JEM Watercraft

This question is for hairymick. The plans for the touring pirogue step number 21 says the hull should be divided into three even parts when installing the thwarts. My question is how where did you place your thwarts when measuring from the rear of the boat? Thanks in advance for any help.
oh and compare the laker or the touring pirogue which do you like better, why. I have plans for a sabolo,wadefish, laker. touring pirogue. and dk canoe. Out of that list which would you recomend best for fishing ? I live close to the Gulf of Mexico and fish flats some deep water. Any advice?

G'day Guest and thank you for the questions I will try to answer them in sequence.

The plans for the touring pirogue step number 21 says the hull should be divided into three even parts when installing the thwarts. My question is how where did you place your thwarts when measuring from the rear of the boat?

Mate, I haven't read the build instructions so I can't help you there. I put my front thwarts 84 inches from the bow and the rear thwarte 43 inches from the stern.

oh and compare the laker or the touring pirogue which do you like better, why

These are two very different boats. Laker is my favourite boat at the moment, simply because it is lighter and faster, and more nimble than the pirogue. Laker also has significantly less wind signature.

Having said that, the Touring Pirogue is no slouch! and is a superior fishing boat in calm and skinny water, Particularly so, if you are targeting large fish. The open boat provides a lot more room to drag the fish on board and to deal with them once you get them on board. I also prefer the pirogue when crabbing.

I have plans for a sabolo,wadefish, laker. touring pirogue. and dk canoe. Out of that list which would you recomend best for fishing ? I live close to the Gulf of Mexico and fish flats some deep water. Any advice?

Welcome to the dark side mate!!

I am not familiar with your waters so that is a really tough question.

I haven't built or paddled the Sabalo or the touring canoe so I can't really make a comparison. I have always liked the lines of the Sabalo and I am certain it would make a very good boat, but I really can't comment fairly because I haven't used one.

Wadefish is a superb fishing boat. It might not be quite as stable as the Sabalo though. I lent my wadefish to my son about a year ago and have yet to get it back!!

If you haven't started a build yet, I would recommend you start on the pirogue first. This will give you a very good basic boat. You will learn a lot about the processes during the build. Next, I would build the Laker and then either the Wadefish or Sabalo (or both) There is a lot more work in a sit on top and the build is considerably more complex. In the meantime, you will have two very good boats to paddle and fish from.

Mick

I am not sure where he lives in relationship to the Gulf of Mexico but here in Florida it is shallow water for a good distance out except for the main channels , cuts and runs.

From the pictures you have posted of your water and my knowledge of our water over here , I would say they are almost twins. If you were here fishing the Gulf you would think you are back in Australia.

Chuck.

OK Thanks Chuck,

That being the case, here is what I would do, with the benefiet of hindsight.

I would build in his sequence,

1. Pirogue.

2. Laker.

These boats would give me the build experience to tackle the more difficult tasks and still be very good fishing boats in their own right.

3 Could be a Wadefish or Sabalo but I really don't know which one would be superior. A lot depends on fishing style, tactics and type of fish targeted.

I have some opinions on SOTs in general, and they don't follow the accepted wisdom of the vast majority of kayak fishermen.

For my area and my off shore needs and style of fishing and paddling, Southwind is superior to EVERY boat that I have by a very long way. At 17'9", she is a little longer than I really need for 99% of my trips and this makes her a little cumbersome to load on the car etc. I think a 15 footer would be a better all round option.

I agree completely with Jack, In that I believe that these decked, solo touring canoe, hybrids are the way of the future and that they are the ultimate and most versatile paddlecraft of all. As more and more people discover the delights of these boats, we will see copies of the theme from other designers and bulders but Matt has broken new ground with his "Wind" series of boats and is pioneering a revolution in the way home builders are thinking about their craft.

Guest, I ramble a bit, sorry mate. What-ever you decide to build, please enjoy. You have purchased some plans for a superb fleet of boats. Please register here and share with us your build adventures and we will all try to help and advise where we can.