Adventure Series: The Big Canoe Experiment ... the boat outfitting "Ka Ching Boogie" fall 2010

A fellow once said something to the effect, "the longest journey begins with but a single step". I don't know who it was but I can tell him when it comes to water travel and boats he's wrong. The water journey begins with many trips to the check book and somehow never quite stops.

Ole Blue Nose  18 ft Albany Scott Freighter sitting on the Buffalo National River  2008

Originally, I decided to buy the bigger boat because our youngest, Chris Carnal, agreed to join me on the last leg of the White River run.

Boykin and Ole Blue Nose

 I knew my 18 foot Albany wouldn't hold all the gear and gas we would need. I was also a little concerned we might hit "bigger" water and need a little more width and mass to handle the large waves. 

Scott Canoe's Albany, 18 foot, layered fiberglas, Canadian Freighter Canoe

When I researched the small towns  along the river I soon found there would be no place to buy gasoline. 

The Albany with two men ran 10 mph with 6 hp two men no gear.

That fact would require me to carry enough gasoline to make three hundred miles without refueling.


In talking to the manufacturer's sale rep, I learned the larger canoe, the Hudson Bay was twenty one feet long and four and a half feet wide. It was not tippy or rocky like the Albany and didn't weigh but two hundred and fifty pounds. The advice and assumption was the twenty horse rated boat would scoot along and provide the gasoline efficiency this trip required.

The Scott 21 ft Hudson Bay Freighter Canoe with console, new at the factory

The new Hudson Bay at New Liskeard, Ontario plant.

Our guesstimates were in the neighborhood of fifteen miles per gallon and twenty miles per hour. That was with the larger canoe loaded with two men, camping gear, food and gasoline. That was a twenty horse motor. It was suggested we could just keep the fifteen presently on the Albany and use it. The premise was the boat was so light and nimble that it really didn't require a lot of power to make it scoot across the water.


Therein lay our basic misconception. It was true when unloaded it was light and nimble. 

Rear view of new 21 foot Hudson Bay Freighter Canoe with center console

But load a displacement hull anything and the physics change everything about it's performance. Period. We would not find our flawed judgement until actual long haul trip conditions were met. I think everyone can figure the consequences of those actions.


With these innocent assumptions in mind, I made the decision to buy the larger canoe. 

Poor shot of center console and center seat Hudson Bay

I thought a fall trip to northern Ontario would be fun. The manufacturer gave me assurances he would "take care of me" on the pricing so I was off and running. Credit Card Ka Ching #1 !.


One of my favorite clients lined up some great job stories so I began the "perfect trip". I picked up the boat, did the photography jobs and came home a happy camper. The trip was Credit Card Ka Ching #2 !!.


On the way home I called my San Antonio West Marine store and ordered a twenty horse Mercury with an electric start.  Credit Card Ka Ching # 3 !!!. 

Hudson Bay with the recessed transom for short shaft motors.

My local store does not stock motors so each one has to be ordered from their warehouse. I knew it would take a few days but I wanted to get it on hand for installation. 

Short shaft motor on amended long shaft transom, Hudson Bay Freighter

I had located, through the folks at West Marine, a small company who specialized in on site boat work. The guys with Aaron's Marine would come to my storage lot and outfit the boat. But first I would need to acquire all the necessary equipment.


I met the two man crew upon return. They looked it over, oohed and awwed, and began a list of what we would need. The boat was the very first Scott Hudson Bay to have a stand up center console for the driver. 

Center  steering console Scott's Hudson Bay freighter canoe

I wanted to stand because of the experience I had with the coastal and flats fishing boats of Southwest Florida. 

"Gator" adding the electrical panel.

The fellows Eron and "Gator" began their required equipment list. We would need a steering system, an electrical system, a fuel system, a bilge pump as well as a depth finder and gps set up. I knew any long trip would require a "captain's" chair, a windshield for the console and a bimini top to keep rain and sun off. 

Team Aaron adding gps set up.

I had the boat envisioned but I had not dreamed of the final bill. It wouldn't take long. The guys and I went to West Marine and began shopping in earnest. 




The motor would come in any day and there was a lot of work to do before it arrived. We bought several hundred dollars worth of equipment and ordered quite a bit more. Credit Card Ka Ching, # 4 !!!!


Finally a week or so later, the motor arrived. The guys had done a good deal of prep work and were looking forward to installing the motor and all it's related systems. When we put the twenty on the boat we found the transom was recessed for short shaft motors and created a circumstance that would not allow the motor steering arm to move freely from side to side. In other words I wouldn't be able to turn the boat. 

Finished customized transom via jake plate Hudson Bay freighter Canoe

Oops, we would need to raise the transom to free up the swing arm on the motor. Having done this before with the River Hawk I knew what was required. I needed an aluminum jake plate welded to fit the boat. The plate would raise the transom even with the gunnels.

Welder working on jake plate

I searched the immediate industrial area around the storage lot and found a welding shop. The man came with me to the boat to see what I needed. Then we went back to his shop. 

Re enforced interior of new jake plate

He estimated his job would cost between two and three hundred dollars. The man's shop was empty and he was paying bills when I walked in. I knew I was a bull's eye from that point on. I had the same job done in Garland a year before and it cost a total of $75 bucks. 

View of new transom from inside the boat.

I knew the guy was ripping me off but there were no other welders in our part of town. I told him it was too high but he just shrugged. I left ticked off but resigned the gringo was going to get taken.


The next morning, I brought him the boat and stayed with it all day, I ended up paying the guy $350. Then it was close to quitting time and he wanted me to finish the job myself. I made him finish and he charged me extra. I am not giving his name because I really, really dislike the guy. Ka Ching #5 !!!!!. But this one felt really bad.

The team at work

The next day the boat was back at the "yard" and waiting on the "boys". When they showed up they added the motor to the new high dollar transom. They measured for electrical and steering cables. The cables were ordered from West Marine. This would take a few days so it was hurry up and wait again. 

Simple cleats became vital once trekking the inter coastal.

In the meantime, the guys added some of the other items such as the GPS, the bilge pump, the battery case, cleats and the electrical panel. Along with the ladies at West Marine, they turned out to be the only good guys involved in the whole deal. 


Somewhere along this time line I became aware of Bill Shaw. The Halifax, Nova Scotia fellow who was traveling in a very similar boat. Although his Canadian freighter was a foot longer and a foot and a half wider it was shaped very similar to mine.  His blog showed one picture of the boat. I studied that picture. What had he done to prepare for his epic journey? The guy was going from Halifax to the Amazon river in South America. His adventure made my three hundred miler look like nothing. I could learn from his preparations.


http://blog.billshaw.org/      ( this is a wonderful adventure blog by a fellow "boomer" and a good friend) Read it if you have a chance. He's good.

Bill Shaw's big Nor-West Canadian Freighter Canoe

He had taken my bimini protection several steps further. His boat had a canvas and clear plastic "cabin" built around the mid section to stern. He had the nose covered in what he called a canvas dodger. It made sense when you thought of the weather in Nova Scotia and the protection sailors would require in those latitudes. Great idea for camping. 


He could sleep and as well as cook on the boat. I had planned on sand bar camping in tents. Now I saw the advantage of protection for my passenger as well as doubling for a camper area. Maybe it would do for one person and a cot or I could add a raised floor for a sleeping bag.


While at McGee's I had seen what he used to cover his boat. West Marine had the same cover ribs and my bimini maker could create the "cover wagon" front end for me. I would have a camper after all.


Next::::: The boat and a new adventure come together.


Thanks for dropping in. 


John Boykin      The Hard Hat Photographer (now doing video)


http://www.commimage.com     photography web site




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