Swann's Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Outfitters
presents Gheenoes for sale!

The Story of the Gheenoe

Harley W. Gheen always loved to go fishing, especially in small rivers and shallow, hard-to-get places. But Harley found out that to get to those places meant going out in a canoe, which, as we all know, can be very tricky and very wet if you're not careful. Being a Tennessee man, he can tell you the water can be pretty cold. Trying to fish with more than one person in a canoe can be difficult also....

In the middle of the 60's Harley, at the time a senior designer at the Cape Canaveral Space Center, came across some drawings of a boat he had sketched up when he worked as a draftsman at Dempster Brothers in Knoxville, Tennessee. Putting his skills to work, he came up with a design for a new type of boat that would be not only extremely stable, but that would allow the option of putting an outboard motor on the stern thus saving his paddling arm for more fishing. This design also let Harley get into really shallow water, which works out great when fishing the flats and marshes of central Florida. So around 1968, the Gheenoe (part Gheen - part canoe) boat was born.

In 1970 Harley quit his job at what had become the Kennedy Space Center and with his wife Bobbie and their kids they started Gheen Manufacturing. They put all their time and energy into Harley's Gheenoe project and over 30 years and thousands of Gheenoes later, they still build the one and only Gheenoe. Many people have tried to copy it, but Harley still builds the only Gheenoe brand on the market and Swann's Fly Fishing Outfitters has Gheenoes for sale!

Harley now has more models to choose from. They range from the 125 pound 13; and 15'4" models, which are light enough to easily put on top of a car or in the back of a truck, to the wider and roomier 15'6" classic for the fisherman who wants a little more room, to the biggest Gheenoe - a 16' Super Gheenoe. So if you're trying to get into shallow water, wanting to get that bag limit of ducks, or just looking for a fun, safe day on the water with the family in a boat that's almost impossible to tip over - step out of the ordinary and into a Gheenoe. Swann's Fly Fishing Outfitters has gheenoes for sale and can custom order what you want.

Spelling of Gheenoe: By the way, I have seen all these various spellings: gheenoe gheenos Geenoo Ghinu Ginu genue keynew Geenu gheenu Geenoe canew Genoe geenew and genug! ;-)

We also have Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Fly Rods and reels and Indian River Canoes!