JEM Watercraft

I've been wanting to do this for a few years now, and I have been putting it off with all kinds of excuses, but after paddling with TX River Rat (Im a Brazos River paddler also!), I've really got the itch to build my own boat. I built my sawhorses last night (yes I dont even own sawhorses, thats where Im starting, totally inexperiences at anything woodworking.) and I told my 5 year old son we are going to build a boat, which means there is no turning back now! He asks every day, "when are we going to build it, when are we going to build it!".

So Im trying to decide which boat to start with. My plans are to build two boats for 2 different sets of circumstances.
First boat: smaller wind protected rivers and creeks. Mostly daytrips, ~5 miles at a time. Lots of fishing, taking the kids, and maybe the dog. Definitely need open design, good primary stability, and since these rivers are very shallow, little draft, and the ability to stand in to pole thru the shallows is a must for me. ( I have a 16 ft mohawk canoe that is very stable and I stand more than I sit in it and love it). I am leaning towards the touring pirogue or the pirogue 14-29.
These boats are some of the easier designs to build I think, good for a beginner like me. I do plan on using cheaper matierals for this boat, luan plywood and the polyester fiberglass resin. ( I am a grad student with a wife and 3 kids, so I have to be cheap. When I get a real job in a year or so, I can afford then to upgrade my fleet, but I can build some skills now!)

After that I would like to build more of a tripper type of boat, for bigger rivers (better paddling effeciency, lower wind resistance) and with plenty of dry storage (decked boat with hatches). Im willing to trade the ability to stand in the boat for ease of paddling. (Ive been fighting these central texas winds in a canoe for 2.5 years now, and Im sick and tired of it!) Im thinking laker 15, or the pirogue TV decked like TRR, but this is in the future, so no hurry here.

So are there any other boats I should consider for my first build with th characteristics Im looking for? what do you think about the touring pirogue or 14/29 as a beginner boat?

sorry for the long post, but I appreciate any and all suggestions and comments, and look forward to posting some pics of my finished boat here soon!

Jason

Any of the he pirogues would be a good choice.

Iroquois would work nicely as well. http://jemwatercraft.com/proddetail.php?prod=Iroquois

Folks this is a truly nice gentleman and don't hold it against him for paddling with me
Ron

beljason,
I picked the 14-29 for my first build. It was truly an easy build that I am perfectly happy with. I am sure there are more efficient boats out there but it does what I have wanted so far. I am about to start a Freedom 15 for my second boat, it is an addicting hobby. I live in Lorena and anytime you want to look at it Pm me and I'll give you my address. As far as Ron , we're gonna go for a paddle together sometime also, so like you I will also be blacklisted.

Just picking at you Ron please remove your hands from Mr.Colt and Mr.Bowie.

If you want a boat that you can stand in, the larger Iroquois with its wider beam would probably be a better choice than either of the pirogues that you mentioned. I have stood in my Touring Pirogue-T, but I don't think that you will be very comfortable doing that. The Touring Pirogues are very nice boats, but not to stand in. For standing and carrying kids and maybe a dog and ease of build for a beginner, the pirogue 500 might be a better choice.
Jimmy

Old Sparkinator talked me into a Freedom with his review. It combines the low wind signature, shallow draft, and is more stable than any canoe I've ever paddled.
It's a "single" boat, and I don't think I'd ever stand in it, but it's pretty doggone comfortable to paddle.
It was my first "full-sized" build. I found free plans for a pirogue on line and reduced its measurements and built a 1/4 scale boat to learn some of the techniques on the cheap.
Take your time. It took me 3 years from starting to think about building to the completion of the Freedom. I didn't know about Matt's website until two years into the process, so you have a leg up on me.
Matt's plans are absolutely solid and the guys here will help you every step of the way.
Godspeed to you and your son on this project.

Lee

Jason,

I'm still gathering materials for my first build so my opinions may be way off line but......

Just to throw in a bit more confusion ( ) for the first boat you might want to have a look at Olsnappa's Cape Fear build in the builder's log forum. In the last page or two he gives a performance report and you can see pics of how he has a passenger seat at the front. He also comments that the tolerances are generous by which I think he means it's difficult to mess up so could be a reasonable choice for a first build.

The bottom is a shallow V so it may not be as good as a pirogue in terms of primary stability and draft but I bet it will still be very good. (Already thinking about this for my No 2!)

I, too, am wary of paying more than necessary for materials so have been researching cheap epoxies. Having bought a trial quantity of one that looked good on paper and made some test pieces (joints and panels) I am going to use it instead of the expensive name brands. It is strong, wets out the glass well and does not blush. You might want to consider this option too instead of polyester which I understand is not 100% waterproof. Do make an informed decision though - I would not have tried this on spec alone, it is my own test results that justified the decision.

Whatever you choose, hope it goes well.

OnkaBob wrote:Jason,
Just to throw in a bit more confusion ( ) for the first boat you might want to have a look at Olsnappa's Cape Fear build in the builder's log forum. In the last page or two he gives a performance report and you can see pics of how he has a passenger seat at the front. He also comments that the tolerances are generous by which I think he means it's difficult to mess up so could be a reasonable choice for a first build..

To clarify what I meant by "tolerances" in that context.
When deciding on which boat to build, I'd been mindful of needing something with a fairly large on board capacity. Being a large bloke and wanting to be able to have a passenger on board and/or a bit of camping gear I was attracted to the 16ft CF's "estimated displacement weight of 172kg minus hull weight".
I figured that with my (approx') 115kg weight, it gave me the desired capacity with just enough for the occasional extra load on board as well.
Having paddled her with a 60kg passenger and been so impressed by how well she sat in the water and her responsiveness when paddling, I believe I could have probably got away with the 14 ft Cape Fear.... And certainly for a lighter weight paddler, the 14ft or the 12ft version would make a remarkably versatile craft with the advantage of easier car topping etc.
As far as ease of build, I can't really compare her to others as I've only built the one at this stage. However, as a novice, I found her fairly easy to build, with no particularly tricky aspects......only my own occasional brain fade.
The CF's stability is good although I haven't attempted to stand up in her.....and I'm not sure I would. But that may say more about my own nimbleness than her stability.