The Campanoe
I recently sold my boat and have been looking for a suitable
replacement. I wanted something small enough to store in my garage,
easy to pull behind my car, able to sleep four people and to take as
many as 6 or 8 people on day-trips, all without costing a fortune. What
I have decided best suits my needs is a unique craft called Campanoe.
This vessel is fashioned from two whitewater canoe hulls decked
together to form a catamaran. It is constructed of "Royalex", a
durable, plastic-like, foam cored material, which is very strong, light
weight, insulates, floats and is resistant to UV rays. The complete
package includes the boat, a trailer and a tent-like enclosure. This
enclosure, like a convertible top, is called a "bimimi" and it can be
left folded down, set up for shade or completly tented in to form a 7
ft. x 10 ft. cabin. Since Campanoe with its bimini weighs less than 250
lbs. you can see why it has been billed as "the ultralight camping
houseboat."
Ultralight camping houseboat.
  
There
are short decks fore and aft for sunning or going into the water when
swimming. The boat is low to the water, but protected from splashing by
bulwarks around the cabin area. Campanoe is reasonably priced at about
$6,500 for a complete setup with options. All that is needed is a small
outboard engine of around 5 HP.
Campanoe sporting its Bimini top.
Weight
with the optional trailer is about 700 lbs. and it can be folded into a
towing package only 4 feet wide. The boat opened for use is 19 ft. long
and 8 ft. wide. The builder says he has had as many as 6 adults and 6
children aboard in calm water. And has had 4 adults and gear aboard on
the Gulf of Mexico in 3 to 6 foot waves, all without compromising
safety or comfort.
Campanoe folded on its trailer and exposing the aluminum under-deck support system.
Eight Campanoers relaxing.
Campanoe from above.
The fully tented Campanoe.
Looking out from inside the tent/cabin.
For more information on this interesting and unique craft, visit the Campanoe Home Page:
http://campanoe.com/index.html
Campanoe & Royalex are trademarks. Photos copyrighted by Campanoe.
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© Copyright
2004
Dudley Peterson.
Last update:
1/21/04; 12:15:04.
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