Canoe furniture

[TheIndian]

I have an empty tandem canoe that I would like to make solo and add the following to: one seat, a portage yoke and a kneeling bench. I would like the seat as close to the middle as possible but I would also like to make the portage yoke a permanent item and not have to remove it every time I paddle...not only for convenience sake but also so that the portage yoke act as a thwart. (the kneeling bench would be mirror opposite my seat)

Now once I have my seat installed, I might realize that the portage yoke will have to be removed each time I paddle...so much for convenience. If that the case, do you think that while on the water the seat and kneeling bench will be enough support between the gunnels? If I do need to remove portage yoke each time, I am thinking about installing a thwart right behind the seat.

Your thoughts appreciated! I've been trying to think this through before drilling holes in my new gunnels. My plans to hit the Adirondacks this week got foiled with a doctors appointment so it's back to the workshop I go. Hope to have this puppy on water soon.

Thanks.
Chris

 

[bcelect]

What kind of seat are you thinking of? http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...n-Natural.html

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...noe-Chair.html

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...n-Stained.html

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...n-Natural.html
If you go with a seat in the middle they do make yokes which can mount to the seat. You can also mount the seat aft a bit, and use a permanently mounted portage yoke or one which removes with the help with an adapter kit.

http://www.wenonah.com/Category.aspx?cat=85
http://www.rutabaga.com/wenonah-cano...-bracket-black

https://www.boundarywaterscatalog.co...ch-seats-24677

https://www.boundarywaterscatalog.co...solo-yoke-6724

What I am thinking of for adjustability is one of these. You can mount it aft and use a removable portage yoke. You can use the load to trim the boat.
http://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction...ID=12&confID=1

Actually this is nice with the adjustable seat.
http://www.codabone.net/canoeing/canoes/prism.htm

As the guy with the Bell Northstar found out, the middle is not ideal, probably cause it is so wide. I would go aft some.

Well there are a few ideas
Good Luck
Bruce

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[Jim Dodd]

Clamp on yokes are a good way to go.​ Here's what I've done for years

Jim

 

[Abenakiregion]

What's the length, depth, and beam of the tandem? Are you going to use with a tripping load or empty? The beam may make for awkward paddling with a seat where the carry thwart would normally be. Are you certain you won't want to use it tandem at some point? If you haven't already seen the thread on paddling a tandem solo, you might want to check it out.
Dave

 

[Boatman53]

Jim that's a pretty clever idea. What holds it in place? Or is just a friction fit? I like it.
Jim

 

[Jim Dodd]

Jim that's a pretty clever idea. What holds it in place? Or is just a friction fit? I like it.
Jim

I borrowed the idea, so won't take the credit.
​ Friction holds it so far, but in time it will loosen, and require a wedge, or a bungee. I've used a bungee on occasion.

Jim

 

[TheIndian]

Thanks bcelect...thing is I already spent time making the seat...your typical canoe seat that I will web myself after I stain it. It going to be pretty nice I think so I would like to use it.

Nice job Jim...that gorgeous! Also...thing is I already bought my yoke from Teal. Ideally I would like to use the parts that I have.
Hmmm...things to remember for the next project....PLAN AHEAD as my mother would tell me hahaha

What's the length, depth, and beam of the tandem? Are you going to use with a tripping load or empty? The beam may make for awkward paddling with a seat where the carry thwart would normally be. Are you certain you won't want to use it tandem at some point? If you haven't already seen the thread on paddling a tandem solo, you might want to check it out.
Dave

Canoe is 16 feet with a 33 inch beam (after pulling the gunnels in a bit) I definitely want it tripping ready and I understand what you mean...a little wide for paddling solo near middle, right? I think I might move seat aft a bit and install yoke permanently. Unless I change my mind for the 100th time. I swear, this would've been done a week ago haha.

 

[Chip]

I once set up a 16' canoe to be a solo, poling boat. The seat was placed slightly behind center of the canoe, about 8" or maybe a foot at most. I eliminated the center, carry thwart. I added a webbing strap with quick release buckle across the center of the canoe, which I used when carrying the boat, until one day the buckle broke and dropped the canoe on me. Ouch. After that I'd just put a Thule strap around the boat and use that to carry the boat. The buckling strap in lieu of carry thwart worked, but needed a stronger buckling system, like ladder locks or double-d rings. But enough of carry straps.

I don't understand why you want a seat and a kneeling thwart. Can't you just rest your butt on the edge of the seat and put your knees on the floor?

In my situation, what I wanted was a lot of open space in the boat so that I could move around when I was poling. With no middle thwart, I tried to mount the seat so that it would provide rigidity. I used a one-piece truss seat drop and cut the seat so the ends of the frame were right up against the sidewalls of the hull. My thought in so doing was that the seat could help provide some rigidity in the absence of a center thwart. In front of the seat, there was a large open area, and then another thwart about four feet from the bow. I poled the boat stern-forward, so I could use the open space to move to the back for upstream poling and move back to center or a little forward of center for downstream poling. It was nice for poling, although I eventually got annoyed at having to turn the boat around every time I switched from paddling to poling.

I guess the main point for your question is that the boat did not seem to miss the center thwart on the water. It was missed for carries, but you can work around carrying with either a removable thwart or some sort of strap arrangement. I'd also suggest consolidating seat and kneeler thwart, since I can't figure out why you'd want or need both.

 

[Mihun09]

No Title

The plans for the yoke that Jim shows can be found here... http://www.paddlinglight.com/product/solo-canoe-yoke-plans-portaging/

Personally, I just use a modified Teal contour yoke.

This photo shows that it fit the new hull I built last Winter.

 

[TheIndian]

I don't understand why you want a seat and a kneeling thwart. Can't you just rest your butt on the edge of the seat and put your knees on the floor?

Chip I can't seem to ever get my feet under a canoe seat when I want to kneel...mine all to low I guess. I have a 16' tandem Mohawk set up the same way (two seats, a yoke and a kneeling bench) and it works great...or maybe I just used to it that way. It would be great to have one less piece of furniture in the boat but this time around I learning. My solo Argosy has that great adjustable height/adjustable angle seat which works great when sitting or the need to kneel...maybe I'll work on making one of those in the future.

I haven't tried poling yet...maybe someday.

Btw...what's a common angle of a kneeling bench? We all different heights I understand but is there a common angel? I'm thinking 25 degrees...maybe 30?