A tule boat...

[RandyRhoads]

I was bored and curious what it would be like to make and use a tule boat used by native americans in the San Fransisco bay area. I made it on a local island in about an hour and paddled it about a mile back to my house. Definately needed to be bigger with more tules but I didn't invest much time in it lol....

[LLinz]

That's pretty cool! Was it stable? Looks like a floating hammock

[RandyRhoads]

I rolled it the first 3 or 4 times trying to get in lol. But after a few tries it stayed in the same "seat" formed shape and became suprisingly stable. The longer I was in it the better it moulded to be and retained the shape.

[stephanbakir]

Looks pretty awesome, I'm trying it for sure!

[presspirate]

I am intrigued. How did you make it? Can you give us instructions?

[RandyRhoads]

It's quite simple it can be made with nothing more than tules, or tules and some 550 or like cord if you don't want to spend hours making cordage.

Just cut a BUNCH of tules, as long as possible, preferably at least taller than you. Take 5-10 at a time and flip them top to bottom and kind of roll them around so they fit together and grab hold of themselves better. Once you have a good sized bundle, tie the cord around both ends as tight as possible. Make 3 equal bunches in that manner. Then tie all 3 together at the ends. Start pushing the middle out and kind of "carve" a hole to sit in. Once you get in you can continue this and have it mould to you. The more tules you use, the bigger and better the boat.

[marionsclan]

Very cool idea. Do you find tules everywhere or just in certain locations? Also, do they get water logged after a while or can they be reused fairly often?

[RandyRhoads]

What do you mean do you find them everywhere? Me personally, they are everywhere in the Sacramento delta and quite a nuisance. If you are trying to find them yourself, estuaries, deltas, swampy brackish water sources, sometimes found with cattails.

I'm not sure about them getting waterlogged. I paddled it for quite a while and when I got there I was lower in the water but I don't think it got waterlogged I think I just kept sinking through the tules as they got pushed outwards. Them drying out is the problem of reusing them. I beleive they last under a week.

[TeaNinja]

jeeze, the waters near us are freezing lol.

[RandyRhoads]

The waters in Sonoma are freezing? In the middle of summer?

[TeaNinja]

maybe not scuzzy rivers and creeks lol. go anywhere near anything that touches the ocean near us and prepare to freeze. i hate surfing in the frigid water lol, i only went a few times.

in grade school we canoed down the napa river. a terrible girl flipped our canoe and i lost my shoes in the muck at the bottom of the river and our principal was all pissed off when it was clearly her fault lol.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Nice boat, i like this post.. some Bear Grylls ****

[stephanbakir]

Originally Posted by KD35WIN.AS.ONE

Nice boat, i like this post.. some Bear Grylls ****

I honestly can't watch his show without rofl'n, the guy is all about show and does so much crap that noone in their right mind should do in a situation where you have noone to back you up.

[kernel]

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

I honestly can't watch his show without rofl'n, the guy is all about show and does so much crap that noone in their right mind should do in a situation where you have noone to back you up.

I can't stand his show either. He is constantly killing herps. He has that whole crew that has all that food, but he kills herps anyway instead of just showing you. Now Les Stroud kill herps too but he's out there all by himself with no food. The last time man vs. wild was on he pulled the head off a collard lizard, squeezed it's guts out and ate it.

[stephanbakir]

Yeh, and the risks he takes are insane. If you are alone and you get hurt, you are in a world of hurt....