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I'm in my initial planning stages for a spring bear hunt where I need a method of travel in protected bays like you would find in SE Alaska. A skiff would be great, but it won't be practical.
Kayaks, I've yet to be in one that I didn't get wet. Do they make one? It seems while paddling you get wet. Where I'm going, I want to avoid this as the potential of being wet most of the time is a reality.
Rafts, like Alpacas, how do they track? Would you want to paddle one a mile and back?
In theory, I'd like to have something that I have to air up, portable, and allow me to get it in the water where there are no launches, or even put it on a pack frame and haul it down. It will be in salt water, tidal, so I'm not looking for a cheap option, and multi use may be better. I was thinking a small motor would be great, but I think that won't be needed if the system tracks well.
Two people, so I'm looking at one that will seat two, or two smaller units. A smaller canoe may even work, but something a bit more stable would be preferred. Either way, each person would have a bow, pack, dry bag, and would need room to pull meat and hide out per bear killed. (1 per trip)
I have an Alpaka Forager and I love it. I've done several float trips in it. I've paddled it miles across a lake. There's no keel, so keeping it straight takes practice. You have to use a kayak-style paddle (use the length they recommend) and learn how to properly use it. Once you do, you can haul ass and keep reasonably straight.
A forager was designed to carry a man, his gear, and a moose. It also will work for a non-hunting trip with two people and a week's worth of stuff. Folds up into the size of something you can get in a size 4500 backpack. Bomb proof as well. I've dragged it forever and slammed sideways into a splintered log at jogging speed in a river and it didn't pop.
I've taken it over multiple class III rapids and never ended up in the drink, although I still use a dry suit on glacier-fed water.
If you want to stay dry in a kayak, you need a deck, a good skirt, and a bomb-proof roll…. but you’re not gonna fit anything into a decked kayak that you can’t fit into a backpack. And if you’re going to mess with a double kayak, you’re better off with a canoe… which is basically what an inflatable kayak is anyway…. Just a really CRAPPY canoe….
So as a guy who has done a fair amount of sea kayaking… sign me up for a raft with oars and enough of a frame for the oarlocks that I can generate a little power.
A Klepper would also work for you, but that’s a serious Boat.
Staying dry is in your paddle and technique. My first couple times out I was soaking wet. I bought a better paddle and learned how to use it a little better now I have to fall out of it to get wet
LOL — cross-posted with Ike.
The boat he described sounds about Ideal; just teach yourself how to apply paddle power ONLY through the portion of the stroke which pushes the boat straight ahead instead of side-to-side; sometimes what seems like it should be slow is MUCH faster, and paddling is one of them. I would still prefer a good set of oars, but the weight and logistics probably make Ike’s recommendation a lot easier to work with…,
One concern with inflatables is the rock/barnacles. Not sure about longevity as it pertains to that.
I've never done it, but I'd think the "the two-person, bear meat" requirement is going to put you in the canoe category. Plus, on relatively flat water, I'd much rather paddle a sleek canoe than the white-water rafts I've been in (Gauley days). They were way bigger than you need, but the whole point was to keep them straight on the correct heading and let the river do the work. Coleman (and others) may still make the "Scanoe", but I think it's going to be small for two plus a bear. i have a Wenonah Aurora that would fit the bill nicely, but it's not a 1-person portage either!
Not the most packable, not the cheapest, not the lightest (65lbs)… but pretty amazingly stable. I haven’t paddled one , but I paddle with some pretty serious River rats. I don’t think I’d be looking to shoot any classIV like they claim, but third handed information says that it paddles far better than anticipated.
Maybe check one out. Sea Eagle TC-16
www.flycraftusa.com
These are in a different league, but incredible if you're into small lake/river fishing. Definitely not packable on foot more than a couple hundred yards or so. I can put my stealth 2.0 upon my bedrack by myself pretty easily fully set up.
I've added a few pics just in case it might be something you can get up there to hunt out of.
Cheers, Pete
Why not buy a small used Zodiac and a lightweight four horse? Remember you need a couple hundred feet of light rope for tidal flats if you beach at low tide, and you have to be able to carry it back to the water when the tide goes out. You can't always make it back to the boat on the tide's schedule and it doesn't care if you're stranded.
@ Ambush, that isn't out of the question and was my original plan. Heck, a 14-16 foot skiff would be the way to go, but trailers over long gravel roads just sounds like some extra fun I don't want to deal with but it would give us way more options to fish, crab, etc.
I'm well aware of the tides after hunting SE AK over the years. That would be one positive with light weight systems. Incoming high, carry it to the trees. Outgoing low, as light as they are you can carry them back out vs. a skiff when you're stuck.
If you are taking a pickup you can build a rack similar to the type used to haul lumber. You can easily carry a 14' Jon boat on it We had one that we modified to have a roller on the back of the rack. Turn the boat upside down, pick up the front end and lay it on the roller, go to the back of the boat and pick it up and push it up on the rack. 2 ratchet straps and you are ready to go. You aren't going to carry it much but you will have plenty of room.
We hauled a boat all over the country like that.
My 7.5' Zodiac weighs 65 lbs. and an old Johnson 4hp weighs 28 lbs. The problem with inflatables is the lack of floorspace for the footprint. That and they seem get leaks for no good reason.
Sounds like you plan to Drive to SE AK and put in off a road/ferry system?
With the huge swing in tides you also have to be careful getting caught in constricted passages. Some of those will run a pretty fast current impossible to paddle against and need to watch out getting flipped or sucked down if in a small craft.
Definitely get yourself some kind of Tides app to stay out of harm’s way….. I have one with Solunar tables baked in, so that never hurts.
If you can drive to the water, I’m back to thinking Canoe — the Tides app will help keep you out of trouble with surf & currents, and a good canoe is just hard to beat if you know how to stay out of trouble with it….
I have been in the tides, and know them well and respect them, but they are not even in the picture for this use case.
The more I have been researching I’ll either go with an inflatable with 5-10 HP or a skiff with a 25. Leaning towards long term, I.e skiff .
Sounds like you’ve come a long way in your thinking from the OP!
My guess is a 16' skiff with a 20" transom and a 25 is a MUCH better choice for hauling weight and bulk in the southeastern AK coastal marine environment.
