What is the Absolute Lightest Propulsion Available?

[billcrowley]

Another vote for the ORU Origami kayak. Can be carried in a backpack. Check their website for specs and pricing. I have a friend who owns two, but I haven’t had the opportunity to paddle one yet, but belive they paddle very nicely. Fergetabout any outboard motors!

[Narfi]

I have been offline for a month and missed this thread. (I always love your threads as thought exercises)

I know you are against the two trip solution, but what about the biggest practical dinghy that can practically transport your motorcycle to shore and then,

A canoe with easily attachable roadworthy wheels to tow behind your motorcycle as a trailer. Then your weeks/weekends in the mountains can have a little more luxury as you aren't limited by your backpack and saddlebags. (I don't know the licensing requirements for such a trailer, but it should be pretty simple physically)

You said nothing stupid, and it was already posted, but as a thought exercise the idea of outriggers for your motorcycle under its own power is 'fun'.

[LargeMarge]

Kite.
Para-sail.
Pontoons strapped to your tootsies... stride on!
A clown-car, because magic.
Jet-pack.
Buy the island, fire the bureaucrats.
Sky-hooks?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Narfi

I have been offline for a month and missed this thread. (I always love your threads as thought exercises)

I know you are against the two trip solution, but what about the biggest practical dinghy that can practically transport your motorcycle to shore and then,

A canoe with easily attachable roadworthy wheels to tow behind your motorcycle as a trailer. Then your weeks/weekends in the mountains can have a little more luxury as you aren't limited by your backpack and saddlebags. (I don't know the licensing requirements for such a trailer, but it should be pretty simple physically)

You said nothing stupid, and it was already posted, but as a thought exercise the idea of outriggers for your motorcycle under its own power is 'fun'.

Welcome back! Your contributions have been missed. I’m glad to see you around again. My threads aren’t the same without you.

I absolutely love the idea of outriggers and the motorcycle under its own power spinning a paddle wheel or whatever. But I have another boat to build. Lol. I can putter around with that later when the boat is finished. For now, just something quick and dirty. Something that doesn’t involve a lot of work.

I think jeblostinspace summed it up. Many contributed.

What he put in his summary was some type of platform that rests on the normal dinghy’s tubes. A plywood platform with carpeting on the underside so it doesn’t damage the tubes.

The beauty of that system is I can lay the bike over, attach the system to it, transport the bike on its side, then when I am at shore, I can just lift the bike up vertically taking the plywood platform with it vertical. Detach the plywood platform, and bring it back with the dinghy to the boat. Leaving the motorcycle ashore for the moment.

From there, it is a two trip system, which kind of sucks, but, I could then use the smallest lightest inflatable kayak that packs down like for a backpacker. Something really small. Really easy to pack away and reinflate. Hopefully not all that much bigger than a tent.

I would take that small kayak ashore, leaving the dinghy and the plywood platform on the boat. Deflate the small kayak and put it in its bag. And just tie it up there with the rest of the stuff on the back of the motorcycle. That includes two panniers and a top box for me. Plus a cooler probably. I bring a lot of crap. Lol I like to do the adventure stuff and the camping out in the middle of nowhere.

But on other days when I’m just using it as a transportation device, I only have a top box. I don’t even use the panniers. And that’s truthfully, probably more often than I do with all of that other stuff on it. The top box is the most commonly used thing. All by itself. You can even go on a small grocery run with just the top box.

So the tiny kayak thing actually does work pretty well. I just have to anchor somewhere that’s kind of close to Shoreside facilities so that I can actually paddle this kayak all the way to the place I bring the motorcycle ashore. If I’m 2 miles out, that’s a hell of a lot of paddling.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I just have to anchor somewhere that’s kind of close to Shoreside facilities so that I can actually paddle this kayak all the way to the place I bring the motorcycle ashore. If I’m 2 miles out, that’s a hell of a lot of paddling.

From a practical perspective, the anchorages it makes sense to use when you're going to deploy the motorcycle and leave the boat are likely different than the ones you'd choose if you're staying on board.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

From a practical perspective, the anchorages it makes sense to use when you're going to deploy the motorcycle and leave the boat are likely different than the ones you'd choose if you're staying on board.

Unfortunately, you are probably correct. Hopefully I can find some that are a happy medium between the two.

My boat is an utter beast to get into anchorages. It takes up a lot of room. So I usually anchor way out there.

I am picturing the Harraseeket River in Freeport, Maine. You can barely get a 50 foot monohull in there. There’s no way in hell my boat will ever get in there. It’s chock-full of lobster pots and moorings everywhere. I basically stay outside in an open bay.

There are tremendous currents, so much that I’m not sure I could even paddle a kayak against them.

Then the other option is a 2 mile run to a boat ramp from there. Still some pretty significant current.

I typically stay outside of this picture. In the middle of the bay. It’s a place I enjoy visiting. And it’s a great place to picture all of this happening. Because it’s a long ride in.





https://www.mainecoastguide.com/harraseeket


Exercise is good for my heart, but, overdoing it and overstressing it is not very good. That’s why I thought maybe some lightweight propulsion would be good.

[Brian Renwick]

Pack raft. It’s an inflatable kayak carried by hikers for the watery bits, and weighs about 7lb.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Unfortunately, you are probably correct. Hopefully I can find some that are a happy medium between the two.

My boat is an utter beast to get into anchorages. It takes up a lot of room. So I usually anchor way out there.

I am picturing the Harraseeket River in Freeport, Maine. You can barely get a 50 foot monohull in there. There’s no way in hell my boat will ever get in there. It’s chock-full of lobster pots and moorings everywhere. I basically stay outside in an open bay.

There are tremendous currents, so much that I’m not sure I could even paddle a kayak against them.

Then the other option is a 2 mile run to a boat ramp from there. Still some pretty significant current.

I typically stay outside of this picture. In the middle of the bay. It’s a place I enjoy visiting. And it’s a great place to picture all of this happening. Because it’s a long ride in.

https://www.mainecoastguide.com/harraseeket

That may just be one of those places to visit when you're not planning to use the motorcycle. Or if it's an option, put the boat on a mooring if you need to take the motorcycle ashore so that you don't have to be so far out.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

That may just be one of those places to visit when you're not planning to use the motorcycle. Or if it's an option, put the boat on a mooring if you need to take the motorcycle ashore so that you don't have to be so far out.

Yeah. Have your cake and eat it too seems like an appropriate saying for what I’d like to do there. Ha ha.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Yeah. Have your cake and eat it too seems like an appropriate saying for what I’d like to do there. Ha ha.

I figure you can only be using the motorcycle or on the boat enjoying the scenery, not both at the same time. So it's not too much of a compromise.

[Chotu]

Gotcha. What I was picturing was that I would be out in Anchorage I want to be in with the boat and that maybe I would have to leave to go visit someone. Or to go get something very far away. Even overnight. I would launch the motorcycle for those reasons. It would really be mostly practical transportation. Maybe once or twice a year one of those long adventure camping rides into the mountains.

[MicHughV]

I remember seeing a couple pull into an anchorage and blow up a bathtub size plastic canoe...something you can likely find at Walmart for $49.99....it was basically a pool float with an inflatable ring around it....and ...somehow or another, the couple clambered into this thing.....and using two paddles that basically attach to your hand, they paddled ashore against the chop......

3 Person Thick Inflatable Fishing Boat PVC Air Raft Kayak, with Cushions Include A Pair of Oars, Foot Pump, for 2 Adults + 1 Child, For Lake and Pool
$44.99
Walmart

so, it does work.....I seen it wid mah own two eyes...

[mdenize]

Hi Chotu fantastic project! It seems to me the lightest thing you can use to carry the bike must be filled with air. Like some sort of totally inflatable raft That way you only have to carry the skin not the whole craft, just inflate when you need it and deflate it when you don't. It doesn't have to be powered as you already have a dinghy just tow it. I have seen large inflatable pontoons that are stiff like a large SUP they are designed as extra transom space for boats could you just use one of those. It seems like you could take the bike and the girlfriend!

[MicHughV]

What's the possibility of keeping the bike somewhere on land ??? Any store rooms around ? Keep the bike there or leave your...whatever dink.... there when you take the bike...some marina's rent storage rooms...

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

What's the possibility of keeping the bike somewhere on land ??? Any store rooms around ? Keep the bike there or leave your...whatever dink.... there when you take the bike...some marina's rent storage rooms...

Zero. I don’t stay in a fixed location. I’m a cruiser, you know? Like up in the title of the forum above. Ha ha ha.

Not in the “liveaboard” category as it’s typically defined. I’m in the cruiser category.