The Quick Canoe Thread: Boats, advice, tips. Add your own!

[blue sailor]

I'm not sure it makes sense to build a pure paddling canoe and lug the motor and two batteries along just for incase you want to swap to motoring it brings the weight of the canoe up from about 50lbs (depending on materials) to about 150lbs. YOu kindof lose the lovely portability and simplicity of a canoe.

Sorry, i should have been more clear. The decision would be made prior to leaving the house - it would be either a day of rowing or powering, not both. Yea, carrying everything around all the time would definitely suck.

So if paddling is the main thing ... the original Quick Canoe

This is what i really long to do. But is there any chance i could still put the transom on the original quick canoe - simply because i like the look of it - without compromising performance?

[Boatmik]

Canoes work because of a low drag for the low power available.

The question you have to ask is why don't you see serious paddling canoes with transom.

Part is convention, but some is also for the lowest possible drag for covering distance with very low amounts of power.

That's why you start to see transoms as the amount of power increases beyond normal human outputs

Michael

[Minimalist]

I’ve been looking and researching different small boat options for some time now. I tend to really investigate options thoroughly, which is both good and the problem. Even if I decided on one today it could be months (or longer) before I get out on the water.

So after reading different posts here, my solution is what I am calling “My Ultimate Quick Canoe 155 Combo.”

• Quick Canoe 155 Instant Download: $30
• Drop-in Outriggers Instant Download: $33
• Paddle Plans FREE Download
• Sail Plan/Outriggers FREE on Request
• Three sheets of ply for QC
• Two sheets ply for Outriggers (guesstimate?)
• Some lumber, rope (lines), poly tarp, epoxy, and paint etc...

This will provide a canoe to paddle, a stable fishing boat, and a fast sailboat in a pretty short time until I decide on a more time consuming build.

The primarily area of use would be the St. Johns River in Florida.

Anything I am missing or wrong about?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Jim

[cadas]

Ive got another thread going describing my "big canoe". The plans for this boat come with mast and sail plans free. All in the plans were about $50.

This is a big stable canoe, some 900mm on beam and can take a small electric outboard. Ive seen ideas for putting a well in the aft end to mount the motor centrally.

[Boatmik]

Howdy,
Wells may be too draggy for human powered craft - in terms of trying to deal them off so that they don't disturb the water flow, don't hold significant water and don't reduce the displacement of the canoe at the Back end so it goes out of trim.

The amount of power available when paddling is so tiny that everything has to work in your favour. I'm even concerned at the way fitting a transom to the Electric Quick Canoe will partially degrade the paddling performance. The more complication added to a basic canoe shape only can degrade the paddling function.

I'd suspect it of producing a lot of drag for the very low thrust outboards we are talking about.

The more central location of the motor is completely nice nice, but I suspect it compromises the simple/low power aspects too much.

Best wishes
Michael

[Boatmik]

Jim, you don't need the drop in sailing rig info. There's a pack of free info included in the outrigger pack.. You just have to ask for it. Includes a bigger sail, rudder design spar designs and sailmaking instructions.

Michael

[callsign222]

I just ripped the center spreader out of my QC because I didn't use screws like Mik said....

The thin veneers on the cheap plywood I used didn't stay stuck to the layer underneath and POP! Wobbly Canoe.

Screw in that center spreader.

[blue sailor]

hello everyone,

Wow, its been a long time since i posted on this forum.

Jim, you don't need the drop in sailing rig info. There's a pack of free info included in the outrigger pack.. You just have to ask for it. Includes a bigger sail, rudder design spar designs and sailmaking instructions.

Michael

Mik,

I purchased the quick canoe and outrigger plans back in April. How may i go about getting a copy of the sail, rudder, and spar design plans?


Thanks

[Boatmik]

Email me ... the email address is on the front of the plans. Or go to my website and the "contact me" is near the top left of every page.

MIK

[engblom]

I have many times been wondering how QC is really comparing to Eureka when it comes to performance. I have not done any calculations, but it looks like Eureka would have less wetted surface, and thus less resistance at low speed with maybe (this is something I am definitely not sure of) a penalty in drag as the speed goes up (if this penalty at all exists, it might be at speeds higher than what you normally paddle at). Is there any drag penalty at all? I hope to hear from people that have been trying both. I am imaging this drag because I think the nose would go faster up for Eureka.

To me it looks like Eureka would do slightly better than QC with the same energy used for paddling in both.

[callsign222]

Peteloaf built a Eureka and he and I have canoed with each other an swapped out. The Eureka is easily driven, more mild mannered in chop, faster, and less liable to get blown around, but the differences are not earth shattering.

The QC is cheap, has lots of volume, and is Quick to build.

[engblom]

Thanks, it was exactly this kind of information I wanted. If you would compare the performance, how much more effort (a very roughly wild guess) do you need for QC when paddling to keep the same speed as with Eureka?

[callsign222]

Tough to quantify. The QC is easily driven when flat and calm, it's more effort than the Eureka once there are waves or wind, but the QC isn't exactly designed for performance. It does carry nice momentum though, so once it starts going, it tends to keep going minimizing effort. Peteloaf uses a double bladed paddle for his Eureka and with that little piece of equipment he just machs along.

[Cliff Rogers]

The plans for the QC have 2 different keel depths, I took the shallow one & I can tell you that it is HARD work to go cross wind with only one person in the boat.

[engblom]

The plans for the QC have 2 different keel depths, I took the shallow one & I can tell you that it is HARD work to go cross wind with only one person in the boat.

So the shallow one is too shallow?