Car toppers?

[Sean]

Want to buy myself a little flat bottom punt or canoe or something to go fishing in the small creeks that aren't as condusive to my 16 ft tinnie as I would like. What is my best option, I have an electric to use, and couldn't care less about aesthtics. Are small punts or canoes better, in everyones opinion? Thanks Sean

[el_carpo]

Sean, I got your PM and replied. The electric motor may change things but if you just paddle there is nearly nothing that a canoe can't glide over. I love them. It cracks me up to pass a guy fishing in a $27,000 bass boat and get into the thickest of weeds where he couldn't dream of going. I pulled out four nice bass and he watched until he got fed up and left in a huff. It's hard work, paddling, but great exercise and very fun. Try it!

[Sean]

Cool, thanks guys, I was leaning towards the punt myself. Not planing to put a petrol engine on it though so I don't think the going on a plane will affect me (unless my electric is supercharged) . Thanks again for the tips, any clue where to fing a second hand one, seem quite hard to find.

[setthehook]

I have a 10ft flat bottom tinny saen and i love it, I use it for jewy fishing, Bass fishing and a tonne of other stuff. The only thing i dont like about it is when the wind gets up its a bit noisy with the chop hiting the boat. Other than that i rather it too a canoe, heaps of room, i even put a little livie tank and light on it for jewying. I just row around at the moment but im lookin at getting a electric motor soon. ;D

[el_carpo]

Sorry once again guys for asking yet another basic question, but what is a tinny? #I've heard it mentioned a lot on this site and I'm figuring it is a small boat of some kind, but could you give me a really brief describtion or post a picture or a web address that has a picture. #I am guessing it is like what we Yanks call a "jon boat" (which is also a great flat-bottomed work horse of a boat used by outdoorsmen for fishing and duck/goose hunting.) #Thanks. #I'm just curious. #I keep hearing it mentioned.

Here's a site with a pic of the "jon boat" I mentioned:

http://www.unclejohns.com/jonboat/default.htm

[Quinny69]

Go for the punt......... Heaps more stable, more versitile ect. Ive got a 10ft topper (DeHavaland) that weighs less than a conoe and can deal with 2blokes standing up fishing. It handles like crap on the plane but I much prefer to buzz around under electric power. Much better fishing boat. MQ

[Sean]

Thanks guys, I'm not looking for anything too fancy, I already have a 16 foot "tinnie". Just something small and cheap like the little boats you see out the back of yachts. But thanks for all the replies. I saw a canoe today that had quite a wide flat bottom, would this be stable, or still a bit rocky to fish from? Seems like most of you prefer the punt option.
Sean

[davo]

I went down the punt road. I was after 12 ft one and looked at the second hand stuff and found them too dear or rubbish. I settled on a new Aquamaster v punt 3.6m cartopper and with the 6hp 4 stroke it actually planes with 2 up. A 10ft flat punt would be around the $1000 so check your new prices before buying.

[robb0]

el_carpo
A "tinny" can be any size or shape it's just a name here in oz given to any boat made of aluminium.
robbo

[Paul_C]

Sean,

I have an older model 12ft Quintrex V Nose punt, it's sitting on a trailer and has a casting deck up front and is set up to accept a Hummingbird sounder, (sounder not included) the transducer is mounted on the bottom of the bow mounted electric (transom mount with the head turned around).

If you are interested $1400 for the lot. Including a battery.

Regards
Paul Cade

[el_carpo]

First off, thanks robb0! That's what I figured. I appreciate the help.

Sean,

All canoes are "wobbly." There's no getting around it. A flat bottom canoe is still going to rock you around but not as much as the rounded bottomed ones. Flat bottomed canoes are good for lakes and flat, still water. Something to consider is the "point of no return" factor. What I mean is this. The rounded bottoms rock more but are harder to "turtle" (tip over completely). The reason being, they can be righted much more easily due to the fact that there is no sharp edge on the hull. Flat bottoms are stabler but as you get to the sharp edge, that's it--you're going over. It's difficult to explain without visual aid. Some canoe are nearly circular on the bottom. These are for white water. They rock and roll like crazy but are highly maneuverable and the paddlers can shift their weight to right it easily with practice. Think of it like this, imagine you are in the back of the canoe kneeling down and you were shifting your weight from side to side trying to "rock the boat." As you press down on your right knee, the canoe dips to the right and conversely to the left as you shift to the left. In the round bottom, you will notice that this shift is smooth and easy to do. You will also notice how close to the water your gunwales get to the water surface. --Still with me?-- O.K. now, imagine you're in a flat bottom. You shift weight as before. You will notice that it is a bit harder to get the canoe to roll to the side BUT as you get near the edge, you really start tipping fast and have to shift weight hard to right the canoe and get back to center. That sharp edge is causing the amount of hull/water surface contact to become less due to the fact that a good part of your canoe is now in the air and thusly, your canoe is now pretty much a thin log and will easily tip.

Flat bottoms are faster. Less contact with water means less drag. Our flat bottom smokes our rounded one every time we race.

Now one thing to remember through all of this "tippy-talk" is this: It's real easy once you get used to it. Real easy. The first time out, I sat in the front (you have to know what you're doing to sit in the back for stearing purposes) and I was scared senseless. In the front, all you see is the tip of the canoe. It really swings from side to side and you keep telling yourself, "Oh no! We're going over!" but you don't. Because you're in the front, you don't see how far away from the water the gunwales actually are. My dad told me to sit still and don't try to right anything. He rocked from side to side just to let me see how far it can go without turtling. I was scared out of my mind but I learned the lesson. After a while, I got used to it and now I usually take the back seat. It is like night and day. In the back, you can see how stable they are. I even rocked from side to side in the shallows trying to get as close as possible to tip but not tip and now I am totally confident. Not foolhearty of course (that would be stupid :P), but I'm telling you the truth when I say you don't even think about the tippiness after a little practice. It's like riding a bike I guess. For a long time, just stick near to the shore in the shallows. If you tip, you stand up and get back in. I feel safe enough to go out into deep water but I still usually will just cruise along the shore just in case. No sense in drowning for laziness' or bravado's sake right?

It's a very fun activity, canoeing. When I don't catch anything, it's no biggie because I have so much fun just paddling soundlessly along. You don't choke on gasoline fumes, you don't have to listen to the "Whirrrrrr!" of the motor. You don't have to worry about snagging up in the weeds due to the very shallow draft. Like I said earlier, I can literally crawl it right over the thickest of weeds without even slowing down too much. You can get into tiny streams and all the neat little nooks and crannies of the lakes. They're great!

Don't get me wrong, there have definately been times where I'd prefer a small boat with a motor on it. When the wind is blowing around and the water gets wicked, it can get tricky. And you DO get tired paddling for hours. It's a total body workout, no question about it. Your leg muscles fire constantly to keep an equilibrium balance without you even thinking about it (when you kneel as I do, not so much when you sit down though).

It's a different experience. That's all I can really say. If you like letting your mind wander off and just relax when you're fishing then the canoe is not for you. Go with the punt. Nothing wrong with that at all. If you like really getting into the whole fishing experience very intently and you like the added exercise, then give the canoe a shot. It's up to you. The great thing is you can't choose wrong! Either way, you're out in nature enjoying the wilderness and fishing! Can't beat that! ;D

Ha ha! One thing to consider for you Aussies though. I wouldn't get near water that has crocodiles in it in a canoe. Same thing with poisonous snakes. A sad story happened in the Florida Everglades a while back. A family was out canoeing and came upon a fallen branch. The kid (10 years old) gets out to move it out of the way and wham! an alligator grabs him. The father tries to pull him free but can't. The kid died. Horrible. Your crocodiles are WAAAAAAAY bigger and meaner than our 'gators. We don't have them here in Chicago (too cold). What I have to watch out for are water moccasins (a.k.a. cottonmouths a.k.a. copperheads) a poisonous water snake with a mean streak a mile wide. They will come after you if you're in their territory and climb into your canoe to get you. :o I never go under hanging trees either. Same reason. Just something else to consider.

Quite a novel I wrote here, I know, but if you are still interested in building your own, I have found free plans! A wood strip canoe! Really beautiful! Send me a PM and I'll give you the address. Offer is open to anyone else who wants to give canoe building a try. I built one for $400 and was offered $1500 for it by a guy who saw it. They ARE beautiful! I had to say no, couldn't part with it. ;)

E.C.

[basserman]

sean i have a mate thats getting rid of his 10foot DeHavaland it is painted and has carpeted floors it also has a small casting deck on the nose that we used to attach the bow mount on!
it is a super boat and light enoght to lift on your own he will part with it for $550 as long as you pick it up from port macquarie or $625 deliverd to you down at newcastle

[Sean]

Anyone going from somewhere near port mac past Ballina??? :(