April 12, 2018, update 2023
The Toad Machine
After years of disuse, and life among the weeds, The Toad Machine has again taken to the waves!
I managed to get the thing down the boat ramp and into the water without mishap this morning; a feat in itself.
I am probably the worst boat ramp backer-upper in the country, something no Southerner is pleased to admit.
But I cannot lie - to get this figured out, it is going to take some persistence.
But The Toad Machine was worth it.
This boat, "The Toad Machine," was made in 1981, by Happy Traveler Marine, out of Tifton, Georgia. It is 16 feet long, and was marketed under the trade name, "Ga-Noe."
It has been decades since these were made, but it eventually donated its name to what has become the generic description for all similar vessels down to this day - "ganoe."
It is essentially a flat bottomed canoe, with a transom stern. It swings surprisingly well on the paddle, but it tracks like a sheet of plywood. Seriously, it’s not going to win any contests for human-powered speed; you must stay on that paddle.
And like any canoe, the wind is its nemesis. By that I mean, a breeze will sail the nose into any quarter you want - as long as you want to go down wind.
But those are its two main design vices, and neither were unexpected. An anchor and a drift sock can cure some those drifting problems.
However, this vessel needs some power. It is 16 feet of strong-built fiberglass, and a paddle is really not quite enough “motive force,” if you are by yourself. For stealth and backwater trekking, an electric trolling motor is what the doctor ordered.
In the pics, you’ll see a big, black, boxy contrivance up front - that’s a battery box. It is filled with a 100 amp hour battery. The battery is big, though, so clear the tall box, the front swivel seat is mounted on 3 1/2” above the battery on a spacer.
I brought the power cell along on this trip for the weight, to see how it affected the handling. It helped some to keep the nose down, and I couldn’t tell it was even there. The Ol’ Toad Machine has a quarter ton weight rating, so yeah, a trolling motor is in the future.
(A 7-8 hp gas motor would also be a significant boost, and it’s built to take up to 10 hp. So anyone that has one of these just laying around, gimme a call 😊).
On the plus side of the ledger, we find The Toad Machine possessed of these good qualities....
1. Room to spare.
It’s not cramped at all, at least not by kayak or canoe standards.
The Toad Machine possesses an open floor plan. I’ve come from kayaks in the last few years, and no matter how nice they are, they always leave me feeling cramped.
I like some elbow room and it’s here.
To maintain that walk-around feel, I’ve made a few gear stowage bags for the gunwales from plastic pool material...they help to keep the deck un-cluttered. I’ll be making two more.
2. Easy to move around in.
That’s not something you’ll ever say about a kayak, or even a canoe. You can literally move from the front to back of the Toad Machine without much worry, as long as you stay low. Doing a little jig isnt not out of the question.
3. Low to the water.
Because it has a flat bottom, there isnt much in the water below the gunwales. And since the sides are low, these two aid in both stealthy approaches and easy handling; you don’t need a 6’ long paddle. Reaching over for unhooking fish or untangling snagged flies is a breeze, too.
It is NOT a big water boat as it sits, on the other hand, for these very reasons. Perhaps underway at rated power, the hull shape and length* might allow it to skim right along the waves (hint, hint 😉😉).
* after looking at it for awhile, I realized why the hull shape is familiar - it is VERY much like a viking long ship. It is close enough to my eye that the designer may have used that venerable craft as a model! And we all know how well those vessels handled big water...
But the low approach and shallow draft has serious backwater advantages. This thing draws about 3-4”, even with my chunky butt on board. I like it back there in boonies, too, so this works in my favor.
4. Front seat handling
This was an unexpected bonus; I find I can sit on the front pedestal seat and single-hand the boat!
The stern lifts a bit when you shift the weight this way, and it tends to yaw around the bow. But forward progress is still good, although directional stability gets a bit squidgy. But it’s still cool to do it.
5. Stability
All this is made possible because the Toad Machine has initial stability to spare. I was surprised at how easy it is to stand, cast, and paddle, after just a little trial and error.
There is almost no tip or roll, and a push pole looks like a good idea, at this point. Heck, a 6' paddle just MIGHT be useful, after all. I don’t intend to try standing on the gunwale, although I suspect it could be done.
But first, I have to get used to backing down a boat ramp. Tomorrow is another day, and if you want to see how I worked that out - plus see the modifications and changes to date - check out the full series, “Toad Machine Tales.” (link below…)
Would you like to add the catching pattern(s) seen here to your own fly or tackle box? Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com
© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018, 2023
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