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Posted

How about jump in my boat Saturday bud?.,have a good pair of glasses if need be.South Simcoe? eh.

 

PM sent.

 

You should look into a float tube too. That way, I wont be alone to catch all the fish this fall.LOL

Posted

If a $1000 is a bit high then a zodiac may not be your best bet. They aren't cheap. Specailly new, you can find them on kijiji for under a grand but for the most part they have been patched alot and I wouldn't really want to take a chance at that money.

 

 

 

Or you could stumble on a high quality inflatable for stupid low $$$ like I did. :lol:

My inflatable in the first pic is an older Southern Pacific inflatable (same kind of quality as a Zodiac). To purchase a new one (same model as mine but with aluminum floor instead of wood) is about $1500 US. I found mine at a garage sale for.......................wait for it.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................TEN BUCKS!!!!!!

 

I has a small leak in the floor but the air chambers are solid and there are zero patches on it!!!

The motor was extra of course and I had to purchae oars for it.

 

Including the motor I have less than $900 in the rig.

 

There are deals to be had if you are in the right place at the right time. ;)

Posted

Theres a few guys on here with sportspal canoes.I'm sure the will chime in any time.They have presented some great reports out of these sturdy canoes.Gonefishing.gif

 

*chimes in*

 

I love my 12-foot Sportspal that weighs like 35lbs and sits on top of my '97 Achieva quite nicely.

 

I am looking to get a 44lb 14-footer though, so I can fit a third person or up to 300lbs more gear and it'll have a keel or three so it stays a little straighter. And it'll fit on my van better.

 

I'd say make sure you have a keel at least (all the new ones have them, but my 12-footer is - I believe - one of the original 5000, and has none).

Posted

my old Kevlar has a small shoe keel but any new composite I would buy would be keel less. I'd rather have maneuverability than 'straight line tracking'. My paddle strokes provide all the control I would need vs keels. imo ;)

Posted

my old Kevlar has a small shoe keel but any new composite I would buy would be keel less. I'd rather have maneuverability than 'straight line tracking'. My paddle strokes provide all the control I would need vs keels. imo ;)

Yeah, well, we're talking about apples and oranges, here. You don't paddle a Sportspal. Or at least, I wouldn't! haha. Row it, maybe...

Posted

ok, you got me there Dana but you shld check out other canoes before going for a longer Sportspal. Your arms will thank you :D

Actually, my arms thank Minn Kota! :D

Posted

Craig_Ritchie, which Zodiac did you have? and who sells them?

My old Zodiac was a 10 foot Cadet model that I bought used from some guy who had it advertised in the paper. They're expensive boats to buy new. The one I had was a bit older, but still worked perfectly fine. It had a multi-piece wooden floor, so it was a bit heavy. The newer ones have a fibreglass floor, I believe, so they should be a lot lighter weight.

 

Not sure who your closest dealer is, but you could probably Google their website and do a dealer search. Or keep an eye on Kijiji or eBay and see if you can pick up a used one. If you're not in a hurry, that's the best way to save a few bucks. Can't say enough good things about them, they really are great boats. But you definitely want an electric or a small gas motor. They're no fun to row.

 

My good friend Mark Krupa has one too. You would not believe the fish that he's hauled into that little boat of his. His fishing photo album would make a lot of guys cry.

Posted

 

 

My good friend Mark Krupa has one too. You would not believe the fish that he's hauled into that little boat of his. His fishing photo album would make a lot of guys cry.

 

I've seen his Labrador Brook Trout adventure in hd at least a dozen times , and I'll watch it again every chance I get. The best fishing show ever produced imho.

Posted

Thanks Drew.

 

I,m seriously looking for one.For small lakes and the river.

14 pounds that really freaking heavy for a float tube. If you want to back pack your float tube,waders,wading shoes,fins, fishing gear and camping equipment in anywhere you gotta go light this is mine Had it since 1994 and still works like a charm.

 

http://creekcompany.com/product.php?productid=16150&cat=249&page=1

Posted

Or you could stumble on a high quality inflatable for stupid low $$$ like I did. :lol:

My inflatable in the first pic is an older Southern Pacific inflatable (same kind of quality as a Zodiac). To purchase a new one (same model as mine but with aluminum floor instead of wood) is about $1500 US. I found mine at a garage sale for.......................wait for it.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................TEN BUCKS!!!!!!

 

I has a small leak in the floor but the air chambers are solid and there are zero patches on it!!!

The motor was extra of course and I had to purchae oars for it.

 

Including the motor I have less than $900 in the rig.

 

There are deals to be had if you are in the right place at the right time. ;)

 

That is a great deal lol. I know that you can find good deals and that, just takes alot of patience and quick response.

 

My cousin loves them and is always buying them and fixing them up and sells them again for more then he paid.

 

I personally would love the second one you posted a picture of.

Posted

As portable as they may be, I'm not a fan of inflatables simply due to the sense of security. Fishing requires sharp hooks and sharp hooks and thin inflated rubber just don't mix with me, especially considering the amount of money I have in my gear.

 

I would personally get a small 6-8' alumimum boat and transport it on your roof or a Porta-Bote (portable folding boat). The Porta-Bote's come in various lengths. A quick search discovered they are plentiful on kijiji: http://ontario.kijiji.ca/f-porta-bote-Classifieds-W0QQKeywordZportaQ20bote

Posted (edited)

As portable as they may be, I'm not a fan of inflatables simply due to the sense of security. Fishing requires sharp hooks and sharp hooks and thin inflated rubber just don't mix with me, especially considering the amount of money I have in my gear.

Good quality inflatables are tougher than you think. They're used by navies all over the world, with guys jumping in and out all day long with machine guns, knives, and all kinds of other expensive, pointy stuff. They have no problem.

 

I agree some boats have thin skin, but not all. A Zodiac is just about indestructible.

Edited by Craig_Ritchie
Posted

Good quality inflatables are tougher than you think. They're used by navies all over the world, with guys jumping in and out all day long with machine guns, knives, and all kinds of other expensive, pointy stuff. They have no problem.

 

I agree some boats have thin skin, but not all. A Zodiac is just about indestructible.

 

Agreed, but certainly not a cheap option like the OP was asking for.

Posted

14 pounds that really freaking heavy for a float tube. If you want to back pack your float tube,waders,wading shoes,fins, fishing gear and camping equipment in anywhere you gotta go light this is mine Had it since 1994 and still works like a charm.

 

http://creekcompany.com/product.php?productid=16150&cat=249&page=1

 

All spots are road side.The tube would eliminate the back packing. :D

 

Thanks for the link.

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