Lots of good information thank you fellas. I'll add that I do have a regular 18 foot boat but this river is NOT very deep or fast. Max depth is around 10-15 feet with may of the areas around 4-6 thus the reason why the 18 footer would not work well. No rapids or fast currents unless it's right after a rain storm. I pretty much grew up on a lake and fished my whole life BUT this is different I agree. IF I shoot a deer I would either float it out as the spots are upstream, or pack it out. Not interested in putting anything fancy at all on my kayak other than my backpack of 10 pounds and my bow.
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Kayak
- Thread starter dbow0603
- Start date
Iron_llama
Well-Known Member
My personal preference is for solo canoes over kayaks, but I know a lot of hunters love their kayaks. Agree with the advice to practice self-rescue. I would suggest wool clothes - including base layers - backed up with dry clothes in a drybag. You can wear rain gear over your clothes, especially bibs. I'd advise rain bibs over chest waders as if chest waders flood, you're (literally) sunk; whereas bibs can drain water out the cuffs. Obviously wear a PFD. There are (more expensive) specialty PFDs that accommodate kayak seats and the double-paddle stroke; conventional PFDs of course work but if it's uncomfortable you're likely to take it off in frustration. On that note, unless you are hunting ducks, get a high-visibility PFD and rain gear. If motorcyclists are advised to "dress for the crash, not the ride", then cold-weather boaters should dress to be rescued. Have multiple ways to start a fire, in your pack and on your person. It's tough to flick a Bic when your hands are numb and shivering, let alone build an efficient fire-lay. You might vac-pack some tinder and kindling and keep it handy in case you wind up needing to warm up in a hurry. I've seen ice fishermen use road flares to light emergency fires.
Pack everything in dry bags. Either label them or color-code them. I found some glow-in-the-dark duct tape at Menards and use a Sharpie on that to make labels. You can also use reflective tape the same way. I'd rather have an orange boat and a camo net to hide it with, than a camo boat, if I need someone to come rescue me.
I'm not sure how cold March gets in OK, but I would guess it's not too different that October in MN. Not to be a buzzkill, I would advise against trying to teach yourself safe boating in the cold. Safely set yourself up for success, get proficient in your kayak during fishing season, and hit it hard in the fall.
Pack everything in dry bags. Either label them or color-code them. I found some glow-in-the-dark duct tape at Menards and use a Sharpie on that to make labels. You can also use reflective tape the same way. I'd rather have an orange boat and a camo net to hide it with, than a camo boat, if I need someone to come rescue me.
I'm not sure how cold March gets in OK, but I would guess it's not too different that October in MN. Not to be a buzzkill, I would advise against trying to teach yourself safe boating in the cold. Safely set yourself up for success, get proficient in your kayak during fishing season, and hit it hard in the fall.
That's going to be an issue for sure. The banks are muddy in some areas and rocky in others.
Good advice here. I grew up in Central MN. Now that I live in SW Missouri it is night and day difference lol. I miss snowmobiling tho...
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Why would the 18' boat not work? Am I missing something? 4-6' depth or 4-6"? I almost died in a yak on a river EXACTLY like your describing. Paddling in the dark on a river is very dangerous. I'm telling you from from a very personal experience. A split second decision and a series of several others leading up to it almost cost me my life. I've been paddling for 45 years and have thousands of hours in canoe. Miles and miles of experience on rivers. I've been in the water at least a dozen times over the years. Cold water and paddling are NOT a good combination especially for any length of time. Crossing a river is one thing. Paddling a mile is another especially if you have to get back against the current. Don't underestimate the power of current. I'm not an expert but please don't take this light heartedly. All it takes is one little thing that you didn't expect and your in the water. Use the the boat!
The boat does work but since I have an old 2 stroke it's not been very good due to the noise and smell. I agree and am not really thinking using the kayak during the cold season is a good idea. When season starts the waters here are 70-80 degrees. Perhaps that would be a better option. I'm using the boat now for turkey season. I have two lights that I'm going to install on the boat for the early morning hunt.
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Get a trolling motor. Use the main motor to get you close. Finish it off w/ the electric. That's what I do. Or go past on the opposite side and drift down.
Yep, excellent points^^^
In fact, an 18' boat generally drafts less water than a shorter boat. And the longer boat is faster and tracks better. About the only time a shorter boat is desirable over a longer boat is if it's being used on waters where precise maneuvering is needed.
Someone above mentioned keels. I am firmly in the camp of hating a keel. They suck. A properly designed hull doesn't need a keel. Keels essentially increase the boat's amount of draft. It's another half inch or so of water depth that's needed, and they don't slide over obstructions. And you definitely do not want to be drifting down-stream, facing cross-current in a boat with a keel. The keel will grab anything (rocks, stumps, etc) that it contacts increasing the odds of a flip.
And since we are talking about crossing streams, knowing how to ferry is a critical skill. It's pretty amazing how you can paddle across strong current but you have to know how to ferry properly. Upstream ferry and back ferry is something few paddlers learn. Upstream ferry is easier than a back ferry but they both have their time and place.
razorsharptokill
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Can you send me a link by chance? No rush, but I've been debating what to do with my old 12' semi v. Don't have a trailer so it sits under the porch doing nothing other than bringing down the neighborhood curb appeal
Iron_llama
Well-Known Member
You could look at DIY portage carts. If you can get the hull into your pickup, a PVC-and-wheelbarrow-wheels contraption could get it in and out of the water. You'd probably have to carry the motor, batteries, etc. separately. As far as that goes, I've got a plastic "bass bug" boat that will run all afternoon on a single deep-cycle battery and pawn shop Minn-Kota.Can you send me a link by chance? No rush, but I've been debating what to do with my old 12' semi v. Don't have a trailer so it sits under the porch doing nothing other than bringing down the neighborhood curb appeal
razorsharptokill
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I was mistaken, The they are just under $50.
Yeah, I'll probably rig something up but I know I can pick this boat up so hmthose flip down wheels may be the ticket... I just hadn't seen versions that inexpensive before (that didn't bend). Anyhow, this is someone else's kayak thread so I'm drifting it way off topic, sorry OP.
No wisdom from me, but NutterBuster did a thorough article a year or 2 ago. Maybe you could find it and glean something from it.
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Mostly I just wanted him to understand that kayaking to a spot sounds like a good idea. It has a lot of pros. BUT there are definitely cons. You can get yourself beyond the point of no return if you don't think it all the way through. THP does it and so do the Seek One boys but from what I've seen it's either early season and or down south. They also look like little creeks or rivers that you can stand up in. One the big stuff THP are using a boat. You start talking about paddling a real river 10' deep w/ real current and cold November water then you are changing the game entirely. Then you add the fact that either his departure or return is probably going to be in the dark.. That's another level he may not be ready for. You have to be able to "read" the water ahead of you. You can't do it very effectively in the dark. Your essentially driving with out your headlights on. From what I've learned over the years is that it's not IF you're going in the water but WHEN. In the dark, in 40-50 degree cold water isn't a good time for that to happen. . Even if your using a boat Crap goes wrong. One little mis-judgement or mechanical problem can put you in a real jam. Ask me how I know! I have some real crazy stories. DIY Bowhunter has some good video's. They use boats to access remote public all the time. He seems like he can handle himself on the water. Anyway he made mistake. He lost his gun and camera and had to be rescued. One little slight mis-judgement put him in a big bind. He got lucky. He barely had cell service and was able to make a call. What if he couldn't call?
With that said, crossing rivers and streams I would do and have done in a canoe or yak. Only in certain situations though. I have a favorite fishing hole that would make a novice paddler crap their pants to get to.. I caught my biggest N. Pike there. ( 39") It's below a dam, some fast current and strewn w/ boulders. Class 2 rapids right downstream from the Hole. One screw up and your getting wet. In that situation I only use an upstream ferry. In fact that particular crossing is where I learned how to do it properly. I've done it in early Oct. but probably wouldn't in Nov.
Great minds think alike haha.
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My brother and I have a canoe and each have kayaks. With the kayaks we keep the paddles short, and usually only if both of us are going. If I'm alone I use the canoe. When we get a deer kayak hunting, one of us walks out and the deer rides in the empty yak. Or if we can't walk out from where we are, we both paddle back out and one of us takes both yaks back in to get the deer.
One creek we like to hunt has a healthy population of beavers. I have to keep reminding myself what's coming so I'm not too startled by the smack of a tail on the surface five yards away in the dark.
One creek we like to hunt has a healthy population of beavers. I have to keep reminding myself what's coming so I'm not too startled by the smack of a tail on the surface five yards away in the dark.
razorsharptokill
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Update: I had to drag my boat through the woods due to a motor problem. I caught one wheel on a large vine and ripped the bolts through the sheet metal. I recommend backing with aluminum plate if installing these wheels. Holes repaired and plate welded to the hull now. Just FYI
Were you running downhill with it?
razorsharptokill
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Ha! No. I was pulling it with my atv and didn't realize that it was snagged on that vine.