Bolger Pirogue
Description
The Bolger Pirogue (Design #451) is a minimalist, versatile plywood "instant boat" by Philip C. Bolger, often referred to as the Bolger Pirogue or simply Pirogue (with some builds called the Payson Pirogue after Harold "Dynamite" Payson's promotion in Instant Boats). Introduced in the 1980s, it's inspired by traditional Cajun/flat-bottom pirogues but simplified to Bolger's signature tack-and-tape plywood method — built from just two 4x8 sheets of 1/4" plywood (plus scraps for joints/overlays), making it one of the cheapest and quickest small boats to construct (many finish the hull in days to weeks). It's a shallow-draft, flat-bottom sharpie-style skiff optimized for multipurpose use in protected waters: rowing, paddling, poling (great for marshes/bayous), sailing (optional rig), or even small outboard auxiliary. Owners and reviewers call it surprisingly capable and elegant for its extreme simplicity — stable, dry-riding in chop for its size, and fun as a tender, explorer, fisher, or daysailer.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bolger, Philip C. |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 16.167 ft |
| LOA | 16.167 ft |
| Beam | 2.750 ft |
| Displacement | 150 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.250 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.500 ft |
| Year Built | 1982 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Bolger Pirogue - SPRIT
| Luff | 6.5 ft - (1981 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.58 ft - (2006 mm) |
| Leech | 8.875 ft - (2705 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 90.01 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 9.25 ft - (2819 mm) |
| Head | 4.25 ft - (1295 mm) |
| Area | * 40.03 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.