Back Lake Boat Etiquette

[4x4bassin]

I was wondering what the board thought of this. I travel too alot of hard to reach lakes in central Ontario and in all most every lake there is an old boat or boats pulled up on shore and tucked away in the bush, not locked up.Now the question is do you think these boats are free to use in these lakes ? Does anyone just use them ? Do just the boat owners use them ? I've seen some boats in lakes that have trees growing in them they have been there so long !!! I feel it is such a waste to see these boats rot away with out using them.

What started me thinking was I was at a lake in May and ran into a group of guys fishing there and they told me they were just going to leave the boat up in the bush and if anyone wanted to use it they could as long as it was put back and hopefully not damaged. They didn't want to drag it back out with them.

If I left my boat on one of these lakes I would have no problem with people using it as long as they didn't wreck it !

What do you guys think ???

Cheers

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

admittedly i've used a few stashed boats and canoes.

i think if someone was truly worried they'd lock them up.

provided you return it where you found it, i can't see a problem.

the only thing that's ever worried me is in the off chance that the owner attempts to use the boat while you are out on the lake with it...hehe...

[tinbanger]

seen the same thing , but never thought of using them for the same reason .I know I wouuld be a bit po'd if I came back and my boat was ' gone fishin' without me LOL.

 

tb

[johnnyb]

I ditto the Doc's comments exactly

[Sinker]

I use stashed boats all the time, and I have left a couple as well. In the ones I've left, I spray paint in orange paint, USE DON'T ABUSE. So far, so good. If I get to a back lake and there are boats full of water or in danger of being damaged, I always take the time to empty them, or move them to a safer area. None of mine are locked, I don't see the point in locking them.

 

I've also wondered what would happen if I was out fishin in a stashed boat and the owner showed up to use it. I'd have no problem giving up the boat. I just hope the guy isn't a tool about it and lose his cool. If I see somone show up, I always tour back just to make sure I'm not in thier boat. You never know. Most people you run into in a back lake are pretty cool doods though, so I"m sure after sharing a beer and shooting the bull for a bit, things would be fine.

 

S.

[addy79]

i use stashed boats often as well...

 

i dont see a problem as long as the person borrowing treats it as their own.

 

ive seen others use em n leave em abused and tuned the guys up pretty good for it.

 

blows my mind how little respect people have for others property man! i like the orange spraypaint idea, unfortunately, not my canoes to paint, but ill surely tell the owner to consider it.

[POLLIWOGG]

When the guys were duck hunting they would leave the canoe in the marsh and somebody from the nearby trailer park would come and burgle it, then we would have to go burgle it back. This went on for years.

 

I had an old ceder strip in the marsh and somebody tried to set that one on fire.

 

This was all on a very popular lake.

 

A note in a jar might be an idea for conditions of use or just a thank you for a back woods boat, but remember all your safety stuff or some cop in an airplane will get you..

[bare foot wader]

this is a very passionate topic for me...lol...lots of interesting situations over the years.....I have used a lot of stashed boats in my day...I have also dragged and left a few of my own/shared ownership boats into the woods too....

 

my opinion on this is:

 

-if it is not locked up it's fair game to use

-if it is locked up don't mess with it

-always return to where you found it, or very close proximity

-always return it flipped over so it doesn't accumulate a few hundred lbs of water...drain plug or not, just flip it over, nobody wants to deal with draining a boat full of stagnant water at 5am when they're anxious to get on the water

-dont' steal anything...ie paddles or safety equip...that is a huge piss off and it happens alot...easier for a thief to carry out then a boat maybe?...

 

we've never sprayed a msg on any of our boats but seen it a few times....probably a good thing to do....

 

the mason jar idea sounds like it could work too....I've visited a few campsites way up north and that type of thing goes on....interesting to see how far back the notes go('57 is the oldest I've read) and to read everybody's reports and experiences.....

 

in most cases guys are reasonable, should you bump into the owner someday.....applying common sense and some respect goes a long way.....

[NAW]

Anyone have any issues with people cutting locks, and not returning the boat?

 

I just received a free 12' tinner. And I was going to find a backwoods lake to store it at. I planned on locking it to a tree.

 

I would hate to have the thing stolen though. I guess it depends on what lake I take it too. Somwhere between here and Sudbury.

[bare foot wader]

Anyone have any issues with people cutting locks, and not returning the boat?

 

from my experience, unless it's a local who makes a return trip or somebody who happens to pack bolt cutters for a fishing trip, you won't have issues with people cutting the locks or the chain.....

 

it's the tree that will get cut down in most cases.....so pick a thick tree......

[Sinker]

IF a stashed boat is locked, leave it alone. I've never locked any of ours, but I've found lots of them locked up. To each thier own.

 

Good point about leaving all the stuff in the boat where you found it. I know if I use a stashed boat, I don't take anything out I didn't take in......unless its garbage of course.

 

 

S.

[wiggler]

We had a 12ft aluminum that we kept on a small brook trout lake. It was the only boat on the lake and we never locked it up. We didn't care if anyone used it as long as they returned it to the place they "borrowed" it from. I know it was used many times by people. Then one year we went down for a spring fish and it was gone. I guess being nice can come at a cost sometimes.

[Lunker777]

I just got back from a trip up north and we took a tour on the ATVs into the bush and came across this SWEEET back lake... and there was a nice little camp set up, When I say camp I mean an area cleared out for a tent . No one was there at the time but there was 2 nice little boats resting against trees. I didnt even consider taking the boat for a tour.

 

I didn't think people would be that nice to let you take there boat out. But I guess if you return it how you found it, everything would be cool !

[Paully]

If i found a boat with a jar and instructions in it... i'd use it.. then leave a report for the next guy!

[smally21]

my outfitter in temagami keeps boats in portage lakes and they get used by just about everybody. seems like the kind of guy that will hump 30 minutes into a back lake is the kind of guy that appreciates not having to carry a boat. it has always worked out, once all our boats were out so we used someone else's - turned out we were in eachother's boats!

one thing i would always say about borrowing. now that i have dragged a 14' thru 2 miles of swamp, i feel like i can use someone else's boat when i come across it. you got to ask yourseld when you use or borrow other peoples stuff, somewhere along the chain have you made your contribution? as long as you're using buddy's boat in that trout lake you better be the guy that lends jumper cables at the boat ramp........

also seems kinda dumb to fish from shore when there is a boat just sittin' there..

[DRIFTER_016]

I too have used lots of back lake boats in my lifetime and agree with what the others have said about respecting other peoples property and treating the boat as if it was yours.

It's been a while since the last time I used one of them but I make sure they are left exactly how I found them.

[tinbanger]

its not a boat ( but it does leak ) but we leave our hunt camp unlocked .the worst to happen has been they used the dry firewood by the cookstove and didn't replenish it and a bag of garbage left in the outhouse.

not bad for over 80 years

TB

[Cookslav]

An old saying I once heard..."Possession is 9/10th's of the law" or "finders keepers"

 

If you leave an unregistered boat on Crown land you should assume it may be used by others, and I'd feel no guilt what so ever useing it as if it were mine that day.

Leaving it in the woods is a great idea to save your back from having to lug it in each time, but you also asume the risk that I might be using it that day....

 

Another angle to this situation,

Make sure its Crown land your on....

 

My Uncle did this for years and left 2 boats at a leased crown land hunt camp when they were just starting out (they have since bought the land and built a cabin)

One day years ago when their camp was only a small cleared area to pitch a few tents

They were comming off the water at the end of the day and were greeted by 3 angry men who had hiked in the many miles claiming they were the owners of the boats who had left them up there....They were appearently not to happy after hikeing in that Friday night after work to realize they were boatless.

 

They demanded to see My Uncles Permit, and were threatening to kick his butt if he didn't give up "their" boats....

 

It all ended well as my Uncle and the 3 other guys with him were no small men LOL!

 

The moral of the story is this,

A boat left in the bush is only yours if you own the land, can prove it's your boat, or have a tougher crew

[Musky or Specks]

I keep both boats that I have stashed locked up but I guess Im cheap

[spinnerbaitking]

Or maybe bigger guns haha

 

An old saying I once heard..."Possession is 9/10th's of the law" or "finders keepers"

 

If you leave an unregistered boat on Crown land you should assume it may be used by others, and I'd feel no guilt what so ever useing it as if it were mine that day.

Leaving it in the woods is a great idea to save your back from having to lug it in each time, but you also asume the risk that I might be using it that day....

 

Another angle to this situation,

Make sure its Crown land your on....

 

My Uncle did this for years and left 2 boats at a leased crown land hunt camp when they were just starting out (they have since bought the land and built a cabin)

One day years ago when their camp was only a small cleared area to pitch a few tents

They were comming off the water at the end of the day and were greeted by 3 angry men who had hiked in the many miles claiming they were the owners of the boats who had left them up there....They were appearently not to happy after hikeing in that Friday night after work to realize they were boatless.

 

They demanded to see My Uncles Permit, and were threatening to kick his butt if he didn't give up "their" boats....

 

It all ended well as my Uncle and the 3 other guys with him were no small men LOL!

 

The moral of the story is this,

A boat left in the bush is only yours if you own the land, can prove it's your boat, or have a tougher crew

[4x4bassin]

Thanks guys , I like the idea of leaving the mesage in the jar for the owner or the next guy. I would feel a little guilty about using someone elses boat but at least this way I could say thanks !!!I just might leave my boat at home on the next 4x4 fishing trip(alot easier) and use one of the stashed ones .

Cheers and Tightlines

4x4

[brkygetr]

As I understand it as long the boat is on CROWN land it is deemed property of the crown and is free for anyone to use...ie: therefore if you leave your boat or canoe on crown land don't be upset if someone else uses it, as you just gave it up to the crown. There are exceptions to this rule (Northwestern Ontario you need a 'boat cache' permit from the MNR) but generally I believe that is the only part of the province that you can not just leave a boat.

So yeah have at er'... if they float