Boats and canoes left in the bush

Have you ever left a boat or canoe in the woods forever for others to use?

Over the years I have come across many canoes and the occasional canoe left in the bush as well as a camp for anyone to use (the camp even had a sign on it).

For years we use to use a canoe left up on the Le Cloche Mountains in Espanola, Ontario until it wore out and split, I did duct tape it a few times. The last year we used it I remember my son and I were canoeing West Quartzite Lake and I could see a small 12 ft boat sitting on the shore a few hundred yards ahead. I still remember thinking to myself "Awesome I'm going to buy a trolling motor and a battery" and we paddle up to the boat only to see someone had shot it numerous time with a shot gun.

Now WTF would someone do that for. No way someone would have climbed this mountain with a 12 ft boat if it had holes in, it's a good enough climb with a canoe on your back.

I have thought of leaving a canoe someplace as over the years I have sometimes had 2 or 3 canoes lying around but when I see people destroying things it just makes me think it's not worth it.

I can remember back in the 1980's when people use to leave their fish shacks unlocked for others to use but later on people started ransacking them, so the owners began locking them and hiring security.

It's such a shame at one time people like to share but then people started abusing it.

I have another spare canoe and have been looking for a third so I can maybe leave one up at Espanola but for what point.

This early next week were headed above River Valley not far from Sudbury to Lower Goose Falls to do some camping, ATVing and some fishing.

Mom always warned us about leaving toys laying around. Never leave anything in the bush that you care if it grows feet.

Seen many boat caches over the years. Not as many canoes. My canoe only weighs 37 lbs - not an issue to carry it in and out no matter the distance.

Sadly I've seen a few with shotgun holes, seems like there's always someone who needs to blast at anything nice. Especially signs and other convenient things left for the common good.

I know of a couple spots that have tinnys just sitting on the edge of back lakes. Never used them but took a good look at them. Both were in usable condition, with ores hidden under. My canoe is fairly light and still easy to carry.

I agree that somewhere along the line people began abusing the system and now there’s no trust.

In NW Ontario, it’s common practice for folks to “cache” boats in the woods. So much so that the MNR implemented a “Boat Cache Policy” and people needed to affix decals on their boats so that they would be legal. Many outfitters cache boats on good fishing lakes.

In 2017, the government implemented “Regulation 161/17: OCCUPATION OF PUBLIC LANDS UNDER SECTION 21.1 OF THE ACT”.

As per this regulation:
Boats
19. A person is authorized to occupy public lands under section 21.1 of the Act for the purpose of placing a boat, whether a canoe, kayak, motor boat or any other kind of boat, only if the following conditions are met:

1. The boat is placed solely for the purpose of storage associated with a non-commercial activity.

2. The public lands on which the boat is placed are adjacent to a waterway.

3. The public lands that are occupied are not part of a road, trail, parking lot or boat launch.

4. The public lands are not located in the area depicted as Part I in the map entitled “Plan of the Boundary of the Boat Cache Program Area”, dated May 4, 2017 and available to the public at the Office of the Surveyor General in Peterborough.

The legal authority to place things on Crown Land does not mean that these things are abandoned or are available for use by others without permission!

Yes, where we Moose hunt there are a few lakes with boats attached to a tree, usually you see a sticker placed on by the ministry saying that it must be removed, a few years back we used 1, it was a magnificent trip, the scenery was amazing, even got to see an outpost cabin.

Many times,trappers leave small boats or canoes to tend traps until freeze up.

We've got a 12 ft row boat left at a lake in the bush within WMU 50. Just have tipped over and out of sight from those on the actual lake - under a tree. One of the guys even made a homemade outboard motor using a lawnmower motor, so now you can choose between rowing or bringing a tank of gas to use the outboard.

When Woody1948 still lived in Ontario, he had several small aluminium boats stashed on backwoods trout lakes. He would move them around from time to time. My ex-wife’s late uncle used to do the same thing around Elliot Lake. There is a code in the bush, people leave them available for use by others, but, leave it as you found it. We once went to use one of Woody’s boats and someone has lost or taken the plug, so we found a stick and jammed it in. Woody drove while I bailed, but we nailed a few speckles for our effort. My ex’s uncle did lose one boat. There always has to be someone who ruins it for others.

The small back woods lake I am on has seven 12-14 foot tin boats and two canoes sitting on the north shore on my neighbor's private land. Most all of them have been there for at least 15 years some have not been used for years on end. He does not seem to mind them being there and just pretty happy nobody uses a gas motor on the lake which has been a gentleman agreement for as long as I remember. Most folks coming onto the lake have to go through the bush a couple of miles and most are locals so as they don't leave a mess everybody is pretty happy.

I totally get where you're coming from. It's heartbreaking to see good things get wrecked by a few bad apples. Personally, I've stumbled upon abandoned boats and campsites, too. It's such a shame.

I have an old Coleman flat bottom boat I would like to leave out for people to use, but have seen so many that have been shot up that I ma hesitant to do so.