JEM Watercraft

Hoping Tor might mention something as well.

I have just registered under user name "SHAJE" but my account is not activated yet.

What bought me to this site was I have been looking at plans and was favouring the Selway Fisher 14Ft Peterborough when a post on another forum suggested the Sasquatch so I thought I'd contact you to see if you had any plans to do a 14 ft version. As It's already been requested I'll post here instead.

I am wanting a light touring boat to be set up for solo use but with room to ocasionaly take 1 child and overnight camping gear.

28" might be a bit wobbly for me but I am hoping to build something fast so maybe 30 " as suggested by JEM as a compromise sounds good.

G'day SHAJE, and welcome aboard mate.

I think a Sasquatch 14 X 30 would suit your needs very well. I love my 16.5' X 33" to bits. It would also suit your needs

I am sure Matt will be along shortly to activate your account and to help out with suggestions.

Mate, I have heard some good things about the other boat but have seen some of that mobs plans and build instructions. I have been somewhat intimidated by them.

I can tell you that I found Matts drawings and build instructions on every boat of his that I have built to be clear, concise and way easier to understand. Sasquatch was no exception.

I have allways believed that smaller versions of this magnificent boat would be absolute winners. The interest shown in this thread in the short time since its original posting seems to support that.

Matt has a couple of other very good 14 foot canoes in his stable that would suit your needs very well, but to me, they just don't have the style or elegance of Sasquatch. but then again, I am very biased in this regard.

If this is your first build, might I very respectfully suggest you build one of Matt's fine pirogues first, as a pracice job. These are also very good boats and you will be able to throw one together very quickly to get yourself onto the water while you take your time on Sasquatch. The skills you will learn in building the pirogue will be a very big help in building Sasquatch or what-ever other boat you finally decide on.

Good luck mate.

Shaje,

Account is now active.

I'm thinking this will be a 30" beam canoe. Just waiting to hear from one more person.

Mick is right: this may be a bit much for a first-time builder. It could be done, with good results by a newby. But your second boat is always better than your first. The woodworking part isn't so tough. It's working with fiberglass and epoxy that has a learning curve.

But if you worked with that sort of material before, then you might be ok.

Cheers Mick and Matt, Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm not surprised that there's lots of interest in the Sasquatch looking at Mick's build, It looks great.

I currently have a 16 ft Plastic canoe and one of the reasons for wanting to build another boat is by taking them both out we can get the whole family out for trips, However as most of my canoeing is done solo I want the second boat to be lighter and faster than my existing one.

I am a bit worried about the complexity of the sasquatch for a first time build but figure as the building costs of a more comlex boat would be similar to a simpler design, I may as well build the boat I want straight off and could always build a better version later on.

Another but less preferred option would be to find a simpler design for family trips as my first build and then build a second smaller boat for when I'm on my own.

shaje wrote:
Another but less preferred option would be to find a simpler design for family trips as my first build and then build a second smaller boat for when I'm on my own.

Townsend, Merrimac, or Iroquois would fit those requirements.

Shaje,

First off, WHERE did that name come from? A typo?

A boat for both solo use and also taking a child overnight is a fun boat. I have a 13' stitch and glue for my Granddaughter and me. She's 7, stands 49"-50" tall, and is a wiry build. I'd guess 55 pounds.

In three weeks we will be in the boat for a one week trip on Michigan's Au Sable River. All Class I water, mainly protected river (in a tree corridor, little open water.) I have to pack the boat carefully, but her and her little pile of sticks, stones, sand, and pine cones have room in the bow. When she gets leggier, I'll have to leave something behind or let her paddle her own canoe.

This particular canoe, is the Selway-Fishier I mentioned on Southern Paddler. A tad longer boat would be even better.

Matt may have other thoughts to add to this, but let me introduce a concept to you. You mentioned about tipsiness in a canoe. Here are some truisms about that phenomenon:

All canoes are tippy, some just more so than others. And, some less.

There are two kinds of canoeists - those who have fallen in, and those who will again.

There is more potential for tipsiness in the canoeist than there is in the canoe.

The geometry of the boat has as more to do with predictable stability than the width. Of the two, I favor geometry.

The geometry of the paddler's seats has more to do with stability than the width of the boat.


A smaller canoe for Dad and Child is a good idea. As the kids grow into it, Dad can get another canoe and turn this one over to the kids. Some folks (wife-types) will recognize the self-serving sneakiness in that apparent generosity. Years later, the kids will too. But by then, it will be too late. They're already hooked on canoeing. And then, they can pull the same trick on your Grandkids.

Hiya Fellas
I would go with whatever Matt thinks is best.
Jack I showed the Misus Your post and She cracked up

I think we'll book it at 30".

zeb wrote:Jack I showed the Misus Your post and She cracked up

I always did appreciate an English wife with a sense of drama.

I believe that involving kids in family activities is very formative and important. If you want to gain in understanding about how to raise kids, watch a pack of wolves or lions do it. You will find yourself putting names to the characters acting out the age-old process. You will recognize people you know, incidents you were part of, and ideas for the future.

Last year, Katie watched two Canadian geese with a gaggle of goslings as two dorky fisherman approached. They were beside the river, on flat ground with thigh-high weeds. The men saw the geese, and should have angled right to gone around; but no, they continued straight into the geese.

The parents had already risen up, and were positioned between the men and their babies. As danger continued to approach, the goslings were herded into the river for safety, swum past the men, and re-herded back up onto the bank. At all times one parent was between the men and the goslings, the other was on the far side of them to keep them condensed.

Katie watched the entire event and, I think, tucked away in her little memory how those parents guarded their children. IE: she had just learned a bit more about how to be a parent, and experts taught her without speaking a word. And, for free.