Question regarding canoe stabilizers?

[nighthawk]

I am thinking about building my own stabilizers. My canoe is plenty stable while paddling but has less than ideal initial stability. Modified v hulls are designed that way to make them harder to capsize especially in motion or moving water like rapids. Not normally a problem on the still waters where I keep the canoe but Amy has recently purchased her license and will now be in the canoe with me from time to time. In addition to her inexperience I am suffering from some vertigo due to an inner ear problem. I could never pass a flight physical now. Even driving in the fog is tougher than it used to be.

Well I had been considering doing this to to canoe so I can use it for duck hunting and now these things are going on. I do not really want to spend a couple of hundred dollars on the retail models when I think I can easily build my own.

I figured on using crab/lobster pot floats, 6" diameter, 11" long attached to 1" diameter PVC pipe sealed for additional buoyancy, 1" adjustable PVC drop tube attached to a 2" PVC cross member. There would be a drop tube and float set on both sides of the canoe. I think the biggest problem I will have is figuring out how to make the connection between the cross tube and drop tubes adjustable for ride height.

I could use some help and ideas. Perhaps some of you have found a good way to do this or just have an idea how to do it. Please feel free to post. Being a former aircraft mechanic, specifically helicopters, taught me to always listen to and consider all ideas. Thanks folks. Any help greatly appreciated.

[Thwack]

One of the kayak fishing sites had a setup like the one you're describing. I think they used the ram-ball connectors for "hinges" on the outriggers. The ram-balls are designed for mounting things like a GPS or a fish-finder but seemed to work well for the outrigger setup.

I looked but couldn't quickly find the article. It's probably been linked to around here before but I don't have it handy. If I find it, I'll let you know.

In the mean time, if nobody else has something, a Google search might turn something up....it's a very do-able solution especially for somebody with your skils.

Or, you could cheat and buy a pre-made set like Hobie offers (nowhere near as much fun as rigging your own I suspect).

[jsmartt]

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=31
Look under the heading "articles" then look for the one on outriggers. I made a set similar to the ones in the article and they work great
. I can stand and cast with no fear of tipping.

[teasels]

there are some ready made outriggers at www.canoegear.com go to there online catalog and scroll down.They have them for canoes and for kayaks. They work well on my canoe and trust me when I say a 7yo boy can get you wet real fast but these allow me to stand and cast easily and stable jmho Dennis

[bonefishwhisperer]

I was all hot to trot over them myself and was just waiting to get them..glad I waited a bit...seen some in use...not for me...very noisy and not efficent for quick turning...they were not for me as I can balance standing in 3ft swells but for my customers so they also could stand and cast but the lack of manueverability is too steep for me...I did see a guy I know with the same ones on his kayak and he simply loves them and I do see him standing and casting now anytime he wants...I have watched the video from the company and they seem to work very well for sailing in a canoe...with all the wind around here that might be an option

[nighthawk]

I appreciate the replies. I was checking out PVC at Lowe's tonight and I do not think I want to go that route. Just too flimsy for my liking. The more I keep kicking around how I wan to build this thing the more expensive it gets.

Mounting the ram ball, also called gimbals, on my canoe is out of the question as the gunwales are only about 2 inches wide. To do so would require the fabrication of an aluminum mount. In addition anything I put on the canoe has to be removable as I do not want to leave it at the mooring slip. There is no way to secure it there. I feel kind of stupid for failing to mention that at the beginning. Maneuverability is not an issue on the small still waters that I fish. Stability is given my worsening battle with inner ear/balance/vertigo and having people in the canoe that have little or no canoeing experience.

Teasels put my mind at ease about the quality of the manufactured ones. Do you have the Ethafoam or the HD ones? If I build these things the way I build stuff then I will be over the $100 dollar mark and that is just for the materials. So I am now leaning towards buying the set in the canoegear link.

One thing this does is add to the resale value of my canoe. So, when I am ready to buy a new boat in a year or two, I should get some returns there. Of course, knowing old soft hearted me, I will make someone a sweetheart of a deal on it.