Talkin bout Pirogues

Compiled by: Kruez

Hey Boudreaux, comment sa va mon ami? Dis is de place dey all talkin bout, I garauntee!! It's full of dem, what you call ummhh - Cajun Pirogue Links. Mais non chere, not boudin links -- What, you crazy? I'm talkin bout "LINKS". You know, doze on dat umungous ting what dey call de "Wirl Wihy Web". Kinda sumtin like dat big ole cobweb what you got growin behin you ice box in de kichen, dere Boudreaux. Cept one ting, dese links, dey talk bout sumtin near en dear: Cajun Pirogues and all sorts of rig-a-maroo like dat; "Cajun Canoe" as we knew it. Mais, you know you right yeah boug. Pronounced pee-rue. Pirogues are traditional, flat-bottomed Cajun boats used to maneuver through the bayous and waterways of Louisiana. They were designed to travel through extremely shallow water. The swamps and marshes the bayou country is known for. The pirogue is still popular with fisherman, hunters, and outdoorsman. Most modern pirogues range from 12’ – 16’ in length and are constructed of plywood. Pirogues have a flat bottom that allows them to travel in water as shallow as a couple inches with a heavy load. This allows them to get into shallows where even a canoe cannot go. The modern pirogue can be built at a reasonable cost range depending upon your choice of materials and construction methods. It’s also a relatively lightweight craft. The following links offer plans, kits, assembled, unpainted, and completed boats. Cajuns have developed several specialized boat designs, such as the bateau and the pirogue. Although bateau (pl. bateaux) often is used as a generic French term for "boat," in Cajun Louisiana it can refer specifically to a boat with a flat end and bottom, balanced so that a fisherman can stand upright to handle nets. Another common design is the pirogue (pl. pirogues), a small canoe-like boat formerly made from a hollowed-out cypress log. Used for navigating shallow waters, pirogues are still constructed today, but usually of several component pieces, and (like the modern bateau) sometimes of modern materials, including aluminum and fiberglass. Propulsion often is now provided by engines, rather than by paddles. (In the nineteenth century, some Cajuns stood ashore and pulled their boats along the bayous with ropes.) Cajuns have developed other boats to serve specific functions. The Lafitte skiff, for example, is a small, flat-bottomed vessel with a pointed bow and flat, square stern used in shallow coastal waters. Other boats have been developed especially for moss picking and oystering. In the Gulf of Mexico, larger shrimping boats are a common sight. These vessels are rigged with large nets for catching shrimp (which make up an important ingredient in many Cajun dishes). A wooden pirogue. Photo by Ecu Media Design. OK, get in dat pirogue ova dere, en be still. Don't move man!!! We don't wanna flip! Na, when I tole you - poosh off de wharf real hard. Aahh dat's it, dere we go cher!! Now sit back, relax youself, and ENJOY!!!!

Pirogue Kits, Plans, and Builders:

WBB Members Sites:
Boyle's Boats
JEM Watercraft

Sites by Others:
Applegate Boatworks "Zydeco"
Caddo Lake Bateau
Cajun Connection
C.C. Lockwood Pirogue Photos
Common Sense Pirogue
A 40/40/40 Boat
Gator Bayou Boats
Gator Boats
Glen-L Pirogue
Grant's Modified Pirogue
How to: Pirogue
Jim Michalak's Piragua
Jim Michalak's Piragua 18
Louisiana Pirogues
Pirogue Building
The 6-Hour Canoe
UNCLE JOHN'S