Recent content by MrPoling

Glad you are healing. I trail run. A few decades ago I got a stick in the eye. It knocked me down but fortunately left only a black eye. Now i wear either sunglasses or safety glasses. My daughter is running cross country now, I got her prescription safety glasses. I think safety glasses...

Nice find, it looks like it is good shape. I had an OCA. I don't know if it was factory, but it had oak trim. It might have had oak gunwales. It was a fun and seaworthy, but heavy.

Hey on283, welcome to the forum. I've not seen many factory boats that were fiberglass and carbon. My impression is both are very stiff. I have a fiberglass.Mad River Explore. It is wonderfully stiff, and doesn't even need foam reinforcement. Kevlar, on the other hand, is normally...

No thanks, my paddling gear is a tool. If it is too nice to use it is just wasteful, no matter how easy it was to buy. Wasteful has never appealed me, even when I could afford it. I've seen similar furniture before. Art built by talented craftsman. That is a much more reasonable case for...

Thanks for posting this. I've read a lot from the american whitewater database, especially in my home states. It is good information. Lots of horror stories about pins. It is worth noting that the database focuses on white water. It isn't comprehensive for flat water paddlers, or boaters. The...

Updated, inadvertently posted before complete

Location: Eno river from Kings Highway Park to dam at Orange-Alamance Lake. Date: Late September 2025 Craft: Mad River Explorer, Fiberglass In July tropical storm Chantal dumped around 10 inches of rain into the Neuse River basin. The Eno, Little, and Flat rivers experienced serious flooding...

I like living where I can get to the water easily. I've lived waterfront, which was amazing. About half the places i've lived had somewhere I could get to in a few minutes to paddle. Not necessarily something spectacular but just somewhere I could access the water legally and get some...

I think a VPN will create misleading IP. I'd have to research to understand the nuances of IP addresses. But using a VPN is probably a good idea for most people, so I wouldn't take this by itself as conclusive. I think another reason to have bot account is to download images in higher...

The Tripper is hey big heavy boat before you make those repairs. After the repairs, it will be heavier than any alternative, like an aluminum canoe or a discovery. Most of which you could buy cheaply. The beauty of Royalex is it is tough and can take abuse and still get you down the river. I'm...

I used TB III for the laminated, treated pine gunwales on my old ratty Reflection. It's been at least two decades, with a few years of sitting outside. It has only a portage yoke, and no seats, so the gunwales flex like bows. No problems.

Indeed, if it is true, there must be a story behind it. It would be nice to hear from the OP or whoever purchased it. A reverse image search turned up nothing, so that's a good start.

I've hiked part of the Gauley at low water. There are gnarly undercuts throughout Lost Paddle. In my view, if you aren't comfortable and sure you'll stay in your boat you should stay away from the Gauley.

That's a good video. I like how he's done it enough to know it works. Bonus for shooting the video in open water with a little swell. I agree with him too about practicing whatever setup you have.

I don't know if I'm any faster with a bent shaft paddle, but i'm a lot more comfortable, for longer. I think less lifting water is definitely part of it. It keeps the canoe from bouncing as much too.