I didn't know where to post this. I am looking for comments on Sportspal canoes. I am trying to locate on to paddle a local river, to get back off the beaten track to do some hunting. Does anyone have experience with one? Does anyone know where they are made? a web-site? Thanks

They used to be made in Emlenton, PA. I don't think they are made anymore although there is a similar model being made now. They are kind of flimsy for heavy duty use INMHO Better off with a Grumman.

I don't know anything about that canoe, but using a boat to get away from the knuckleheads is one of the smartest moves I ever made.

Send me a PM if you want details about boat hunting.


Okie John

A river with rapids ? Here on the upper Delaware river aluminum canoes take a beating on the rocks and have been replaced by sandwich construction abs/foam/abs. Very durable.I've hunted geese with these ,the typical 17' boat.Tough to do alone but ok with two.The other option is a 12', but wide [ Old Town ?] cancarry two but extremely manuverable and light ,fiberglass I think.

okie john
Where and what do you hunt? I use my 17' Lund for deer and turkey annually and moose occasionally. Great way to get away from the crowds and since you are starting at the bottom you will in all likelihood be dragging your deer straight downhill to the boat. I need a bigger boat for moose though.

I was opting for the Sportspal due to the sponsons on the side so I wouldn't tip. I have a 17 Coleman but it is too narrow to hunt out of. When the river is cold and there is snow on the ground I don't want to take a chance. If you are concentrating on maintaining an upright position you can't look for game. I was thinking about a 12 footer I have never been in an Old Town are they stable?

I had a old towne and sold it as being to unstable. I have been looking for the perfect canoe for the last 2 years haven't found it yet.

I most likely well end up buying 2 one cheaper beater like a coleman that I can bonce off rocks ect and not worry about it.

Then a very light weigh one for the BWCA trips.

The composites are very tough they real take a beating and are quite.

I have been canoeing for 40 plus years my first was a wood canvas then a alumacraft very tough and stable but way to noisy. Worn that one out after 20 plus years. The I brought the old towne composite and it was quite and tough could beat the crap out of it and it would still look great. But it was very unstable.

Still looking for the perfect one. like I said I most likely well get one to beat up traping and hunting then one very good one for trips.

chain
My advice is to get a Pirouge which is the traditional watercraft for duckand goose hunting the marshes of Louisiana. After useing a pirouge for a while you will think a canoe is a battleship and stability won't be a isssue.
Dr B

I easily made outriggers for a 17' .Use 4" dia pvc pipe ,glue on caps.These are about 27" long and fastened ,using stainless steel hose clamps to cross pieces 6' long. The cross pieces are then bolted to the gunwale. Two of us ,200+ lbs couldn't tip it. My hunting buddy crossed the Hudson river with them .It would have been impossible without them due to the wakes of big ships.With the two of us in the canoe the outriggers were 3" above the water.

I have thought of the outriggers, I think they would hang up on all the snags and fallen trees where I'd be going most. I have also thought of putting foam on the sides like a Sportspal has but I haven't came up with the perfect plan yet. I stilll think the Sportspal might be the answer if I can find one.

A Grumman sports boat it the most ideal hunting boat I have ever used, it is half boat and half conoe with the best of both. It can be paddled easily and will also take a motor for going up stream. A Lund Snipe is a close second. Both are almost indestructable and can carry heavy loads but are light enough to portage.

elkman2 Is a sport boat the same as a Scanoe? My cousin has one of them and we have gotten a ton of use out of it without accdent. We have outriggers for our canoes, but never even considered putting them on the Scanoe.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
okie john
Where and what do you hunt? I use my 17' Lund for deer and turkey annually and moose occasionally. Great way to get away from the crowds and since you are starting at the bottom you will in all likelihood be dragging your deer straight downhill to the boat. I need a bigger boat for moose though.

We've used a 14' Lund and a smaller, narrower Alumacraft (?) for Roosevelt's elk on the brackish rivers of coastal Washington. You can only hunt half the valley because it's illegal to shoot across the river, so we put guys out on both sides. We also use the Lund for crabbing and salmon fishing. To really lose the crowd, we cross a stretch of saltwater that's 60 degrees F, 300' deep and moving 6 knots in a 20' Grady-White.


Okie John

Should look at the "Poke" boat its a modified copy of the pirouge, very stable and can be used with a small motor if need be

How does it work with a fairly fast river with lots of turns and deadfalls one must navigate. The worst thing where I canoe is the deadfall that is partially submerged that the canoe will roll up on and tip. That is why I was thinking of a short wide canoe.

May I suggest a Wenonah? I own one and have paddled many canoes including, but not limited to, Old Town, Alumacraft, grumman, and Mad River. The Wenonah is, by far, the best designed canoe that I know of. My fiberglass Spirit 2 will run circles around inferior canoes that weigh half as much. They also have expedition canoes that are designed for a lot of weight and actually handle BETTER when loaded with all of your equipment and gear.

Canoes have either initial or final stability. Initial stability means it takes a lot to get it to roll, but after a certain point it rolls right over. A canoe with good final stability means it feels tipsy but when tipped to one side, it takes a lot more to make it roll the rest of the way over.

Wenonah also makes royalex (plastic) and kevlar canoes (in addition to glass). They also have awesome seats available which are adjustable. I know they used to custom build canoes to a persons specifications, I'm fairly certain they still do. Good luck.

I guess I'm what you call a hillbilly canoer, I have taught myself by trial and error and aolt of tipping over. I have canoed the two rivers I want to hunt for 30 plus years. I think what I want is initial stability, I also need it to be light. The spot where I will put in is about 2 miles from the truck. I was going to put my gear in the canoe and dolly it down the two track. I might only do this once though. Thanks

Wenonah Canoe

Heres the web sight. If you want light, go with Kevlar. They are excellent people to deal with. If you are looking for a good all around canoe, the 17' Spirit 2 is hard to beat. If you want a canoe that you can put a ton of stuff in and have it be strong, light, stable and comfortable not to mention fast, then go with the 19' Itaska.

If you are buying a canoe remember that the longer canoe will be faster than the shorter canoes. The longer canoe will also track better than a short (12') canoe, making the 17' and 19' much more efficient.

Hope this helps, I would suggest finding a dealer and ask them if they have a demo that you could try. My buddy bought an aluminum canoe and used it only one time. After paddling my Wenonah for the first time he promply sold his and ordered a new wenonah.

I am in the process of checking them out also Lincoln canoes out of Maine. I have a Coleman that does well in the lake for fishing, I also have a Dagger kayak. What I want is a short stable canoe that I can stand in to look over a river bank and I won't have to worry about tipping because I am hunting and not paying attention/ The Wenonah's are nice.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
elkman2 Is a sport boat the same as a Scanoe? My cousin has one of them and we have gotten a ton of use out of it without accdent. We have outriggers for our canoes, but never even considered putting them on the Scanoe.

It is similar but deeper and way more stable. I have had 3 guys , a big dog and a big atack of decoys in one and it seems to float the same as empty. It will take a whole moose and 2 guys no problem,

For rivers, I still hunt & fish from a 1950's vintage Grumman 17' square stern canoe that was left to me by my Grandfather, 4HP Evinrude for auxilliary power. No greater fun.

As mentioned above, the 15' Grumman Sport Boat makes an outstanding hunting rig too.

The drawback to Grummans is aluminum can be noisy.

I have 2 'Pals, a 12 and a 14 footer. They're both 1981s. I mostly waterfowl out of them but have used them for every thing you do on water or on the other side of water. Very stable and very durable. Add a troller and big wind is your only limitation.

How do you think they would hold up to rocky bottoms and deadfalls? I think this is what I'm looking for because of the weight and stability. I just want them to hold together. Thanks

The 14 footer used to be my neighbors. Our families would camp together and we'd beat that canoe pretty hard. I remember riding down an 8 foot beaver dam with three of us in it. If the scars on the bottom of that canoe could talk...

'Pals have a great foam lining that helps keep 'em quiet as well. I added some pipe insulation to the gunnels and cross beams for sneak shooting ducks.

I'm sure I've gotten the $400 I paid for both of these out of them and see no reason they won't last as long as I'm inclined to use them. You can't go wrong if you decide to get one.

Great thread.

I have been toying with the idea of a canoe for back counrty hunting/camping trips as well as fishing some of the smaller trout waters in my neck of the woods.

Are the Lund Snipe and Grumman Sports Boat made any longer? I have done a few searches and didn't turn up anything...

Regards,
Dave

Both the Lund and the Grumman are out of production but there are a lot of them around, N.MN is full of them and from what I hear about the duck hunting up there I would think there should be quite a few available..You can drag them through anything and over anything,the alum is fairly heavy and they have keels to take the wear.

It's settjed then I'm getting the Sportspal. Thanks for the info.