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Thread: Canoe of Kayak for camping and fishing?

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    Default Canoe of Kayak for camping and fishing?

    I was going to post

    My wife has been wanting to go fishing, she has been wanting to go camping, and now she wants to do some canoe camping and fishing. I am thinking about kayaks instead and remembered this post and am wondering if anything of value came from your endeavors?

    And any advice from anyone else would be cool as well.

    P.S. Yes I know this is an old topic, but I figured I could just ask the question here instead of starting a new thread.
    on doug's http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Kayak-Fishing but I figured I would start my own thread because he asked if anyone Kayak fished and I am asking which I should get.

    It's a hard decision I am wanting you all to help me with it. Once again any advice is appreciated.


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    Member BH51's Avatar
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    I've often considered getting something small & light for campfishing....
    I think kayak is lighter than canoe but you're sitting really low in the
    water with a kayak, then on the other'hand, canoe strikes me as being
    somewhat more unstable than, say a 10' jon boat, tho lighter...Personally
    I've got to sit comfortably...I think I'd go with a two-seater kayak...I
    think them much cooler....Oh!....but then there's the cooler..........BH51..

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Well, Doug never did say what he did get, or even if he picked out something.

    For two people, camping, fishing, I vote 17 ft canoe.
    Just the one I would pick out of the fleet for your specs.
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    Yeah I thought about that hunter, but then I started thinking about what solo trips. If I went by myself it would obviously be easier to handle the kayak than the canoe. Also, we have 2 options if we each have our own kayak. By this I mean if something happened to one kayak we could possibly have the other to move out on.

    But with the canoe we are together and wouldn't be separated unless something happened.

    I am going to give it some more thought, but I really do not know which I would prefer.

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    Quote Originally Posted by roar-k View Post
    Yeah I thought about that hunter, but then I started thinking about what solo trips. If I went by myself it would obviously be easier to handle the kayak than the canoe. Also, we have 2 options if we each have our own kayak. By this I mean if something happened to one kayak we could possibly have the other to move out on.

    But with the canoe we are together and wouldn't be separated unless something happened.

    I am going to give it some more thought, but I really do not know which I would prefer.
    Solo trips with a canoe are no problem. Here are my two tips...first, and obvious is to keep all your heavy gear in the opposite end as you are in. Second, when you are alone sit in what would be the "front" seat but face inwards as you would if you were sitting in the back (I hope that makes sense) and paddle the canoe as you normally would. This seat is a few feet closer to the center of the canoe and doing this will keep the boat much flatter in the water.

    I am not big on kayaks, so it would be an easier choice for me.
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

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    I have a 12' Old Town Stillwater canoe that is great for two and can hold a good amount of gear between the seats.

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    We got a 17' canoe two years ago and I love it. We enjoy canoeing rivers and lakes and we've used it to fish out of several times. She likes to fish with a cork and I like to fly fish. The canoe makes it easy to do both.
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    Well I think canoe. 1) You really need training for a kayak in case you roll. 2) For cargo, it's gonna' be a canoe winning out again. As Camp has already said, once you get used to paddling a canoe in a reverse posture from the front seat, it really is kinda' easy. So going Solo would be no problem either. Sure a kayak is lighter and faster, but for the most use from one choice I would have to go with the canoe myself.
    Because a survival situation carries an aura of timelessness, a survivor cannot allow himself to be overcome by it's duration or quality. A survivor accepts the situation as it is and improves it from that standpoint. Prologue from Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen

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    I think it all depends on how strong your wife is. A kayak is easily learned and fun, and even someone that isn't all that strong can paddle well even in the wind, with out much of a problem, however if she can't paddle well, then two of you in the canoe is going to be a problem, if there is any wind at all or opposing current, and if she can't handle her end she won't want to go. I would choose the kayak, you will pack lighter, sleep closer together and have more fun.

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    Well, I don't necessarily agree with that. The fact is I do most of the paddling when my wife and I are in the canoe. Not that she doesn't want to paddle, I just want her to sit back, relax and enjoy some life. It's not difficult at all. I suppose if we were in high wind or very strong current then I'd want her help but I really don't want to be on the water in strong wind anyway.
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    I have a fish and ski 88hp (before my mods) and a very large jonboat (40hp stock). I have really been considering the validity of owning them considering gas prices. I believe I'd trade the fish and ski for a really nice canoe!
    Keep in mind the problem may be extremely complicated, though the "Fix" is often simple...

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    My vote is for canoe. I have float camped a couple times a year for many years with a 17' flat back canoe. It is good for solo or team and fits a goodly amount of gear and supplies. Hardcore camping may be fine for me, but the wife likes to be a little more comfortable when she goes so the extra gear room is nice. Kayaks are great for solo camping and fishing, but for the wife it would be all canoe, and has been every time I have gone. Jonboat has more cargo capacity, but not as many access options. I can float all kinds of water in the canoe that I cant get near in the Jonboat.

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Think

    Kayak, sports car
    Canoe, pick up truck
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    I dunno. You guys seem to have an awful lot of canoe accidents. You seem to lose a lot of your guns that way.

    I had a sit-on-top fishing kayak for a while. Thing was so stable you could stand on it on a calm day. Decided it wasn't worth the extra effort and sold it. It did have a good amount of water tight storage space in the front and back. Not like a canoe though.

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    For when I go to BWCA or other places like it to camp/fish/hunt etc, and 2 people, I use a 20' cargo canoe and my stuff has bags with life preservers that open automatically if dunked under water. I have not lost anything yet. I do have gun rail stabilizers though that stick out the side like small pontoons, cheap insurance for tip over, makes it very very stabil. The canoe is a 20' LL Bean Cedar Strip with oak frame and square back. Bought it up at their Maine store in the bargin section, it had scratches on the outside from someone who did not have a clue how to haul it. Total cost out the door $675 and it came with really nice oars, motor mount, basket weave cane storage centers and a nice clip on the rail canopy.

    My butt will NOT fit comfy in a Kyak.

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    I think I would rather a canoe. I might invest in a kayak paddle for when I would solo it in the canoe though (I've fought a strong wind and current with two people and it was a pain). The canoe is more versatile IMO.

    However, I have never been in a nice kayak, but highly enjoyed canoeing on a lake back in scouts.

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    Whatever you decide on make certain you learn the basic paddle moves. That may sound intuitive but there are some specific methods of paddling that will greatly improve your efforts. Learning how to recover and rescue in a canoe is important, too.

    http://paddling.about.com/od/paddlin..._Basics.htm#s1
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    I used a canoe almost every summer at camp and some in the scouts. I have been kayaking once or twice on vacation, but she has not. I believe it will be her first time in a canoe or kayak. She has only been whitewater rafting with me once out the dozens of times I go.

    I am hoping to take her to a local REI, Gander Mtn, or outfitter store and let her see the canoes and kayaks.

    EDIT: Even though she stated she wanted to do this I figure the more I involve her in the decision making the more excited she will be when the time comes. Or this could be her way to off me.....
    Last edited by roar-k; 03-10-2011 at 10:43 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by roar-k View Post
    I am hoping to take her to a local REI, Gander Mtn, or outfitter store and let her see the canoes and kayaks.
    Why not rent a canoe or kayak? You can find them for rent at different stores. It might cost you a couple hundred, but it might also provide you with some hands on experience so that you can make a better informed decision later. Whatever option you choose, I am sure you will have a good time.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowKey View Post
    I dunno. You guys seem to have an awful lot of canoe accidents. You seem to lose a lot of your guns that way.
    I had a sit-on-top fishing kayak for a while. Thing was so stable you could stand on it on a calm day. Decided it wasn't worth the extra effort and sold it. It did have a good amount of water tight storage space in the front and back. Not like a canoe though.
    LOL, LOL, LOL, yeah, there is that,....... nudge,nudge, wink wink maybe all y'all are better at it?

    I will say one thing, a flat bottom duck boat is more stable than a canoe, especily when a 80 Lb lab pup is running all over so excited that he shakes and dribbles a bit.
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