Advice on new river hawk

[seth knight]

Guys,

I think that I have finally scraped together the cash for a river hawk. I have never been in one of these personally but I have long wanted a replacement for my 14′ canoe that is too cumbersome to paddle back upriver by myself and can’t safely be fitted with a motor. This is a problem because the put-ins/take-outs I have access to on my home river are many hours apart. I need something I can either drift down and motor back up or vice-versa.

I intend to use the new boat as a car-topper (no room to park a trailer) which will be fitted with a small electric trolling motor for fishing smaller tailwaters when they are not generating. I am trying to decide between the 15′ and 13′ models.

Are these boats too big to cartop myself? The website lists them at 100 lbm for the 13′ and 120 for the 15′. Neither shows a carrying yoke on the website. Am I going to break my back trying to load the 15′ on the top of my small SUV?

Is there a significant advantage in stability of the 15′ over the 13′?

Does the 15′ have too much drag to be pushed in moderate current by a small electric tiller?

In future years if I can afford to get a gasoline motor to put on the back of either model do they have enough power/stability to motor upstream during moderate generation? (mind you, I’m no idiot. I have a healthy fear of dams under generation) the 13′ is rated for a 5 hp motor and the 15′ is rated for 20hp.

Thanks for the advice.

[brian dunigan]

The Riverhawk is made of fiberglass, and it’s going to be significantly heavier than a comparable-sized traditional canoe.

[Zach Matthews]

Guys,
Are these boats too big to cartop myself?

Honestly, yes they are, and moreover you run the risk of doing damage to the hull by flexing it or having it slide off the roof.

[Gary Sundin]

Car-topping a 120lb boat alone on an SUV will feel like hell.  I’ve never paddled a Riverhawk, though I’ve seen them in action a few times.  Personally, it would not be my first choice for a river boat.  You can get a square stern canoe that will be stable for 1 person to stand, will weigh <100 lbs, and can handle a small motor.  

The only real advantage of the Riverhawk, I think, is the stability of the stand-up casting.  I would only choose it as a flats boat to use in areas with easy access.

G

[brian dunigan]

I have fished a lot out of both canoes and Gheenoes, and I can tell you a Gheenoe or Riverhawk’s stability is 1000 times superior to a traditional square stern canoe.

I personally believe the added investment for a Gheenoe or Riverhawk plus a couple hundred bucks for a trailer is well worth the added stability it buys, especially if you fish with another person.

The only time I use a canoe now is for fishing small creeks where I have to portage or drag.  That’s the only place where a canoe beats a Gheenoe – they are easier to carry and they don’t get beat up as much if you have to drag them across a rock.

bd

[Chris Beech]

Sounds like you need a fold-away boat trailer like this
http://www.realezytrailers.com.au/www/products/products_nymboidanon.html

Best Regards,

Beechy

[seth knight]

Thanks for the advice,

It sounds like most everyone is pretty negative about cartopping. I didn’t even consider the possibility of cracking the hull!?! Zach, can you explain a little more? Is it that the sides are too fragile to hold the weight of the boat?

Unfortunately, with the current living situation a trailer just isn’t an option. If the riverhawk doesn’t work out are there other squared-off canoe designs you would recommend?

Thanks again.

[brian dunigan]

I think the “cracking the hull” problem would be most likely to happen if you started to put the Gheenoe/Riverhawk on the top of your car and accidentally let it slide off and hit the ground.

I’m gonna ask on the Custom Gheenoe site about cartopping the NMZ models and see if anyone has any insight.

bd

[Zach Matthews]

Brian is right, I am concerned about the possibility of the boat falling off while you’re loading it.

[brian dunigan]

I don’t buy your argument at all.

[seth knight]

Thanks for the advice guys. I’ve been away from computer access for a few days, I hope nobody thinks that I was ignoring them.

I have contacted a dealer nearby but he doesn’t have any in stock right now. I’m encouraged enough to try to load one once the dealer gets some in-stock.

Anybody have any warranty experience? In the event that I do crack the boat will the warranty hold up?

[brian dunigan]

I don’t have any firsthand experience with the warranties for RiverHawk or Gheenoe.

[David L. Darnell]

use a Gheenoe right and it won’t crack, if it does and it’s bad on Gheenoe part they will stand 1000000% behind it, they are the original, been at it for years.

[brian dunigan]

Yup, I had a doofus at a boat ramp lean on my gunwale and break one of my push pole holders, and Pugar at Custom Gheenoe sent me a free replacement.

[Andrew Wright]

Seth,
Gheenoes are incredible boats. I really would not want to fish out of anything else. That being said, they do have their limitations, just like any other boat. I use my boat in quite a few different situations, but I do find times where I feel like I am pushing the boundaries of how it was meant to be used. Basically, you just need to think really hard about how you will use it. If you are not going to use a trailer, fishing solo is going to be difficult (and it will probably even be difficult with a fishing partner). If you are fishing in areas with strong currents and lots of rocks, it may not hold up to the abuse.

There is no question that a Gheenoe or a Riverhawk will open up tons of new fishing opportunities, but depending on how you fish, there may be better options. Based on what you have said so far, I would go with a square stern canoe. If you do wind up getting one though, there is no question that you will be able to find some way to use it and you will really enjoy it.

[David L. Darnell]

Boats are great, but if you are dealing with water with ANY movement you be more guide than fishing partner.

[keith b]

Not an expert by any means but let me throw this in.
I have fished with a guy who has a riverhawk, and it just looked cumbersome to me.

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