I am an avid ammateur canoe and kayak builder (S&G) and looking for something a little more challenging for my next project. possibly a rowing skiff of some sort, around 14 - 17 foot long'

I am downunder, - Hervey Bay in Queensland. There is a re-surgence of interest in wooden boats here at the moment, in particular, those with classic lines.

The swampgirl is the most stable boat I have ever paddled. My kids, grand kids, nephies, nieces love it too.

The beauty of building your own boat is doing it your way. if you want to change something - so what. - good on you. The purists and class measuring officials might disagree but at the end of the day, it is your boat. you will be the one using it. If you couldn't do it your way, you might as well go to a store somewhere any buy one of those horrible plastic things that pupport to be boats.

I love the double ended boats. The swampgirl is the most stable boat I have ever paddled. My kids, grand kids, nephies, nieces love it too. I have had several very good offers to buy her from others who have seen it but that would break the families heart. (and mine)

I like the sides low to reduce wind signature because I fish from my boats and often need to paddle into strong headwinds.I believe high sides on a canoe can lead a paddler into a false sense of security and encourage them to venture into waters not suited to what is a skinny water boat.

The Pirogue is indeed a superb paddlingcraft with the reduced rocker and narrow beam.

The pirogue is only a prototype at the moment, also designed by Matt of Jemwatercraft. With the interest she has generated, I am confident she will soon be added to Matts stable of fine boats. She is indeed a superb paddlingcraft with the reduced rocker and narrow beam. Which is the better "all round" boat? That is a very big call. I think the answer would have to be Swampgirl, simply because of its superior stability and the fact that I am more confident turning my little tribe loose in her. As their paddle skills improve however, I would also be confident in the pirogue.

The plans are a result of the genius of Matt. They are not my creation. I only threw the sticks together. Send Matt a email, or better still log on to his forum and say G'day. You will be very welcome.

The reverse curves are very easy to mark out and cut. and the boat just sort of falls together after that. Matt's plans and build instructions are clear and concise and easy to follow. The build methodology is a little different to a U.J. pirogue however (but just as easy).

The Swampgirl is also more difficult in that there are 6 panels in all to fillet and fibreglass as opposed to 3 in the pirogue.

Build comparison :-

My Swampgirl was my first S&G build so she was a huge learning curve for me. I made many mistakes and spent a lot of time fixing them. My pirogue was my third build so my skills and knowledge had improved significantly and that made the whole process a lot easier.

The Swampgirl is also more difficult in that there are 6 panels in all to fillet and fibreglass as opposed to 3 in the pirogue. Also, swampgirl has a tortured ply bow and stern as opposed to simply bending the stems in on the pirogue.

Hull performance :-

Both boats have a flat bottom with the swampgirl being a little longer and wider than the pirogue. Speed is similar with the pirogue a little faster and easier to paddle into a headwind.

Manouverability :-

Swampgirl is superior., but the pirogue is also very good.

Stability :-

Swampgirl is far more stable than the pirogue but I like my boats to be a little 'spirited" :)

For chasing large fish using heavier gear, the swampgirl is superior simply because of its better stability and manouverability.

I built both of these boats to fish from. For chasing large fish using heavier gear, the swampgirl is superior simply because of its better stability and manouverability. most of my skinny water fishing however is done using ultralight gear (1 to 2 KG) and chasing reasonably smallish fish (up to around 4 or 5 kgs in weight. To do this, I need to cover a lot of miles in a day as easily as I can so I will prefer the pirogue for this. Both are superb boats for my purposes and i now can't imagine my boat shed without them in it.

Matt is a good bloke, a straight shooter and a gentleman to do business with. He wont steer you wrong mate.

My build adventures and mis-adventures with the swampgirl build can be viewed here.

A summary of my build with my pirogue can be viewed here.

If you haven't guessed by now, I am obsessed with wood boat building and it is great to find some places full of like minded souls. Many of the US designs are unheard of out here even though we have year round paddling and a booming paddlesport industry.

Some of the designs I have found on Duckworks really suit our (my) needs and I hope to get started on one of them fairly soon. At the moment though, Matt is keeping me pretty busy. LOL

regards,

Mick