New canoe

[cjbfisher]

Hi all,
I've been following the forum here for quite a while, and now I've decided to stick a toe in the water. I want to build myself a canoe, primarily for flyfishing, so it needs to be quite stable. Whilst I am well skilled when it comes to working with timber, I know very little about boat design. I am looking to build something in the 14-16 ft range, but I would like it to be as stable as possible. I have come across a few plans (one in particular that I like), but I don't know how to work out which one is going to best suit my needs. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Chris

[b.o.a.t.]

G'day Chris
a few questions which you may have already covered....

Q1. Where are you likely to use it ? Open water like Moreton Bay or Wivenhoe?
Or creeks & dams ? How sea-worthy does it have to be, & how far do you have to
propel it to your fishing grounds?

Q2. can you fly-fish sitting down ?
If not, then a canoe can be anything that gets you to where you can stand & fish, from
a racing surf ski to a slalom C1.

Q3. Do your fishing grounds require you to stand in the boat? If so, then a canoe is
probably not the best idea. Not unless you have the balance of an acrobat anyway.
Better perhaps to look at something like MIK's "Handy Punt", or RossL's "Flint".
Obviously, you then need to start thinking power vs oar, and flat water vs lumpy...
If the water is cold (like Tassie), bigger is safer - hypothermia kills quick if you fall in.

Q4. If fishing whilst sitting, and you are comfy sitting down low with legs out straight
in front, you can look at kayak style boats such as sit-on-tops, or Mill Creek 13 or 15.
If you need to sit more upright, like on a chair, then you need to look at open canadian style boats, which tend to be wider than kayaks anyway.

Where are you up to so far ?
cheers
Alan J

[cjbfisher]

Alan,
It will mainly be used in small rivers and creeks around SEQ and northern NSW, although at times it will be used in dams where I can't put the big boat in. I also have a 8 ft punt, but it's a bit heavy and awkward to handle on your own.
I may end up building two, as I would really like something small enough to be handled by one person, but something big enough for two people and gear for a 2-3 day trip.
Cheers,
Chris