Round or Flat (pontoons)

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

36 minutes ago, tjm said:

 

Easy fast thing is get two cheap light kayaks or SUPs and presto bingo you are in business

Funny you say that as I believe Gavin has 2 for sale.  I did consider that.  I would hope someone who has kids would take his deal though.  

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

This is the frame, it has a sliding casting deck. Also is the possible donor raft.  I got the Creek Company pontoon along with the Fish Cat. 

[Gavin]

Just get new toons for it. Round ones. And learn to row. Can’t say I’m good at Rowing, but you push row in the frog water, and back row in the fast. Point the nose at stuff you do not want to hit, back row, and, slide right by,. Time on those sticks will teach you, no other way.

[tjm]

3 hours ago, Daryk Campbell Sr said:

Funny you say that as I believe Gavin has 2 for sale.  I did consider that.  I would hope someone who has kids would take his deal though.  

As I was typing the bit about shapes, I happened to recall about twenty years ago the first cheap kayaks I saw were two fastened together pontoon style with 2x4s and a lawn chair something like BilletHead's picture, it took the guy several trips down the creek to get his ideas sorted but eventually he had a lightweight frame that worked pretty well and built another for his neighbor, saw them at the lowwater bridge half dozen times that fall and never since then.

[Al Agnew]

Concerning your original idea...there are three advantages to doing flat bottoms on your "pontoons".  First, it would be easier.  Second, they would draft an inch or so shallower.  Third, they would make your craft a little less susceptible to being blown around by the wind.  Other than that, I don't see any particular serious disadvantages to them, but no other advantages, either.  If this was going to be a craft for whitewater, then yes, the rounded pontoons would be better...they would make the craft less susceptible to currents going in directions you don't want to go.  

I've done a LOT of rowing in the last fifteen years or so, since we got the place in Montana.  I love rowing, and can handle fairly serious whitewater.  But there are still things I don't do as well as the river guides out here in Big Sky country do.  Somebody who is really good on the oars can keep a raft the exact same distance from the bank no matter what the current is doing, by manipulating the oars to move the raft sideways without turning it so that the guy in the back is farther from the bank than the guy in the front.  I plan on practicing what I'd call draw and pry rowing to get better at that while I'm out here right now.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I wont be going into white water (on purpose anyway).  I plan to use it on ponds small lakes and creeks.   I have a medical condition where I can catch nasty infections in my legs and feet from "dirty" water.  I have to be extremely careful around the water.  I usually bank fish, and I'm hoping this will make it possible for me to be able to get places average guys can wade to.  I have more options than money, so I think I will go with the foam, wrapped with 1/4 inch luan coated in resin.  I think I can make it look decent, and be functional.   I worry about the toons, and hooks.  Thinking of how I can wrap a plastic FRP board around them in the cover.  I got some time before fall.  I will pick through trials and errors.  Kind of thinking about cedar stripping the foam toons, but the fiberglass gets pricey for a cheap project.