Authentic LSU AgCenter Cajun Pirogue Plan

The authentic Cajun pirogue

The pirogue is the iconic flat-bottomed boat of the Louisiana bayou and the Atchafalaya basin — narrow, lightweight, ideal for one or two people poling through inches of cypress-shadow water. The design has hardly changed in two centuries.

This product is LSU AgCenter Plan 2801 — the official Louisiana State University extension-service plywood pirogue plan. LSU’s extension service has published this plan for decades as a public service to amateur builders. It is, by any measure, the authoritative free pirogue plan.

What’s included

LSU AgCenter Plan 2801 — Pirogue: the complete 3-page plan sheet exactly as LSU publishes it. Plywood plywood-on-chine construction. Dimensioned plan view, side view, end view, materials list, build sequence.

Honest framing on file size

At 62 KB and 3 pages, this is a compact plan — but it is exactly what LSU publishes. The pirogue is a simple design (3 sheets of plywood, an afternoon of work) and the plan does not need to be longer. This is not a pared-down extract; it is the complete LSU plan as released. Compare to the existing LSU AgCenter publication catalogue if curious.

Design specifications

• Length: ~14 ft
• Beam: ~32 in
• Depth: ~10 in
• Weight (empty): ~45 lb
• Capacity: 1–2 people plus gear
• Construction: 1/4 in marine plywood, chine logs, sawn frames
• Tools required: circular saw, drill, screwdriver, basic clamps
• Estimated build time: 1 weekend
• Material cost: $150–250 in marine plywood and fasteners

Use cases

• Bayou and swamp poling — the pirogue’s native environment
• Shallow-water duck hunting
• Pond and creek fishing
• Cartopper / pickup-bed transportable

Who this is for

First-time amateur boat builders. The pirogue is the highest-confidence beginner build — you cannot easily get it wrong, and the result is genuinely useful. Fishermen and waterfowlers in the southeastern US in particular.

About this document

LSU AgCenter Plan 2801 is published by Louisiana State University AgCenter (lsuagcenter.com) as a public extension-service document. As a US state-extension-service publication it is effectively in the public domain.

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