Why no Polyethylene/Plastic watercraft?

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
Okay, this place in BC is listing them for $1500CAD


That's $1160 USD, which seems much more reasonable.

I do like that they are under 60lbs. Their promotional videos show a guy standing and casting. At 47" wide, that should be doable for most folks.


He's like 4'8" to make the boat look bigger. It's like 3 midgets (sorry..little people) making a 200 gallon hot tub look big.
 

wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
Okay, this place in BC is listing them for $1500CAD


That's $1160 USD, which seems much more reasonable.

I do like that they are under 60lbs. Their promotional videos show a guy standing and casting. At 47" wide, that should be doable for most folks.


Bear in mind they list capacity as only 352 lbs. Honestly that's not two full grown adults plus gear, no matter what they say.
 

Greg Armstrong

Go Green - Fish Bamboo
Forum Supporter
That Backwater is a good boat, especially if you need to keep the weight of things down like I do.

I bought mine a couple years ago and they are a bit costly, but worth it if you have back issues. They're tough, stable and row and track well. My little Minn Kota pushes it along nicely.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
Bear in mind they list capacity as only 352 lbs. Honestly that's not two full grown adults plus gear, no matter what they say.
As a dingy to transport someone to/from shore/boat, it is doable for most people but who is going to share seats and cast fly rods in a boat 7.5' long? Not me. Way too small, this is a solo fisherman boat.
 

Tacoma Red

Freshly Spawned
I've been in a few Port-a-Botes. With the benches and stuff, they're never as small as you think when you see the hull folded down. They get you around and work fine, but they're kinda spongey when standing to cast.

Spongy is a very good description of it.
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
I wonder if you could fit an adult and a smaller kid in the Backwater? Could be a nice "Grandparent and grandkid" option.
 

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
A canoe is one boat that really shines when fishing with kids. Relatively lightweight (close to that of a solo SOT kayak), plenty of interior space, and tremendous cargo weight capacity. Many happy memories of our kids enjoying a bit of flyfishing, then napping on the floor of the boat while I continued fishing. A napping kid really improves the canoe's center of gravity stability as well.
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
A canoe is one boat that really shines when fishing with kids.
My issue with a canoe, at least when my kids were little, is that they are really annoying to load/transport/launch solo. My canoe hangs out like 10+ feet from my pickup bed and weighs like 80 lbs. I know that there are tricks where people can load them on top of a sedan or small SUV solo. But trying to do that while dealing with an energetic 4 year old... I dunno.

But once you are in the water, canoes shine for this sort of thing.
 

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
My issue with a canoe, at least when my kids were little, is that they are really annoying to load/transport/launch solo. My canoe hangs out like 10+ feet from my pickup bed and weighs like 80 lbs. I know that there are tricks where people can load them on top of a sedan or small SUV solo. But trying to do that while dealing with an energetic 4 year old... I dunno.

But once you are in the water, canoes shine for this sort of thing.
We always used a car or truck canopy rooftop rack to transport the canoe. If you fit a canoe shoulder yoke on the boat it's pretty easy getting the canoe on and off the rack solo.

As for energetic 4 year olds...when we have our younger grandkids for a few days we (in our 70's) we can't believe we ever had the stamina to raise kids.I can remember having to put a harness and leash on our son (to the clueless disapproval of childless onlookers) when he was that age so he wouldn't go zipping off a cliff or into traffic. I guess that's why I feel like a 'spent spawner'. 😀
 
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Old Man

Just a useless Old Man.
Forum Legend
Going back about 55 years ago, but Sears used to sell a plastic boat. One of my buddies bought one. It was 8' long and it floated 2 people and their gear. A bit crowded if you bring your kitchen sink.

Like Krusty says that you don't need to stand to cast. Was fishing the Yakima one late winter day and my back started to hurt so I found a nice gravel bar to sit my ass on and was putting out 50' casts. It's easy when you get your casting stroke down.
 

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
My issue with a canoe, at least when my kids were little, is that they are really annoying to load/transport/launch solo. My canoe hangs out like 10+ feet from my pickup bed and weighs like 80 lbs. I know that there are tricks where people can load them on top of a sedan or small SUV solo. But trying to do that while dealing with an energetic 4 year old... I dunno.

But once you are in the water, canoes shine for this sort of thing.
As long as you can keep your kid seated and not leaning over the gunwale. Kid #2 just would not listen and guess who stopped getting invited?
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
I'm reading this thread with interest. I have had an Easy Rider canoe for nearly 40 years. It weighs 75#. I was always able to pick it up, flip it over onto my shoulders, and with the built in carrying yoke put it on or off a roof top rack on truck or car. I'm not sure if it's strength or balance, but I'm near certain that 75# weighs more than it used to. So I'm thinking of selling the canoe and replacing it with a lighter plastic SOT kayak in the 40 - 45# range, basically so that I can manhandle it onto a rooftop rack for some fishing when I don't want to trailer my pram.
 

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
I'm reading this thread with interest. I have had an Easy Rider canoe for nearly 40 years. It weighs 75#. I was always able to pick it up, flip it over onto my shoulders, and with the built in carrying yoke put it on or off a roof top rack on truck or car. I'm not sure if it's strength or balance, but I'm near certain that 75# weighs more than it used to. So I'm thinking of selling the canoe and replacing it with a lighter plastic SOT kayak in the 40 - 45# range, basically so that I can manhandle it onto a rooftop rack for some fishing when I don't want to trailer my pram.
Just be careful about selecting one with adequate weight carrying capacity for you and all your gear.

A heavy SOT is even more challenging to put on a rooftop rack than a canoe, but a 40 to 50 pounder wouldn't be too bad...though some sort of kayak adapter for a rooftop rack is probably advisable. Unlike a canoe (carried upside down) most SOTs have rounded hulls.
 
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wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
I'm reading this thread with interest. I have had an Easy Rider canoe for nearly 40 years. It weighs 75#. I was always able to pick it up, flip it over onto my shoulders, and with the built in carrying yoke put it on or off a roof top rack on truck or car. I'm not sure if it's strength or balance, but I'm near certain that 75# weighs more than it used to. So I'm thinking of selling the canoe and replacing it with a lighter plastic SOT kayak in the 40 - 45# range, basically so that I can manhandle it onto a rooftop rack for some fishing when I don't want to trailer my pram.
@Salmo_g
You're describing an Eddyline Carribean. Great lightweight SOT.
 

GregL

Freshly Spawned
I was scrolling through the flotilla thread, and noticed an absence of polyethylene vessels. Plenty of inflatables (float tubes/pontoons), wooden prams and aluminum row boats, but other than a few kayaks, I noticed very few plastic boats.

Locally, I hear Dogfish (Bellingham) makes a good platform...
19143915_1698497826829404_202985788886751548_o.jpg


As well as Backwater out of Surrey...
Green-Boat-Side-without-Transom.jpg

FishingPageTop1-1.jpg


And then there are the bass pond type boats as well...
9384959_1500.jpg


It seems to me that these boats would be relatively easy to slide in/out of a truck bed, no assembly at the launch, and relatively indestructible. No trailer to worry about, no air bladders to patch, no wood to treat. I would also think they would be more stable for standing compared to a kayak, and would take an electric outboard much better than a kayak.

What am I missing?
I was scrolling through the flotilla thread, and noticed an absence of polyethylene vessels. Plenty of inflatables (float tubes/pontoons), wooden prams and aluminum row boats, but other than a few kayaks, I noticed very few plastic boats.

Locally, I hear Dogfish (Bellingham) makes a good platform...
19143915_1698497826829404_202985788886751548_o.jpg


As well as Backwater out of Surrey...
Green-Boat-Side-without-Transom.jpg

FishingPageTop1-1.jpg


And then there are the bass pond type boats as well...
9384959_1500.jpg


It seems to me that these boats would be relatively easy to slide in/out of a truck bed, no assembly at the launch, and relatively indestructible. No trailer to worry about, no air bladders to patch, no wood to treat. I would also think they would be more stable for standing compared to a kayak, and would take an electric outboard much better than a kayak.

What am I missing?
Pimped out Dogfish. They’re awesome!
 

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_WW_

Geriatric Skagit Swinger
Forum Supporter
If I had it to do all over again, and had the funds, I'd go with these guys and get one of their skiffs.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
National Geographic's February, 2023 magazine has a report "The Future is Folded" and how origami from early history and how this art form is being utilized in high tech ways. Included is a couple pages on:

INLET8.jpg



Folded kayaks! Fascinating. Check your kayak onto Delta's flight.
 

krusty

We're on the Road to Nowhere...
Forum Supporter
National Geographic's February, 2023 magazine has a report "The Future is Folded" and how origami from early history and how this art form is being utilized in high tech ways. Included is a couple pages on:

INLET8.jpg



Folded kayaks! Fascinating. Check your kayak onto Delta's flight.
Lose your kayak on a Southwest flight.

SW; Claim denied (weather related), missing object doesn't resemble a kayak, and we don't accept kayaks as carry-on or cargo.
 
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