car toppable or inflatable dog-friendly small watercraft advice sought

Zak

Zak

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Hi Friends,

I have a 14-foot kevlar dory that I haul on a trailer. It is almost an ideal fishing craft for me--super stable, can lauch and use it without waders, with lots of room for gear, a cooler, and my 65-pound dog.

I started trailering it when lifting the 75-pound boat above my head to car top it started to get a little iffy (especialy the part where I balance it on head to shift my hands).

The one drawback is the cost to bring it across on the ferry. Total length of the car and trailered boat is 32 feet, which means I pay $47 each way for a fishing trip to Whidby.

I am trying to figure out an option that would let me stay dry (no waders needed), have my dog and small cooler and gear bag with me, and fit inside (inflatable or foldable) or on top of my car (less than 50lbs).

I am considering a pack/solo canoe.

What other options should I be considering? Maybe an Oru foldable open boat? I'd appreciate any ideas about a watercraft that checks all my boxes.

I am told that putting a 65-lb dog behind the seat of a watermaster grizzly would not be a great idea.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Zak said:
Hi Friends,

I have a 14-foot kevlar dory that I haul on a trailer. It is almost an ideal fishing craft for me--super stable, can lauch and use it without waders, with lots of room for gear, a cooler, and my 65-pound dog.

I started trailering it when lifting the 75-pound boat above my head to car top it started to get a little iffy (especialy the part where I balance it on head to shift my hands).

The one drawback is the cost to bring it across on the ferry. Total length of the car and traled boat is 32 feet, which means I pay $47 each way for a fishing trip to Whidby.

I am trying to figure out an option that would let me stay dry (no waders needed), have my dog and small cooler and gear bag with me, and fit inside (inflatable or foldable) or on top of my car (less than 50lbs).

I am considering a pack/solo canoe.

What other options should I be considering? Maybe an Oro foldable open boat? I'd appreciate any ideas about a watercraft that checks all my boxes.

I am told that putting a 65-lb dog behind the seat of a watermaster grizzly would not be a great idea.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest a canoe. That's what I use when I want to ferry across with a "roomy," dry watercraft but don't want to trailer because it is sort of expensive. Maybe don't get too short of one, though. You want room for the dog and your stuff, and short canoes are slower and don't track as well on stillwater. They do turn more easily, but that can actually be annoying in the wrong situation (lake fishing).
 
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I don’t think that “dog friendly” and “inflatable” are two things that you get at the same time.
 
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Chucker said:
I don’t think that “dog friendly” and “inflatable” are two things that you get at the same time.
Click to expand...
I have seen some good sized dogs looking pretty content on the back platform of a framed pontoon boat. For a 75 lb dog, I think it would need to be a good sized pontoon/platform and a well trained dog but I do think it could work.
 
Matt B said:
I have seen some good sized dogs looking pretty content on the back platform of a framed pontoon boat. For a 75 lb dog, I think it would need to be a good sized pontoon/platform and a well trained dog but I do think it could work.
Click to expand...
I was thinking more of the potential for dogs to puncture anything inflatable. I saw a dog poke a nice sized hole in a whitewater raft one time. Thankfully, it was at the launch, before they got on the river.
 
I've seen some youtube videos where Portabote users do some wild and crazy things. Sounds like they'd be ideal for your needs, with the weight being a possible exception.

portabote.com

Portabote | The Revolutionary Folding Boat

The worlds most portable boat ideal for fishing, water fowling and recreational activities. Folds flat in seconds for easy transportation. Made in the USA.
portabote.com portabote.com
 
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Chucker said:
I was thinking more of the potential for dogs to puncture anything inflatable. I saw a dog poke a nice sized hole in a whitewater raft one time. Thankfully, it was at the launch, before they got on the river.
Click to expand...
Yeah I figured that kind of thing is what you were thinking of which is why I mentioned the pontoon platform idea. There’s really no dog/inflatable contact with that configuration.

Impressive though—was this from dog claws? Big dog and long claws I guess? Or shitty inflatable?
 
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Walove said:
75lb Kevlar dory sounds interesting. Any more info.

Are you using this in sound or a lake?
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This is the boat I have:

smallboatsmonthly.com

Vermont Dory | Small Boats

The Vermont Dory was first developed by AGB in 2004 to build upon the abilities of the original guideboats that had been in use in the Northeast since the 1800s. As the “pickup trucks of the Adirondacks,” they were used for hunting, fishing, and hauling in areas where there were no roads. They...
smallboatsmonthly.com smallboatsmonthly.com

adirondack-guide-boat.com

FIshing Rowboat - 14' Vermont FIshing Dory

Enhance your fishing experience with a top-quality fishing rowboat. Browse our website for a wide range of handmade rowboats and gear.
adirondack-guide-boat.com adirondack-guide-boat.com

I am using it in lakes. It has very little freeboard on the sides, but I suppose I could take it onto the Sound when the Sound is like glass.
 
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adamcu280 said:
I've seen some youtube videos where Portabote users do some wild and crazy things. Sounds like they'd be ideal for your needs, with the weight being a possible exception.

portabote.com

Portabote | The Revolutionary Folding Boat

The worlds most portable boat ideal for fishing, water fowling and recreational activities. Folds flat in seconds for easy transportation. Made in the USA.
portabote.com portabote.com
Click to expand...
Yeah, at a 100lbs they are heavier than my boat. Might be easier to hoist a flat package onto the car roof, though!
 
Zak said:
This is the boat I have:

smallboatsmonthly.com

Vermont Dory | Small Boats

The Vermont Dory was first developed by AGB in 2004 to build upon the abilities of the original guideboats that had been in use in the Northeast since the 1800s. As the “pickup trucks of the Adirondacks,” they were used for hunting, fishing, and hauling in areas where there were no roads. They...
smallboatsmonthly.com smallboatsmonthly.com

adirondack-guide-boat.com

FIshing Rowboat - 14' Vermont FIshing Dory

Enhance your fishing experience with a top-quality fishing rowboat. Browse our website for a wide range of handmade rowboats and gear.
adirondack-guide-boat.com adirondack-guide-boat.com

I am using in in lakes. It has very little freeboard on the sides, but I suppose I could take it onto the Sound when the Sound is like glass.
Click to expand...
I’ve drooled over those since I first saw them
 
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J Watrous said:
I know where you can find a 65lb canoe that’s designed to be balanced with one person, and easily holds 40lbs of corgi and 60lbs of Ollie.

Plus you could throw 1500lbs of other gear and people in if the mood struck.

View attachment 170719
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I think we should take a trip to Alone Lake so I can practice cartopping your gorgeous canoe and get some wooden canoe care and feeding tips from you.
 
The ferries will make you feel like you should have some equity in them after paying the fares.
Would something like a 10’ raft that you could deflate and put in the back of your rig with a simple frame strapped to your roof rack possibly work?
SF
 
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Stonedfish said:
The ferries will make you feel like you should have some equity in them after paying the fares.
Would something like a 10’ raft that you could deflate and put in the back of your rig with a simple frame strapped to your roof rack possibly work?
SF
Click to expand...
That could possibly work! Or, I can suck it up, start lifting weights, and go back to cartopping my dory when I want to take it to Whidbey.
 
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