed

Ed, I had a Suzuki Samurai, and I would haul my 13' 60 lb kayak on top all over the place and it never turned over once.

Mk

[Scooter]

Is this the same process as "glassing" a teardrop? It might be a really good practise project for us folks not experienced with fiberglass and epoxy.

Scott F.

I think it is. I did not enjoy the epoxy glassing process at all. Undoubtedly it will get easier the more times ya do it.

[Scooter]

Got 'er in the water yesterday! Was a ton-o-fun. Normandy Lake, east of Shelbyville, TN (the walking horse place). Lake also has a campground beside it. Will be paying a visit with the teardrop soon.

[anonymous2]

Excellent scooter! Looks good on the water. Hey ,are you just sitting on the bottom ? For long distances that will get tiring.Try a kayak back band ,and a plastic tractor seat,or carved mincell foam. Some of that can be found here:
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/ best paddling web site out there,join,registration is free. Some of info on piroques,and tons of paddling accessories links to manufactures. As Mad Jack pointed out you can pole it too. Large group of canoe polers in my area,and they are all on P-net message boards Looks sharp,and fast,have fun!

pateardropper