Got an opportunity to buy a 15' Gheenoe.  I really like the concept. I am already an avid kayak fisherman, so adding one of these to the stable would be like buying a barge.

You have one?  Size, how it's rigged,  preferred power plant, etc.

I know the old type could be very unstable. Knew several ex owners. It sits higher than a kayak.
Try before buy.

I intend to.

Sorry op I cant give you much info but I have an order in for an LT10. I am really looking forward to getting it!

Very stable for their size, but that has limits. A 15’ with a 9.9 is a nice skinny water boat. A 6hp can move it but it won’t get up on plane well with only a single person in the back, weight distribution can mitigate that.

I have a Coleman Scanoe outfitted for fishing that's a sweet boat. At 95 lbs it's kinda heavy, but moves pretty quick with the 35lb trolling motor.

I don't fish anymore, so it's time to sell it.

Always wanted one....perfect for the flats near here....great for the glades...then i saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4aQwFuvX8Y&ab_channel=delirousplumberious

That’s operator error.

I can see how that could happen in these narrow boats if two grown men got on the same side. Especially if they had something as heavy as a 25 on back.

But, it doesn't matter. I now own one.

Figured I'd update, seeing how i pulled the trigger on a Gheenoe Classic.

All i can say is i love this thing. I bought a new 9.9 Mercury 4 stroke to push it. IMO, this is about the perfect size plant for these little boats. It will do 19 mph on glass flat water. I ran it for five hours Sunday as part of the break in period. and ony used about 2 gallons of gas. This was cruising at half and 3/4 throttle.

Attached File


One advantage to the narrow hull is that it's like a knife on the  water.

I have a 2008 Low Tide 25 center console with a 25 Suzuki 4-stroke on it.

With my fat ass and 1 other, I can do 27 mph on plane and get into some skinny water, especially if I raise the motor on the flats jack and use a push pole. I can run it all day and not use a full 6 gallon tank of fuel.

I had a 13' Classic with a 9.9, but it was a little too wobbly for my liking.

I really wanted at least a 15 hp four stroke, but I'm rather happy with the 9.9. It'll push me around at 18mph. The gas milage is insane. I carried a one gallon spare and ran the stock 3 gallon completely dry on a range test...46 miles on the stock three gallon tank if the GPS trip odometer wasn't lying.

If i went bigger in that line, boat and engine, I'd rather have center cosole or stick steer.

I just picked up this 13’ Gheenoe last week. The title indicates it’s a 1987 model but there’s no HIN or any remnants of manufacturer info. I’m not even sure it’s a real “Gheenoe”, but it’s in very good shape and I’m looking forward to dropping my spare 5hp 2-stroke on it soon.



If I really feel like moving fast I have a 9.9 I can swap onto it too.

Been researching a specific powered kayak lately - a Solo Skiff (US designed and manufactured).  It has been out of production for about 3 years (with promises of production in 3 months for at least the last 2 years, and now 2 weeks since January).  Production looks like it is slowly starting back (a few pictures of new hulls are showing up - the new hulls are in a different color, so it is obvious they are new production) - will see if the Texas shipment shows up this week (it was supposed to be here 10/7, but got a call 10/6 that the shipment was running a few days late).  It has a fairly love/hate relationship on forums.  Much as a Gheenoe is a canoe on steroids, it is a kayak on steroids.  Both are used for poling, but neither is the same thing as a poling skiff.  Without an outboard, it's weight is obese-but for a powered hull, it is still pretty light.  When it works for a person - they tend to love it.  When asked to do something it really is not designed for - they don't.  Given it is a nitche boat - I am sure it upsets as least as many people as it inspires.  But damn I love it's lines.  One other major difference, it is designed for a single person - I think Gheenoes are pretty much all designed to allow a second person (and sometimes a 3rd).

Reinforced (for flotation and rigidity) rotomolded - but heavy at 155lbs because of that.  14.5', rated for up to a 6hp outboard (and can do a little more than 15mph with that if you are not too overweight - and even more if you disregard the USCG rating plate).  It is designed like a sit on top with open split tail stern (transom is 2' in front of the stern).  As such, the hull is sealed like a sit on top, and if (when) it swamps, it will self bail in seconds through the open back.  With a very low freeboard (less catch for the wind), it will have a wetter ride than a Gheenoe - but be more suited for back bays, and surf (people take them offshore - brave people) as it can not be swamped.

I have a lot about 4 miles upstream from a salt water lake connected to a back bay (talking to my neighbor, it has some great jon boat fishing) - and I think it could be a great way to play on the river/salt water delta, and venture into the salt water lake (maybe into the bay - depending on weather).  If all goes well, I will be putting an overgrown trolling motor on it first (I have a 1000 watt one on backorder-they call them electric outboards, but that is an overstatement.  It will be limited (by physic) to 6mph, and not a hell of a lot of range at that speed - but plenty of range at 4mph and 250 watts) - and if I want more speed, probably a gas outboard latter (or perhaps get a aftermarket battery for more range-the reason I chose that specific motor - not tied to OEM batteries).  Depending on how stable I am on it, will also do some poling.  Will post pictures if the 3 year, 2 week wait is finally over.  Who knows, maybe in a few years battery tech will make electric outboards a true reality.  Mercury will be selling a 3000 Watt (6hp) and 4500 watt (9hp) in a few months,  but they both have boat anchors as batteries - not to mention both the motors and the batteries are made out of a lot of large denomination bills - the motors are starting at $4k, and I don't think that includes a battery which will probably start at over $2k.
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There are a few other similar kayaks/sups.  But I don't think any of the others has the same following.  There is a direct Chinese imitation without the reinforced hull (several importers with different badges - Hoodoo and Striker Skiff are 2 - it is also on Alibaba).  Bote makes one, but it is more a powered stand up paddle board.  Stealth Power Fisha is close - but it is vacuum bagged fiberglass.  Right now with shipping the way it is, I don't know if any Stealth are being imported from South Africa (I have a Stealth Pro Fisha - which is a very fast, narrow fishing kayak (but not designed for a motor).  The Stealth Power Fisha, is almost 50lbs lighter.  Plus light vacuum bagged fiberglass and oyster reefs do not work well together.


Anyway, here is a random stock photo of an old production one (new ones are are a slightly bluer white).  It is uncluttered with any aftermarket outfitting other than the motor and paddle holder - will edit this eventually if I get one.  Common outfitting would include some rod holders, a pole holder, and often a seat (but often the box is used as a poling platform instead).  Oh, original production had rod tubes under the front deck, to the sides of the built in insulated cooler.  People bitched (they either knocked out the plugs in the front of the tubes, or the rotomolding company failed to properly seal them) - they are no longer being factory installed on the new production.

One the the biggest issues I think the designer has faced is not having his own production facilities.  Given he is buying time at someone else's facility, I think he has been hind tit when it comes to getting production.  This design did start out as fiberglass - which is a lot simpler manufacturing process (but I don't think it was vacuum bagged, given the weight of the original fiberglass versions-but chopped glass is also probably more abrasion resistant)

Crazy people have found that a 1/3 gallon tank gets about 7 miles at wide open throttle, a 6hp motor, and 15_mph - still crazier people have used 3 gallon main tanks, pushing it into the 70 mile range.  I have watch videos of people going 25 miles offshore.  I have seen a running bet on going 60 miles offshore (with a second 3 gallon tank).  Others have mentioned you could get to Bahimi (50 miles east of Miami), weather cooperating....  
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I really need to get my Panga back out of the shop (at this point, considering filing an insurance claim on it - theft).  It gets stupid milage for a 25' boat - and has a 20 gallon tank.  I think it could get me 60 miles offshore and back on a tank - and have tons more room to fish from.  Shop has taken it out 10 miles a few times - they are enjoying it more than me.  There are multiple reason I am trying to get the Solo Skiff to add to my fleet (again, I used to kayak a "lot" - I have owned more than a dozen at one time I think).  One is getting under a @#$@#$@ bridge, the other is poling in 3" of water.  I have screwed up and planed into less than 6" of water before - not something I want to push a 25' boat out of solo.  That said, I am a kayaker at heart.  Once upon a time I tried a 100 mile kayak trip (50 should have been in the Gulf).  Paddled 100 miles, swam less than 1 - but it was enough not to finish the planned route.  Kayaking in a gale is not that bad - but kayaking in the Gulf in a gale is not all that much fun either (well not all the time anyway, I have done it a couple of times, and they have all been memorable - fun is relative).  In all fairness, I was up to it.  I was not up to rescuing the other person I was kayaking with.  I lost my boat during the rescue, while being Maytag-ed in 6' chop, and having his kayak thrown over mine.  FWIW, we recovered most of our gear (I think 1/2 of a spare paddle, a cap, and a pair of sunglasses were lost), and paddled the 50ish miles back to our vehicles in the bay (2 day paddle) latter.  Neputine had a sense of humor - among the floatsum that we found washed on shore were the signal flares out of my pfd (you will never find it, but we wrote an article that was syndicated in kayaking publications at the time - but now I would have to use way back machine to find them).  Looking back, it really was not a "bad" swim - we knew current and winds would blow us to shore (we discussed them before starting this stupidity).  But swimming out of sight of land was not a 100% fun time.  Ohh for the good old days of trip reports rather than people doing selfies with a gopro.  Another, FWIW - I am not 100% sure of the timing anymore - but I was an ACA sea kayak instructor.  The person I was paddling with became an ACA sea kayak instructor (and actively taught classes of years) afterwards.  We might not have been the best paddlers around - but we were not "beginners".  We both got better afterwards - I think I ended up competing at 5 US nationals (kayak polo) after that.  Oh to be young...  I do miss kayaking all the time.

I am looking for the Canadian maker of some canoes that you can put big outboards on.

Darn things are really neat.
Able to get huge loads on step with a 70hp outboard.