Recent content by Tryin'

Quicker the better, but not really critical. UV will damage the inside-y parts of the royalex fairly quickly, and water ingress is generally considered "sub-optimal". Dynel is the material de jour for skid plates. Its really not too difficult a task.

Yeah, as long as the core isn't rotting there, its a pretty easy fix. Even if the foam is deteriorating, that small of an area isn't a big deal. Look through the "skid plate" threads for lots of ideas on repairing the damage.

Value is extremely subjective, based on what you want in a hull and what the seller thinks they have. If you can get the HIN, it will help narrow the options. In the meantime, here is the 2008 OT catalog, showing the Osprey in an "Angler" configuration and a "General" configuration...

He and Nemaji Hermit have great BWCA relaxation content. And CanoeCampClimb for ADK content.

Ebay and coin shops. https://www.ebay.com/itm/304736039480

NRS and Astral have some highly regarded offerings. Fly fishing shoes will perform well. Most people will tell you to not get the felt soles, which are VERY non-slip, because of invasive spread.

FWIW, I had never used the system before and had the yoke on in less than 30 seconds. Floating the hull over the strap in the water was the quickest. Faster than my Swift clamp, and waaaay faster than the two Wenonah options. But, I definitely dont have my system tuned to the level that you...

@PortageW/Cerberus Do you have any pictures of your blackwater loaded for a trip? What packs do you use?

Here is a pic, it uses a protected cam buckle for closure. With the gunwale setups that I saw, it gives you about 4-5" of front/back adjustment, maybe more with straight gunwale lines. I didn't have a scale, but I would guess ~18-22oz. An aspect I didn't really think about was how much the...

Whew, they are proud of them. McMaster-Carr had some similar, but even more moolah. https://swiftoutside.com/product/removable-yoke-hardware/ Northstar sells some overpriced bent aluminum that works kinda the same. https://www.northstarcanoes.com/accessories/clamp-on-yokes-yoke-pads/

I gotta say, I really like Savage River's setup for thin gunwales. It wasn't clunky at all, and made for a solid connection that could be moved fore or after to make up for preference or attached gear.

Here is a Swift clamp-on from the 20-teens:

Is the threaded insert close to, but inside the NS gunwale?

I think he meant that if one uses a double blade, then the open canoe will collect more water than the topped kayak.

@PortageW/Cerberus That is some good real-world info, thank you. I was shocked at how strong the hull felt compared to its weight. Also, what are the specs on your build? Particularly interested in layups.