Zydeco Pirogue
design by John
McCallum
Length overall |
- |
15' 3" |
Beam |
- |
34" |
Hull depth |
- |
10" |
Hull weight |
- |
65 lbs. |
Capacity - Normal |
- |
450 lbs. |
Capacity - Maximum |
- |
575 lbs. |
Zydeco is a classic Louisiana bayou pirogue (ryhmes
with "sea rogue") modified to function as a two passenger
canoe. The original pirogues were cypress dugout canoes carved
by the Native Americans in the lower Mississippi Valley. The Cajun
people adopted the pirogue when they came to Louisiana. The dugout
canoes continued to be made into the 20th century. As time went
on the boats were began to be made of cypress planks and ribs.
When plywood became available, people started to use it to make
the Pirogue that we see today. The original boats often had no
seats to facilitate poling and were essentially one-man boats.
In Applegate Boatworks' pirogues the rocker of the bottom has
been reduced. This increases the tracking ability and makes the
boats less sensitive to fore and aft weight shifts. We have also
increased the beam slightly to give more stability. We have also
added seats but there is still enough foot room to stand and pole.
These pirogues will do well with one or two paddlers. Zydeco boats
perform like any other canoe. They have slightly more stability
and in shallow water they are faster than a round hulled canoe.
These canoes are designed to have a moderately light weight and
medium carrying capacity. You can use the Pirogue on any lake
or flat water river. Like it's ancestor, Zydeco really shines
in shallow creeks and marshes. One couldn't ask for a better craft
for fishing, bird watching or simply relaxing in a quiet channel.
Our Pirogue is a simple wooden boat, built with
the taped
seam method. They require no jigs or building molds
and have no complicated chine joints. The shapes of the hull panels
have been computer generated. You lay out the measurements from
the plans directly onto your plywood panels. The panels are "sewn"
together with copper wire and bonded with fiberglass tape and
epoxy resin. After the resin has cured you install the framing,
seats and other lumber parts. The framing and seats only require
simple woodworking. The boat plans include lines drawing, plank
expansion and detail drawings, materials list and building instructions.
Over twenty years of experience have gone into the development
of this design.
The Zydeco Pirogue comes in three versions: the
Zydeco 16', Zydeco 14' and the Zydeco 16' metric version
Zydeco 16'
Zydeco 16' is a modified classic pirogue for
two persons (our best selling plan). This model has the longer
flatter hull that works better on open lakes and rivers. It
has more speed and is easier to hold on course.
The boat weighs 62 lbs to 65 lbs, depending
on the materials used. The designed capacity at 4" draft
is 390 lbs. The stability at 20° is 40 ft-lbs (This is an
approximate number, use it to compare the two designs) Zydeco
16' requires two sheets of 4' by 8' by 1/4" marine plywood
and about 14 board feet of lumber.
online
study plan of Zydeco 16
Zydeco 16' Metric Version
This version is for boat builders who prefer
metric measurements (centimeters) instead of English units (inches).
online
study plan of Zydeco metric
Zydeco 14'
Zydeco 14' is closer to the original pirogues
of the Louisiana bayous. The bottom plank is slightly wider
than in the old pirogues to give more stability. Zydeco 14'
has more rocker in the bottom than our 16' pirogue. This and
it's shorter length makes the 14' foot boat more maneuverable
in tight quarters. The primary reason to build this model is
to get a lighter boat. The boat weighs 54 lbs to 57 lbs, depending
on the materials used. The designed capacity at 4" draft
is 300 lbs. The stability at 20° is 30 ft-lbs (This is an
approximate number, use it to compare the two designs) Zydeco
14' requires two sheets of 4' by 8' by 1/4" marine plywood
and about 12 board feet of lumber.
online
study plan of Zydeco 14
Order
plans online from Applegate Boatworks
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