We are planning on making a kayak/camping/fishing trip up to Brule Lake next year. Being avid Kayakers, we definitely want the yaks to go and not use Canoes. I have watched several YouTube vids and it seems that all three types of Yaks (Fishing, Recreational, and Touring)make trips up there and seem successful.

As from what I have read and watched, it's the portages that seem to separate the yaks from the canoes when transporting conventional gear vs. lightweight gear and the overall weight of the SOT yaks.

I'm planning on doing Brule Lake. Almost guaranteed that we will camp in Brule Lake on the east side or North Bay so no real portages to worry about. Echo and Vernon do look interesting to fish but not camp, so if we portage into those waters, we will just have fishing gear.

I have a 12' Future Beach Angler 144 and a 10' Old Town Vapor 10. Both of which I can easily put all of my gear in for the trip. Which would better suit me for the trip? The Vapor is about 20lbs lighter and cuts the water better, But the Angler 144 is quite an incredible fishing platform (I can stand on it) and has more than enough room for the gear I plan on taking.

The answer to the portage question is pick up your boat and carry it around the block. If that works okay then try an uneven trail. If that works it will work for you in the BWCA. Lots of yoke and sling ideas out there to give a better grip on the boat and help with balance. Consider water temps and how wet you might get if you go early in the year.
The boat to chose would be based on planned use. If you want to fish on the next or next to that lake over which boat would portage better? Think about application and finally which boat you are most comfortable with.

Ok, that's a good idea. And I can tell ya right now, I am not humping that 66lb future beach around a block, LOL. Another question. Does watercraft under 12ft need to be registered?

I just read the 2015 Minnesota boat guide. Any non motorized water craft 10ft or under does not need to be registered.

I have taken kayaks to the BWCA. 17 foot sit inside sea/touring kayak. It was 65 lbs and I never want to do that again. As soon as I got back I sold it and now have a 17 1/2 foot fiberglass touring boat that weighs only 55 lbs, as well as a 14 foot one that weighs 54 lbs. Both will take over 400 lbs payload in two water tight holds and are very easy to shoulder portage/carry.

I have also owned sit on top/fishing style kayak. Like others suggested, I tried carrying it around the house. Didn't get half way around before I put it back in the yard and sold it.

If you want to kayak. . .and take gear. . .sit on top is not your boat. They also don't handle rough water very well and are very slow compared to a sleek 17 foot tourer ( I have a Seward Navigator).

It always amazes me that when guys use canoes in the BWCA they rent or bring $2000 kevlar canoes. When they rent/bring kayaks, they bring $400 rec boats. If you are serious about a kayak, you might try renting a true touring boat from the outfitter.

quote markaroberts: "It always amazes me that when guys use canoes in the BWCA they rent or bring $2000 kevlar canoes. When they rent/bring kayaks, they bring $400 rec boats. If you are serious about a kayak, you might try renting a true touring boat from the outfitter."

Now that is the best statement I have read about kayaks in the BWCAW...







...Oh, wait. I take a $400 aluminum canoe. Scratch that.

good point. . .not wanting to sound uppity. . .just we have been coming up for 7 years and 98% of the canoes have been kevlar we have seen. When we have seen kayaks, they have been 10-14 foot plastic rec boat types. Just an observation.

Last year I took my 46 lbs kevlar sea kayak into the boundary waters and did over 50 portages on a 6 day trip with a custom yoke. The gel coat got a bit beat up in spots from rocks that I had to repair when I got back. This year I did a 8 day trip with nearly 70 portages and covered over 100 miles in my 12' Perception Tribute kayak. It was only 40 lbs and easier to portage. Cruise speed was about 4.5 mph vs the 6 mph of my sea kayak, but the lakes I traveled were smaller, so it was the better choice even though it was slower. Also, being plastic, I had no worries when it came to rocky portage landings. It also handled whitecaps on 4 lakes I paddled and was very stable even with a 45 lbs pack strapped to the back deck. Quite a few days I covered about 20 miles per day. The kayak was no worse for wear from the trip. It was the right boat for the trip in my opinion.

I have not taken kayaks in several years. That said, if I was going back on Seagull I would take the 17 foot Seward Navigator/fiberglass boat. Handles the bigger water and much faster. If I was planning smaller lakes, lots of portages and wanted the option to shoot through some of the rapids rather then portage, it would be the Liquid Logic Pisgah. 14 feet, platic. Holds the same amount of gear as the longer one and about the same weight.

quote markaroberts: "good point. . .not wanting to sound uppity. . .just we have been coming up for 7 years and 98% of the canoes have been kevlar we have seen. When we have seen kayaks, they have been 10-14 foot plastic rec boat types. Just an observation."

You took that well...thank you for that and thanks for seeing my post as another view and not an attack!

I thought you sounded a bit off mark with your buy / sell/ buy / sell this that and the other kayak. It did make you sound a bit uppity. Most of us can only afford the cheap stuff. I for one have MANY hobbies, too many if you ask the wife. so sometimes, not very often mind you, I have to get the "good enough" version of the tools we use.

After all it wasn't that long ago that EVERYONE wore bluejeans in the BWCAW and survived...;-) Sometimes the "best" gear just isn't in the cards.

Great points. And I wasn't wanting to sound like an elitist. . .only making the point that we have seen hundreds of canoes in our trips to BWCA. All but a handfull were kevlar. I would imagine that 99% of those were rented. What I was suggesting is that the outfitters have nice kayaks to rent as well as canoes. For those contemplating kayaking it might be a good test to rent a kayak designed for more then recreational day use.

As to the costs. I have never bought a new kayak or canoe. I monitor Craigslist sites in two states. I paid $400 for the 14 foot Liquid Logic Pisgah in almost new condition. . .sold new for $950. Paid $600 for a Wenonah Wilderness canoe in royalex that still had tags on it, sells for $1100 locally new. The Seward Nagigator I swapped two handguns for. $2300 new. My point is that you can find nice boats for the same price as the new rec boats at Dicks and Cabellas.

Buddy just sent me this link... LOL

Our local Outfitter store just got those. They go in a surprising small bag. I think someone on these forums needs to buy one and do a report.

Very good points and thanks for the replies. I too with my fishing kayak have had to paddle harder to get to my fishing spots, but the trade off was a great platform to fish from. And I have also had my SOT on wavy waters and the constant slapping of the hull coming down off the waves makes it for a rough rife after a while. The ability to stand on my SOT is nominal really. I have caught just as much fish sitting on it vs. standing on it. Its the weight that would kill me (66lbs) if I did any portages. And with us now going to Sawbill, Alton, and Kelso portages (small ones) are going to happen.

I have made more than a few camping/ fishing trips in my vapor 10 and I have gotten the lightweight gear to be able to do that. The Vapor is not going to be as fast as a touting yak by all means, but I can keep it at a sustained 3mph a lot easier than my SOT. I do think I am going to buy a skirt for it though- just in case.

A good skirt and SIK can make a blowing cold rain even seem tolerable. One real advantage of the yak is traveling in rougher weather and water. I have tripped in a 12'6" thermoformed plastic weighing in at 32#. Maneuvering in some of the smaller streams and such is easier than my 16' Bell Magic; which by the way handles about as well as my 14'6" Wilderness Tsunami in rough water.
I think you will be happy with the Vapor but if you can fund it, consider one of the rentals. A couple feet can make a real difference in traveling.

quote swiftone: "Very good points and thanks for the replies. I too with my fishing kayak have had to paddle harder to get to my fishing spots, but the trade off was a great platform to fish from. And I have also had my SOT on wavy waters and the constant slapping of the hull coming down off the waves makes it for a rough rife after a while. The ability to stand on my SOT is nominal really. I have caught just as much fish sitting on it vs. standing on it. Its the weight that would kill me (66lbs) if I did any portages. And with us now going to Sawbill, Alton, and Kelso portages (small ones) are going to happen.


I have made more than a few camping/ fishing trips in my vapor 10 and I have gotten the lightweight gear to be able to do that. The Vapor is not going to be as fast as a touting yak by all means, but I can keep it at a sustained 3mph a lot easier than my SOT. I do think I am going to buy a skirt for it though- just in case."

I have done that trip...you will be fine. Alton and Sawbill are long stretches and can get big waves going. Watch out for the dreaded "jesus rocks" they come up fast and are in your prime paths.
If it does get windy I would stick on Kelso and fish the river narrows for pike. If you like that kind of thing. The second to last site on Kelso is nice if it is not buggy...
The Northern site on Alton is way up off the water with a protected bay landing for the boats, and a shortcut rugged trail to the river.

I have been looking at the pics of a Vapor 10. How do you get all your gear in there?

quote markaroberts: "I have been looking at the pics of a Vapor 10. How do you get all your gear in there?"

Kind of surprising how much gear you can fir into a vapor 10. I can put 2/10L bags in the bow in front of the foot pedals. 2/20L bags behind the seat with room to spare, a 55L-65L bag between my legs, a 20L in the cargo area behind in the back of the kayak. I have also rigged a bungee system to where I can secure 2 more 55L bags on the top of the back of the Vapor. I installed a bungee system on the bow of my yak for my camp chair. Now, I do not roll with all that gear at once!! I just filed up all of my dry bags one day to see what I could fit on the yak and I was quite surprised.

quote Doughboy12: "

quote swiftone: "Very good points and thanks for the replies. I too with my fishing kayak have had to paddle harder to get to my fishing spots, but the trade off was a great platform to fish from. And I have also had my SOT on wavy waters and the constant slapping of the hull coming down off the waves makes it for a rough rife after a while. The ability to stand on my SOT is nominal really. I have caught just as much fish sitting on it vs. standing on it. Its the weight that would kill me (66lbs) if I did any portages. And with us now going to Sawbill, Alton, and Kelso portages (small ones) are going to happen.



I have made more than a few camping/ fishing trips in my vapor 10 and I have gotten the lightweight gear to be able to do that. The Vapor is not going to be as fast as a touting yak by all means, but I can keep it at a sustained 3mph a lot easier than my SOT. I do think I am going to buy a skirt for it though- just in case."

I have done that trip...you will be fine. Alton and Sawbill are long stretches and can get big waves going. Watch out for the dreaded "jesus rocks" they come up fast and are in your prime paths.
If it does get windy I would stick on Kelso and fish the river narrows for pike. If you like that kind of thing. The second to last site on Kelso is nice if it is not buggy...
The Northern site on Alton is way up off the water with a protected bay landing for the boats, and a shortcut rugged trail to the river."

I do like to pike fish but I heard they were VERY small in Kelso? I'm not looking for trophies but it would be nice to be able to eat some. We are not quite sure what route we are going to take yet, but I have heard that Kelso is a good place to maybe see a moose or two. I would like that. I like the south end of Alton too. Looks like good fishing and I have heard that Beth has some good pike and Smallmouth in it.

One other caution. . .the load rating for a Vapor 10 is 275-325 which includes you. There are no hatches from what I can see so the gear would have to go on top of the boat or in between your feet.

Before you make a final decision, check with your outfitter on what kayaks they rent. A 17 foot Current Designs Storm can be rented for $30 per day. That is a great boat for the BWCA. You would get a very fast boat with large front and back water tight hatches. Check out the Piragis web site or some of the other outfitters.

Here's another idea. . .some years ago a guy told me about tapered dry bags. He would fill two tapered dry bags with gear and slide them into the front of his kayak. At the protage, he would pull them out and slide one on each end of the shaft of his paddle and carry them through on his shoulders. He would protage the kayak through, then carry the gear through in one trip. . .backpack on his back, the the two tapered dry bags on his shoulders suspended from the paddle which had those foam "noodles" slid on for padding.

quote markaroberts: "Here's another idea. . .some years ago a guy told me about tapered dry bags. He would fill two tapered dry bags with gear and slide them into the front of his kayak. At the portage, he would pull them out and slide one on each end of the shaft of his paddle and carry them through on his shoulders. He would portage the kayak through, then carry the gear through in one trip. . .backpack on his back, the the two tapered dry bags on his shoulders suspended from the paddle which had those foam "noodles" slid on for padding."

Are you remote viewing my mind?!? LOL. I was on just thinking about tapered bags!! Seriously though, I have no plans to carry the amount of bags and gear that I told you that I could stuff into my Vapor. I'm betting I can get away with a 55L and two 20L bags. Maybe. Its been a while since I have kayak camped in colder weather. I will have to do some figuring....