Conference vicki::boats

    Personally, I would try a different canoe.  If you only want it for
    fishing and not white water work, there are canoes out there that will
    do what you need.  I had a 15' Lincoln Assabett canoe that four adults 
    could stand up in in relatively rough water and it still wouldn't tip
    over.  It weighed 125 pounds and was hard to paddle but it was great
    for fishing.  I also owned a Grunman aluminum that would capsize
    practically on it's own but was real fast.  I'm sure you could rig up
    some type of outrigger but then you've lost the ability to go where
    canoes are meant to go.

    You could look into building yourself an outrigger.
    
    Ken

    re: .0
    
    There are outriggers available and even if you didn't buy a commercial
    product at least you could get some ideas on how to fabricate one
    yourself.
    
    Grumman makes a pontoon/outrigger stabilizer that's pretty popular with
    duck hunters - a bud' that I used to duck-hunt with in the Pacific NW
    had a set for his 17' double-ender. They made a heck of a difference 
    when we were shooting our 10 gauges together (which otherwise would
    damn near chuck us out of the canoe without the pontoons).
    
    As I recall the rig has a pair of ~5' pontoons (made of closed-cell 
    foam) connected with crossbars that clamp to the gunwales. Went on in
    a snap, and the pontoons were narrow enough that it didn't impede
    gliding much at all. 
    
    I don't recognize the node name, but if you're in the general vicinity
    of MA. you can call the South Bridge Boat House in Concord to find out
    cost and availability.
    
    FWIW: Canoes vary all over the place as far as stability vs. weight vs.
    ease of forward motion. I have a Grumman that is one of the slickest,
    lightest boats in the water, but with its mere 34" beam it can be a bear 
    to fish from - especially if lightly loaded. I also have an Old Town 
    Katahdin which is a beautiful canoe and is excellent to fish from (46"
    beam and flat bottom) but is a bit of a sled when making headway. 
    
    At the extreme of stability is the SportsPal, which has a 52" beam, foam 
    stabilizers applied alongside the hull, and weighs a ton, but can't get 
    out of its own way to save its (or your) life. These are great for
    shooting platforms but I wouldn't want one for fishing - at least
    without an outboard on it!
    
    Good luck!
    
    /dave

    How good are those foam stabilizers that attach just under the gunwales?
    
    Carl

    re: .4 
    
    I've only seen those mounted on the SportsPal - which hardly seems to
    need it given the 52" beam. I would hate to think of holing a hull
    to bolt on those foam bumpers, in any case. I don't think a glass hull
    would take the stress at the bolts - though maybe ABS or Royalex might
    handle them, certainly the aluminum hulls should. 
    
    Not knowing the specifics of the basenote, it's hard to figure what
    might help the situation. Perhaps some strategically placed ballast can 
    help stabilize the canoe: when my kids were just wee sprites I'd place
    one of those 5 gallon collapsible water "jugs" up in the bow of my
    17'er to level her out (as the kids weren't contributing much in the
    ballast department at that age ;^).
    
    /dave

    I suppose you could glue or epoxy them on, rather than hole the hull. 
    Of course, it's still not a reversible mod.

    Thanks for the inputs.  I called around and found out about the
    Grunman pontoon setup.  It goes for about $120.  It was designed 
    specifically for the Grunman canoe (an excellent canoe, by the way)
    but could probably be modified to fit my canoe.
    
    By the way, I have a Coleman.  It has served us well but it handles
    like a oil tanker.  :-)
    
    After thinking it over, we'll probably be getting a 14 ft. Game Fisher
    aluminum V-hull with a small motor.  The canoe's been fun, but time to
    move on to something a little more practical for bass fishing.  We're
    going to check out Sears this weekend to see if they have any left on
    clearance.
    
    Now if we could just find those big lunker bass...
    
    Regards,
    Denis

    re: alum v hull
    
    Good idea.  Much more practical, and comfortable. 
    
    You might want to check out Greene's Marine in Hooksett.  They're one
    of the nations top Sea Nymph dealers (Sea Nymph manufactures Sears
    Gamefishers).  They might be able to beat the price, epsecially this
    time of year when they may have some overstock, or maybe even some
    blems.
    
    They might also be able to put you into a little Merc as opposed 
    to the Eska.  
    
    have fun, -donmac

    	I just saw a used 9.9hp Merc in the clasifieds for $900.
    
    	Ray