# 16' Square Back Canoe



## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Picked up a Michi-Craft 16' Square Back canoe today. Got it with 2 life jackets, a rubber coated anchor with 50-75' of rope, two 25' ropes. 4 of those foam roof top pads that keep it from scuffing the roof of a car and 1 paddle. Looked the boat up and it retails for $1045. Obviously my boat isnt new, but has no leaks, a few dingers, but is very solid. Picked it up for $300. I think i did alright.

Anyone have one of these boats, and if so, how do you like it? I think itll make a great little marsh boat or at the game areas when just my Dad and I go. Probably take it out for a test drive tomorrow on the river. Hopefully theres a few smallies waiting to get caught.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

solid buy. congrats.


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## ds541 (Dec 3, 2004)

you made a great buy,i have the same canoe have hunted and fished out of it many times it hide very easy and its light.i'm taking mine out saturday down the flint river very usefull boat.


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## Swamp Boss (Mar 14, 2003)

Nice buy! I have 2 canoes-one stays @ camp all year (neither a Sq. Back) and love them for hunting inland areas and shallow bays where I want to come in quiet! A couple of Coleman Chair backs and you will be in that thing all summer for your test drive! Enjoy!


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## choc24/7 (Jan 22, 2008)

hunt out of a square back often,,,really like them...nice and light and quick to carry over the dikes...and get those foam bars on the sides for extra support, great addition,,,,we get two adult hunters, dog, 80 dekes, and our gear and have an easy time.....moves very good with a 6 hp....


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

As Shi Kid said, very solid buy. You could probably do a little work on it and flip it tomorrow for double that. 

I've used a similar canoe for many years in all kinds of situations, from small marshes, to the managed area crop strips, to the open bay (shallows of course). One thing you may find (I have) is that these types of canoes just don't paddle well. They may be fine floating in a river with current. But they just don't "track" cleanly like some canoes do. So a small kicker motor is really important for going any distance at all. A couple other general things to remember when using canoes....1) they are not nearly as stable as boats, and so being cognizant of their inherent "tippiness" is important. And even though this seems like common sense, your riders, especially those new to canoes, may not have any :lol: 2) don't overload them...even in shallow water. I've seen way too many canoes used in hunting situations that are very overloaded. emptying gear and water out of a filled canoe when your a mile into the marsh is no fun at all...been there, done that. 3) they don't have the freeboard along the side that a boat does, so be aware of wave action. If there's any chop at all, plan your movement with the bow into the waves, not sideways or following the waves. I've seen a relatively small wave come right over the side and fill a canoe with water in an instant. Again, emptying the canoe out mid-hunt is no fun, and can be dangerous. 4) give way to larger boats that may swamp you. You can argue all day about the "rules of the road" when it comes to boating, but the bottom line is you are smaller than them, and you are much more vulnerable to tipping/sinking. Give way to the big boys, no matter how much of an A-hole they appear to be. It's not worth getting wet, or worse. 

Those are my "basics to canoe hunting 101". Lot's more from experience, but you'll figure it out.


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## ducslayer (Sep 28, 2009)

that was a great post just ducky. I've used a Michacraft for 30 years at the flats. And yes, I agree to give way to the faster boats


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

hah, ya JD points out a big mistake a lot of guys make. don't drag race the big boats..you'll lose and then sink to their huge wake they made trying to carry enough speed to pass you. just slow down...they'll slow down...pass at no wake and both be on your way.

that being said i have both a canoe and a "big" boat. prefer to use the canoe as much as possible...much easier hide when you get in your spot.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> hah, ya JD points out a big mistake a lot of guys make. don't drag race the big boats..you'll lose and then sink to their huge wake they made trying to carry enough speed to pass you. just slow down...they'll slow down...pass at no wake and both be on your way.
> 
> that being said i have both a canoe and a "big" boat. prefer to use the canoe as much as possible...much easier hide when you get in your spot.


yep, you and I have had that discussion many times about giving way :lol: We just pull over to the side of the ditch, grab some brush, and ride it out until the wake passes. 

And we've also talked about all of the advantages of canoes, which I use most often, and you pointed out one of the biggest...much easier to hide. Especially in the managed area corn rows...just slide it in down the row and you don't ruin the cover for the next guy. Canoes are also easy for two guys, or even one when I feel like going it alone, to handle in most marsh/crop field situations, and pulling dikes is not tough.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Yep, definitely some good points. Ive used my Uncles Grumman quite a few times at the game areas and the advise is spot on. They slip in nicely between the rows as mentioned and dont thrash the corn. Seening those big swaths knocked down from the big boats is always disturbing. When we take our big boat we just get it off the side of the ditch so others can pass and keep it down the field from where we hunt. I know this its gonna be nice to have the motor at the rear now and not hanging off a side bracket like on my Uncles Grumman.

The gent i bought it from called me up this afternoon and said he had some throwable seat cushions as well that he wanted to go with the boat. So, i headed back over there, was also looking at a couple pop up blinds he had. Not priced right IMO, so i passed. While i was there i eyed the new stanley thermos i seen there yesterday in his garage sale stuff for this weekend, but forgot to ask about with the canoe sale and all. I asked him what he wanted for it. He said, i think its three bucks, nope two, you interested?...I said sold and paid the man. This was a great score all the way around.

Today i power washed the inside and out to get the grime off. Tomorrow ill prep the metal and spray the deck with truck bed liner. Once thats done ill prime the remainder of the boat to ready it for paint. If all goes as planned itll be a duck killing rig in a short time from now. Ill ill need is October!


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## Swamp Boss (Mar 14, 2003)

Pics of your progress would nice to see! Gotta love those garage sales!


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## Puddler-Hunter (Aug 25, 2010)

Yes definately would like to see pics of your progress especially interested in seeing how the truck bed liner turns out. I have a similiar project coming up soon with my Grumman sportboat.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

Having a broken walleye boat, can prove to be expensive I guess:lol:


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

TSS Caddis said:


> Having a broken walleye boat, can prove to be expensive I guess:lol:


True, but keeps you in a "fowl" mood!


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

adam bomb said:


> ...Tomorrow ill prep the metal and spray the deck with truck bed liner. Once thats done ill prime the remainder of the boat to ready it for paint. If all goes as planned itll be a duck killing rig in a short time from now. Ill ill need is October!


One other thought for you...maybe you already did this. Since you said it looked kind of beaten up, have you floated it and verified it has no leaks? Might be advisable if you haven't yet to do that before you do the bed liner and painting. Fixing leaks after having done those things would piss me off big time. :yikes:


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

I didnt float it, but i filled it with water. I woulda thought what could come in should go out right?


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Yeah that's just as good. And that way if it does leak, you can mark exactly where it's leaking.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Well, i finally had some time to work on the boat and today i finished it up.

Heres the boat the day after i got it. Secretary of state transfered the MC #, so i just taped them off. That was fun...lol..I may contact Mich-Craft about a new decal for the side.

















I removed the transom plates as they had some wear and then power washed the canoe. I prepped it with some scotch bright pads. And then primed it.

















Then i painted the enire boat with some drab green. From there i used these plastic cattails with wire inserts for my stencils and just free styled with it changing the angle etc. Did the inside and out. Once that was done i taped off the interior of the boat so that i could spray the truck bed liner on to the primed and prepped deck.
















Once i got that done decided the floor was just too dark so i used my stencil and the khaki to dull it down a bit.








Intalled the new transom boards with stainless hardware and put on the new sticker and its done.


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## KLR (Sep 2, 2006)

Nice work!!




I've got some electrical work to do, just waiting for the heat to break a little!!


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## Ruger-44 (Apr 2, 2009)

Nice work. Turned out great.


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