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fatlazyless · 12-15-2009, 09:53 AM

At $3450, that is a pricey kayak, no doubt probably because it is motorized with a Honda 4-stroke tucked away inside the small hull.

You know what works terrific, is fairly cheap, and is very stabile in 12-18+" wakes and waves. An old 17' aluminum canoe set up with a center mounted slide-seat rowing rig with two oarlock outriggers and two 7 1/2' wood oars. Having a balanced center line and a low center of gravity for the slide-seat rig is the key to safety for a canoe. As you probably know, canoes unlike kayaks, are not generally considered too safe or stabile because they have always been easy to roll or tip over with two paddlers. With a row-rig, this is no longer a problem plus the canoe still has two empty seats that can be occupied. Back around 1980, such a row setup was manufactored but now about all that is available is the Piantedosi set-up which is very very well made but too expensive for many folks. Someone in China or someplace, like a garage somewhere in Tuftonboro, needs to come up with a low cost canoe row-rig made from light weight 1" STEEL TUBING. You can find old aluminum canoes for 200-300 dollars in excellent condition too. A 17' canoe has the shape and relatively high gunnels to make it a real nice rowing boat for use on Lake Winnipesaukee. As a row boat, it can be rowed aproximatedly three times faster than it can be paddled.

Plus, the exercise benefits of rowing are well known . With no registration, no insurance (other than your homeowners policy that should include theft and liability for a non-motorized boat), no gasoline, little maintenance, and the benefits of rowing........it's a winner. So, go row, row, row, row, row your boat.....and loose that weight, lower your blood pressure, work off last night's hangover, get away from the wife, and catch some waves......on the cheap

!

12-15-2009, 09:53 AM	#2
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,955 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 307 Thanked 1,061 Times in 774 Posts	At $3450, that is a pricey kayak, no doubt probably because it is motorized with a Honda 4-stroke tucked away inside the small hull. You know what works terrific, is fairly cheap, and is very stabile in 12-18+" wakes and waves. An old 17' aluminum canoe set up with a center mounted slide-seat rowing rig with two oarlock outriggers and two 7 1/2' wood oars. Having a balanced center line and a low center of gravity for the slide-seat rig is the key to safety for a canoe. As you probably know, canoes unlike kayaks, are not generally considered too safe or stabile because they have always been easy to roll or tip over with two paddlers. With a row-rig, this is no longer a problem plus the canoe still has two empty seats that can be occupied. Back around 1980, such a row setup was manufactored but now about all that is available is the Piantedosi set-up which is very very well made but too expensive for many folks. Someone in China or someplace, like a garage somewhere in Tuftonboro, needs to come up with a low cost canoe row-rig made from light weight 1" STEEL TUBING. You can find old aluminum canoes for 200-300 dollars in excellent condition too. A 17' canoe has the shape and relatively high gunnels to make it a real nice rowing boat for use on Lake Winnipesaukee. As a row boat, it can be rowed aproximatedly three times faster than it can be paddled. Plus, the exercise benefits of rowing are well known . With no registration, no insurance (other than your homeowners policy that should include theft and liability for a non-motorized boat), no gasoline, little maintenance, and the benefits of rowing........it's a winner. So, go row, row, row, row, row your boat.....and loose that weight, lower your blood pressure, work off last night's hangover, get away from the wife, and catch some waves......on the cheap! __________________ .... Banned for life from local thrift store! Last edited by fatlazyless; 12-15-2009 at 10:46 AM.