A STABLE PACK CANOE

The Anglers Pack answers the need for a small canoe with high initial stability.

The inspiration for this canoe was not so much the typical pack canoes being sold as an alternative to a small kayak, but rather as a response to the growing popularity  of sit-on-top kayaks outfitted for anglers on inland lakes and protected bays and estuaries.

At 13 feet this canoe can be built light. At 33 inches wide, she is relatively stable. And her shallow arch cross sections mean she can handle a decent load for her size (as much as 320 lbs).

Single or Double Paddle

Like our Solo Canoes, this Angler can be propelled using a double paddle. Keep in mind however, that she has 33″ beam and a paddler have a greater reach side to side than he or she might with a narrower canoe like the Solo Pack.  The Anglers Pack is designed for stability and a slow trawl, not efficiency point to point. As such, a single paddle will be the choice of most paddlers which, as a bonus, results in a drier lap. Yippity-yah!

Portability and Weight

The Anglers Pack is a symmetrical hull design meaning she has an identical shape front and back. To properly position the paddler, the seat is placed immediately aft of the centre point. What this means is that the builder will NOT have the option of installing a shaped yolk at the centre line.

That said, here’s the cool thing; the boat is light (see How Much Will my Canoe Weigh?), and the front of the seat is positioned at the centre line meaning that if so desired, a paddler can rest the hull on their upper back/shoulders with out much fuss. Or alternatively, she’s easy to throw over a single shoulder in the same way one might carry a kayak on one side with a paddle on the other.

Why Choose Plans for the Anglers Pack

The Anglers Pack is designed as a stable, light, and easily stored platform that will appeal to anglers, birdwatchers, and photographers.  She is best used in protected lakes and estuaries, slow moving creeks, canals and and flat water. Her traditional lines mean that she has slightly more hull exposed to the wind than our Solo series boat might, and she has very little rocker meaning you will have to be an experienced paddler to use her in a moving swell or in when crossing current lines.

The Anglers Pack tracks straight, and has good initial stability; two aspects that will appeal to a novice paddler.

Choose this boat if on-water activities are more of a priority than covering miles.

Click Drawings to Expand …
 

 Before You Get Started

Plans from Ashes come complete with all the details necessary to build a canoe but they do not include building instructions. If you are novice builder you will save many hours and benefit immeasurably from an purchasing either of the following:

• For Stemless Construction, Building A Strip Canoe, by Gil Gilpatrick
• For Classic Cedar Strip Building,  Canoecraft, by Ted Moore

First time builders may also wish to review the series entitled, “It’s Easier Than You Think“.

• Introduction – Building a Cedar Strip Canoe
• How Long Does it Take
• A Place to Build
• How Much Does it Cost
• What Skills Do I Need
• Making it Easier

Materials

Start with 1/4 inch thick cedar strips. 3/4 of an inch is as good a width as any and full length clear stock will make stripping your canoe a whole lot easier. Her gunnels are either a hardwood, or if a builder wishes to reduce weight, laminated softwood strips (two outer and three inner) with an outer hardwood rail shaped to please the builder’s eye. Best results will be obtained if the builder can curtail the urge to use fancy marquetry, or exotic woods. A materials list is included with you plans, as are scaled drawings of the strong-back.

If you haven’t already done so, please visit the Materials Calculator to estimate the materials you’ll need.

Stations

Unless marked otherwise stations are laid out with the centre station placed in the middle of strongback, and each one thereafter is spaced at 12 inches on centre from the previous. At Ashes we cut our stations from 3/4 MDF. The bow and stern stations are trimmed for stemless construction, an easy and elegant construction method that contributes to her minimalist lines. Plans also have the outer stem profiles marked for those wishing to use hardwood stems.

Building Light

A careful builder may wish to reduce the weight of their canoe by starting with 3/16 inch cedar strips. Keep in mind that you’ll have less material to start with and if not careful when fairing it’s easy to sand too far! Builders who hope to keep her light will also laminate the gunnels directly to the hull and use mechanical fasteners only in the ends and at the thwart. Likewise, seats will be attached to cleats glued and glassed to the inside of the hull, thus reducing the need for hangers and associated hardware.

Fiberglass

The industry standard calls for 6 oz cloth. Builders wishing to match our advertised weights will start with 4 oz glass inside and out with a reinforcing layer laid inside and out in her middle third (on the bias). Likewise, her ends are reinforced both inside and out with two extra layers of 4 oz glass, 6 inches wide and also laid on the bias.