Old goat in a tin boat...

[beartrap]

Day 18 pics

Jim points-I steer(and kept throttle wide open)

time to put boat back on trailer-2107 miles later....

little inspiration from Mark Twain.........

 

[beartrap]

Day 19....if I had to do it all over again....

deleted

 

[njtacoma]

Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing this epic adventure.

It has been a joy to read and share in your adventure. I would love to make a similar trip in a slightly larger boat, but I am a few (quite a few) years from puling it off.

 

[DGarman]

Thanks Beartrap!

Excellent trip report. Even though I'm not a boat guy, I really enjoyed reading it.

Can't wait for your next adventure!

 

[Haggis]

Thank you for sharing your excellent tale with us. Your trip report was not only entertaining but chucked full of really good info. And from one duck hunter to another I salute you! :elkgrin:

 

[m(a)ce]

Thank you! What an adventure. I'm looking forward to your next! :]

 

[beartrap]

next on list is Missouri river

this is 2012 project and will probably travel from Yankton,S.D. to St. Louis about a 1000 miles.....would like to start as far west near the source as i could but the big reservoirs in S.D. and Montana are too big and wind swept for a flat bottom boat....

 

[tzorunner]

Great report. I loved the details and felt like I was there. And from one fellow boater to another, congratulations on your journey. I can only hope that one day I can pull off an adventure by boat like you did. And judging from the picture of the Paris Landing bridge on Kentucky Lake, you passed right by my families secret camping spot on the west side of the Land Between Lakes State Park. Small world.

 

[prestidigitizer]

Thank you! That was a most interesting, informative and inspiring account.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Pretty. Damn. Cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Aubrey]

Thank you for posting this and best of luck for the 2012 adventure

 

[fisher205]

Beartrap,
What a great trip. Nice change from our usual trips. It's ironic that I just finished reading River Horse by William Least Heat-Moon. I think you would enjoy it, especially if you are going to do the Missouri. Thanks again for an enjoyable trip.

Brad

 

[grahamfitter]

Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed your tale!

I kayak but know little about powerboats and I'm trying to get my head around 10 MPG which doesn't sound like a lot for a small boat going downstream in a fairly swift current. Obviously hull design plays a big part here; a short whitewater kayak with a planing hull is much harder to paddle across a lake than a long narrow sea kayak with a displacement hull. Where does a duck boat rank in the easy-hard to propel spectrum?

 

[spd2918]

Thank you Beartrap! I grew up near Coon Rapids MN and used to fish off the Coon Rapids Dam. It is the first dam (when traveling upriver) without a lock. I have had this trip on my bucket list for three or four years.

Do you think a 24 foot pontoon would work well for the Mighty Miss? I was thinking of hard siding it like a camper trailer.

 

[beartrap]

I suppose my duck boat would fall into the hard to propel category for a 16 ft aluminum boat...it has a 6 ft. beam.higher than normal sides.a bimini top,two metal lockers,two series 24 batteries plus a 24 volt trolling moter...this plus a cooler and all the small stuff you have to carry for a long trip probably added 300-400 lbs weight over the normal weight of a 16 ft aluminum boat....we had less weight on board for this years trip(see last 419 miles) and our gas mileage coming downstream was over 12 mpg...

regarding using a pontoon boat-I think it would be excellent choice...the only risk would be towboats if you are not an experienced Miss. river traveler.......see my "last 419 miles" thread for comments about dealing with towboat traffic...
thanks for the comments...