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  1. Will Derness

    Gunnel notching question

    How about scribing your nothes on the stock and using a hand circular saw, fixed to the proper depth, to precisely cut the two outside edges. Then free hand cut all the stock in the middle. That will remove most of the wood for you. Touch up with a hand chisel. But that maybe too much of...
  2. Will Derness

    Canned food v dehydrated & packed water

    Those cheap 2.5 gallon rectangles of water typically have you poke a vent hole in the top to let the water flow freely. If you don't want a puncture in your water container you might want to test operating one if them without puncturing a vent hole
  3. Will Derness

    Sewing by Hand Tip

    My sewing stitches look ugly - wavy lines, irregular lengths. But I'm not parading down the runway with my work, so looking shabby is just fine as long as it stays together.
  4. Will Derness

    Sewing by Hand Tip

    My preference is to find a seamstress when I need some sewing done. However, every now and then I'm forced by circumstances to pick up a needle and thread and do it myself by hand. Many years ago I came upon the Speedy Stitcher and that has served me well when sewing through tough webbing and...
  5. Will Derness

    FS Mad River Revelation/Freedom 17 Royalex Canoe

    Most all of us will need to own light weight canoes if we are to keep paddling as we get increasingly older. Lifting and loading a canoe on your vehicle is the first order of business for a paddling trip. So accept that a light weight canoe is in your future. After looking unsuccessfully for...
  6. Will Derness

    FS Mad River Revelation/Freedom 17 Royalex Canoe

    Wonderful that the boat will have new adventures! Do you have a revolving fund where the proceeds will go for your next hull?
  7. Will Derness

    Poling lessons in Venice

    The "oar lock" they use is called a forcale. While in Venice we took a morning and visited the shop where the craftsmen carved these beautiful pieces of wood. If you visit the gallery you'll see quite a few variations of the forcale. https://www.forcole.com/eng-catalogue.html
  8. Will Derness

    I'm finally able to get back on line!!!

    Welcome back, hope your recovery leads to a paddle trip.
  9. Will Derness

    It's been a while. Any updates to your ditch bag?

    In preparing for a trip recently, I charged my 2 Lucis, collpased them and packed them away. When called to duty some weeks later (not quite sure the time span) they both were drained. I learned from that to charge them closer to needing their use.
  10. Will Derness

    Looking for Wilderness River for Summer 2019

    Pretty sure Tagalong no longer does jet boat shuttles from the confluence of the Green and Colorado so Tex may be the only shuttle option at the confluence. Another suggestion for you is the Potomac river in Maryland from below Cumberland to Hancock. 50 miles from Oldtown to Hancock. Would...
  11. Will Derness

    20 foot freighter canoe

    Ooooh to have a shop like that! Complete with safety taping on the floor. Looking forward to seeing this boat come to life.
  12. Will Derness

    Tales of Strainers Past (not passed)

    No that was another Buffalo River event which occurred several days prior to the one Pete mentioned. Here is the tale of the only time I've had a boat of mine pinned. The Buffalo River was running high following two springtime floods. Lots of new wood was on the river. For a week NPS...
  13. Will Derness

    Tales of Strainers Past (not passed)

    Epic day on the river for mishaps. 4 swims with one resulting in the canoe getting stuffed into a strainer. Our group was able to extract the canoe. It took 2 throw bags to accomplish it and one thing I noticed was my rescue partners on the other side of the river each had their throw bags in...
  14. Will Derness

    Pettit EZ-Poxy Topside paint

    I'm curious. What problem did the canoe have that made you want to paint it? It it does look sharp in white. A quart of water weighs about 2 lbs so you paid a small penalty for dressing it up.
  15. Will Derness

    Got Hitched Today, Nice Rack

    A paddling friend of mine travels in a boxy Chevy van he outfitted for sleeping and traveling. He purchased a used workmans van outfiited with all the steel shelving and drawers a plumber or electrician would have on his work truck. He removed those elements he didn't need and built his RV...
  16. Will Derness

    Re-repairing repairs in Royalex

    That's an ugly project ahead of you. If you can't lift those repair patches with a chisel I would think it would take an extraordinarily long time to sand it flat. In the past when I've been able to get the edge of an old patch lifted, a vise grip on the patch has pulled much of the loosely...
  17. Will Derness

    Overnight Trip on the Paw Paw Bends section of the Potomac (western Maryland)

    That section of river was my first introduction to canoeing. It was the tenderloin center of a 50 mile over night trip in canoes, river camping the whole way down. All in the pursuit of the 50 miler canoe merit badge in Scouting. I had no idea how transformative that trip would be become. As...
  18. Will Derness

    Favorite no-shuttle-needed canoe camping places?

    Well given your specifications Wilson Lake in Kansas should be on your list. About half way across Kansas, ~~15 miles north of I-70. Lucas Park Recreation Area (COE) has both primitive and RV loops on the water. When I visited during the summer, the primitive loop had no occupants. And...
  19. Will Derness

    Considering This Canoe

    Looks very nice, at that price I can't imagine it will last long.
  20. Will Derness

    Canoe Mounts

    The magnetically receptive plate came in a package of 8 for $10; 4 rectangular and 4 circular. Might as well make use of these plates. So I pulled out my tandem/solo canoe out and epoxied 2 plates on for use in either tandem or solo set up. The quick release feature of the magnetic plate...
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