I also have a Pelican Predator and it's been a great boat. It's very stable and it would fit in the back of my small Nissan pickup. It can be launched by a single person but it is not easy. It's apiece of cake with two people. I found a jet ski trailer and converted it to tow the boat. It makes life more easier and I use it just as much as my large boat this time of year. I have a small outboard for it but I seldom use it. A trolling motor is all I need on most trips.

Reggie

I grew up fishing with a me-powered 14' jon boat. We rarely tried to stand in it because of the sensation of being on ice skates in doing so with risks of going overboard. The same instability is not comforting when getting in and out, whether from a dock or shoreline.

I have owned a Pelican 10' Raider powered by a 30# thrust Minn Kota for several years now. I purchased this rather than a jon boat after a buddy's strong endorsement for it over a jon boat. He was absolutely correct! For pond-hopping I prefer the Predator hands-down over a jon boat - primarily for how stable and safe it feels on the water.

I view the Pelican as a better and safer fishing platform vs. even a 12' jon boat. As stated previously, the only disadvantages seem to be weight and handling out of the water. Why not try to solve those by ingenuity? There are wheeled canoe portage devices available; why not make your own with wheels from Harbor Freight? For loading, would a simple plywood ramp help loading? ...or an ATV winch mounted at the front of the pickup bed? Just thinking out loud here on how to solve physical management of the boat out of the water.

These types have sides and might be manageable with an overhead boat loader:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marin...CFZOBaQodq0YAMg

Maybe a search for used dingys will turn something up. Classic shape can also be made of wood, aluminum, and there have even been nestling 2 piece designs in the past.

PC

Here's another site with compact and lightweight boats for ideas, but expensive when new:

http://www.nestawayboats.com

PC

I just purchased a Meyers Sportspal S-15, a fishing/hunting canoe.

It has a 38" wide beam, 44" altogether with its ethafoam sponsons (like a boat collar). It is 15'3", made of aircraft quality aluminum, weighs in at 67 lbs. so easy to top carry, no trailering, rated for 5 people, 705 lbs. capacity.

What I did was purchase a Minn Kota Traxis 55 lbs. thrust motor to push it around on relatively small lakes at least for this year. Next year, I will likely add a 2.5 HP outboard. It has a square end with a transom and is actually rated for up to 5HP . . . but canoes don't generally get much additional speed for the extra horses. Just a guess, and I'll have to try it out, that a 2.5 running at half throttle would likely get about 80% of top end speed.

General observations? It "feels" slightly heavier than I thought it would, looks somewhat wider than in some photos I had seen, very solidly built.

Two men I know of stand together and fish out of the S-14, a 17" shorter Sportspal, so less stable, and say they never have even been close to tipping over.

Anyway, it is a possible option for someone not wanting to trailer a boat though you could certainly do that, too.

I'll report back as I hit some lakes and give a review.

Brad

Would be interested in hearing your review of the Sportspal S-15. Congrats and hope that works great for you. I have thought about an aluminum square stern canoe because of the light weight compared to other options and would like to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks

Wade, will do.

I am in Fort Worth, too.

I am going to go get the registration done today at the local TPWD branch office, finish rigging up the canoe the way I want it, extend a top rack laterally a bit on my Xterra (the factory rack is too narrow) and buy straps to hold it in place

. . . then get it on the water.

I'll likely do that down at Wheeler Branch on Sunday. No boats zooming around, a trolling only lake, so I can experiment offshore a bit without traffic issues.

Brad

I have an 8ft. Bass raider and really like it. Take that advice about rough wake... that's with any small boat tho. Or learn to ride the wave. The best thing about this boat is it's quite. I usually leave a rod or two on the side with minnows floating on the side of the boat and usually get a couple gars or bass chasing the minnows lol. Two people and a dog will fit and go anywhere comfortably. I stand up when ever without a problem. If you think these will tip over try it in shallow water. Won't happen....

Another approach to having boat sides is to rig removable rails on an existing bass buster boat. Something like this product, but with stake pockets- so the rails can be removed for travel:

http://www.pondking.com/shop/pontoon-boats/pond-king-rebel-mini-pontoon-boat

The "ride on top" type would then be more secure. That would reduce the possibility that high sitting passengers might fall into water because of slip, trip, loss of balance issues, etc.

PC

I use one of these shown below. Fits in the back of my car. Basically unsinkable. I take it out regularly into Texoma in big waves and high winds That will sink jon boats.


I'm retired and fish several times a week. I can give you some valuable insight on these boats. I looked at everything before deciding on this one. All boats have good and bad features based on their design. You just have to decide if you can live with the bad parts. Also, none of these small boats will fish like a larger bass boat.

Promised update on the Meyers Sportspal S-15.

I took it out to Wheeler Branch the first time. Gosh, is that a pretty lake! I trolled around the lake when that northerner rolled in with wind speeds on the open water at around 35 mph. It happened so fast, it literally pinned me up near the dam in the rip rap but I got out of there and off the lake. To make matters worse, as I was heading back into the wind, I thought to check my battery power and it was running out. So, it pooped out and I was well beyond the island out there, got my paddle out and paddled with a super strong wind on my left shoulder. A large canoe is like a leaf on a lake . . . so I was paddling hard to make it without ending up back in the rip rap at the dam. I got off in good shape but a bit tattered. Bad planning on my part since I knew that weather pattern was going to hit and flip the wind around.

This past Tuesday, we knew it would be windy, but from the south, so a friend and I worked the lake downwind in a large counter-clockwise motion fishing all of the coves, finding some dead water where trees blocked the wind. The canoe is very stable, I stood about 75% of the time, and two men can paddle into a 20 mph wind and make decent progress once we turned the corner, so to speak, and had it in our faces as we turned into the south wind. I was saving the trolling motor for "get home power" but used it to cross open water toward the dam. We float fished the dam with the wind whistling overhead then let it carry us back to the ramp.

The whole trip was just under 3 miles and we were in the canoe from 7:45 AM to just after 7 PM. We were having so much fun, I thought we were leaving early that maybe it was 4 PM or so.

Here is what I'd say: If you are going to fish from a canoe, say you want to stand a lot of the time or carry along a passenger, the Meyers Sportspal is the way to go. I have the S-15 15'3" square back (and a S-16 wouldn't have fit in my garage) but if I were recommending one, I'd go with the double ended S-16 canoe with a side mount for the trolling motor and/or small outboard. Otherwise, the transom is only 13" wide and the trolling motor throttle stick is stuck right in your back. I have ordered a side mount for mine and I'll likely get an extension so I can sit more mid-canoe.

Now, a deep cycle battery and a 55 lbs. thrust trolling motor are pretty heavy together, 55 or so pounds for the battery and I'd guess 20 for the trolling motor, and I might, if I were to do it again, just go with a 2.3 HP Honda air cooled outboard. It weighs about 29 lbs. and one could carry a jerry can with a couple of gallons of gas and have plenty of "get around/get home" power. Paddle power works great for moving a bit, then dropping anchor and fishing, and paddles work really well with wind to your back, so planning is important in a canoe.

I want to add a swivel seat with a back to it. A long day in a canoe can wear the back out a bit. And, I need to devise an anchor trolley to more easily manage anchoring.

Lots of odds and ends to attend to. I ended up buying a Harbor Freight boat trailer for 318 bucks with a discount, plus taxes, then modified it by adding longer bunks. It works well but I'll upgrade to 12" wheels soon.

Hmm? A jon boat would be much cheaper. There is always a nice supply of them for sale. I'd think that would be the best way to go from an expense point of view.

I should mention that I had been bank fishing all winter long. When a fish grabs your worm I guess he tends to move to deeper water or farther off shore. I feel them so easily most of the time from the bank. I RARELY felt the fish out in the canoe. My largest fish was at the end of the dam. I threw out my worm, said ... dang it, I'm hung up on the rip rap. There was no wiggle at all. Then, I looked up and the line was moving right to left and I knew I had a fish.

I think one gets 2 to 3 times as many bites from a boat. Wheeler Branch has thick vegetation in many spots and a bank fisherman has to sort of cast over it and work the edge that way, else drag in a large salad plate each cast. But, in a boat or canoe, you can cant parallel to the cover and twitch it back to the boat and find more fish. They bit steadily all day.

Kayaks are great for soloing, canoes better for standing, bringing along a grandkid or a friend, much lighter generally speaking to top carry or carry to the water if necessary.

Just a guess that a jon boat would be the cheapest way to get going, likely buying one cheap means you won't see much depreciation if you decide to scale up later on. For some reason, I seem to think my canoe would be easier to stand in than a short jon boat but I haven't been in one in awhile to know for sure.

Brad

Thanks Brad for the review. Glad you made back in ok with all that wind the first time out. Sounds like you really enjoyed the canoe and had a good time the second time out and it's plenty stable if you're able to stand in it and it was able to handle that wind. It'll be a learning experience but seems you're getting things figured out.

You might check on extension handles that have some kind of u-joint in them so they bend off to side and not be a straight line from the motor handle to your back. That would maybe make it more comfortable to operate I would think.

Wade, thanks! I have seen the Minn Kota throttle extenders up to 40" and I think I'll take a look around and see if I can find one with a bend in it as you suggest.

I saw one video of a man who had rigged a steering device with rope. It was cool and he did a great job with the "mechanics" of a rope and pulley system but too much clutter for my tastes.

In all cases with any of these small vessels one might purchase, thinking out your various riggings and lay-outs is critical; that, and really sitting down and becoming very deliberate about what you need on the vessels, the less the better.

I had 4 plastic boxes with lures and worms, not that I could have reached them all even I had wanted to. Next outing? I'll carry one rod and reel (until I rig up a rod holder of some sort), 10 or so plastics, some hooks and sinkers, maybe 3 or so lures, clippers/knife/pliers, food and water, life jackets, and go have fun.

On the stability thing, I am 6'3" and 250 and age ... almost 63, so I would suppose someone smaller and younger would be much more stable. My friend in the front of the boat stood some, too, though not at the same time, and he is the same height and 220 lbs. So, the canoe was carrying 470 lbs. of "meat" and I'd say another 100 lbs. of miscellaneous items (motor, battery, food/water/anchor. So, we had a load of approximately 570 lbs. The water level never reached the ethafoam sponsons (boat collar) and I think we were drafting about 5" of water.

Canoes are so much fun. I'd give them extra "decision" buying points, that is rate them up, if you want to fish rivers in addition to lakes.

Brad

Small, moveable by one person
sides
stable
carry that much weight...

What your looking for is a lawn chair on the bank.

The Sea Eagle Foldcat is what you need.


It fits in the back of my subaru outback with all my fishing gear. Virtually unsinkable. I fish Texoma in this thing all the time. I was out last week in high waves that I would not try in my Tracker 175. Easy to handle and setup. I do it by myself all the time.

All boats have good and bad points. One thing I would not do is buy one without trying it out first.

Want more info send me a PM. I'm retired and fish all the time. Be glad to meet you on my way to Texoma and let you see for yourself. I will likely go this Friday or Saturday.