I have been looking for a small, stable, relatively light weight paddle boat to access some research areas here in the Pacific Northwest.
Having been dumped out of a "standard" canoe several times in very cold water because of inherent instability - both the canoe's and mine! - and nearly loosing all of my gear including the canoe due to lack of buoyancy when swamped. A standard canoe was not an option.
I considered the many "sit on top" kayaks on the market because of their inherent buoyancy and stability, but was not impressed by their lack of ability to haul much cargo.
Being from South Louisiana, I considered a flat-bottomed pirogue, but pirogues simply are not available in the PNW and are mostly considered a "still water" boat, probably not well suited for the rivers in the PNW or sheltered areas of Puget Sound.
I stopped by a local sporting goods store and saw something hanging from the ceiling that caught my eye. It is called a NuCanoe. Check out http://www.nucanoe.com/ . I plan on buying one of these in the very near future. I'll probably opt for the 12' model.
This small paddle boat seems to meet all of my requirements for what I need in both a recreational boat and research tool. It is extremely stable, relatively light in weight, buoyant by design, plenty of optional accessories are available to outfit it for specific needs, is reported to work well for all of the types of water I plan to use it in, will comfortably carry two adults and a modest amount of gear, or one adult and a whole lot of gear.
I thought I'd pass this along to the group in case any of you are considering a similar type of boat for research (or recreation) in the future.
Jim Boudousquie
.png)
.png)
