Living in the Pacific Northwest, I never considered building a pirogue, a boat I associate with the bayous of Louisiana. But when I was given one—a decked version designed by Phil Bolger—I quickly discovered how versatile the type can be. The 16′ × 3′ 3″ Pirogue, Bolger’s Design #451, can be sailed, rowed, paddled, poled, and cartopped.

Pirogue with man and double-bladed paddlePhotographs by the author

The Bolger Pirogue’s 3′ 3″ beam requires a long paddle to reach the water. The longest I have is 9′. While it’s a two-piece paddle and stows neatly in the cockpit when taken apart, an 8′ paddle would fit in the cockpit and be ready to use in an instant.

Bolger’s designs are well known for their ease of construction, and the hull of his Pirogue is as simple as it gets. His two-page plans provide measured drawings, where required, and recommend H.H. Payson’s book, Instant Boats, as a construction guide. The plans also include cutting diagrams for getting the pieces of the hull from two sheets of 1⁄4″ marine plywood and the decks, centerboard, and rudder from another two sheets of 1⁄4″ marine plywood.

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