Search results

William Nealy‘s book Whitewater Tales of Terror included 4 drawings of fictional river craft: Thunderbird II raft, with raft to shore missiles for attacking rival rafter’s headquarters Snapper raft, with raft to raft missiles. The Hunky Dory, a whitewater dory with ground to air missiles for...

My kids regress into dragging their paddles on the gunnels during longer trips. I'll have to try whipping their paddles. I've also adopted easy maintenance finishes on my canoes. One has black aluminum gunnels that get touched up once a year during routine maintenance. Same for the finish on...

I think the easy answer is large crossings in those conditions need a dry suit. Always wear your life jacket, if for no other reason than to help emergency workers bring quick closure to your family. I suggest practicing whatever your plan is. If you think you can get back in a loaded...

I regret learning the hard way about safety gear. Early on I didn't wear a helmet in whitewater. I took a hard hit in the head. I also had a close call in a cool lake after capsizing without my PFD. I should have followed the basics that are well establish.

That was a good article. Mountain lakes are special places. They can change from beautiful to threatening in a few minutes. The wind can change directions in minutes. One side of a half-mile crossing might be calm, and the other white capped. I've even seen it blow straight down once. The...

I had a hollow handle broom once, from a single piece of wood. It was hollowed out by a carpenter bee. I suppose the same technique could be applied to a solid shaft canoe paddle. Probably drilling entrance hole would be enough to entice the bee.

Rarely. I never fished until the past 2 years. Not only were my original experiences boring, but I also lived in places like WV (mining pollution) and the Carolinas (industrial chemicals) where the fish were unappetizing. I only fish now because my kids like it. I'm glad it gives them...

Hey Black_Fly, there was a recent related thread. https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/grail-of-bail-bailing-scoop.128426/ My bailing scope is clipped to my crash bag.

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but... If it's an old boat, and you'd like wood that doesn't grow mushrooms or need lots of maintenance, use treated lumber. Go down to the lumber store and find yourselves some decking boards that don't have knots on the outsides. Rip the outer...

Many years ago I got a pair of neoprene gloves*. They had plastic printed on the palms and bottom of fingers. It looked like a place for non-stick grip, but it was really hard and slippery. I couldn't grip the paddle. The first cold trip I ended up paddling without them because I was...

"But unlike David’s sit-inside kayak, Ochoa’s was a sit-on-top. It didn’t fill with water when it capsized, and Ochoa was able to scramble back aboard. " A big problem with canoes is they are more difficult to self- rescue, especially in bad conditions. Sit inside kayaks without sealed...

I wouldn't stress over it, especially for fiberglass. I would just cut it to fit the canoe is it is. Poplar is probably fine for a regular thwart. Ash, cherry, and walnut are commonly used. I made a poplar portage yoke once and wouldn't do it again, but for a thwart you'll be ok Once you...

Thanks for posting that link, I'd love to spend a day there. I'd have to paddle there. It looks like the art museum is kind of across the river, Then there's some places to eat near the river too.

I was floating the easy part of the Green River in North Carolina. At the bottom of a little rapid the canoe felt weird, a little heavy, like there was something stuck on it. I turned to find a very drunk, very sunburned tuber clinging to the stern. Both his inner tubes were floating nearby...

Hey, welcome HDLV. I've never paddled either of these canoes, but I'll share my thoughts based on their specs and the other canoes I've paddled, including the Malecite's bigger brother, the Explorer. Both the Malecite and Escape are similar, being a touch skinnier than normal canoes. The...

That is a lovely hull. Where is it? A state or metro area will help readers decide if they are interested.

I'm not ready for a career change, but I'm curious about how a small manufacturing operation like Hemlock works. Is this a handful of employees in a few small buildings? Shop and warehouse? How many canoes a year is required to keep them going? A fiberglass canoe manufacture in Virginia, I...

The situation you describe shows ignorance or worse on so many levels. My experience is such folk normally don't want help, at least until they are in serious trouble. Also folks who do stuff like that are often intoxicated. Normally I just try to stay away from them. A 6-year-old without a...

It took me a long time to accept how strong fiber reinforced plastics are. But I'm sure they won't last forever. I'm curious how long these towers were in use. Your repairs look good, and replacing is a good plan. For a while I had Yakima towers and crossbars for my Odyssey. But they were...

This is difficult to answer because denatured alcohol formulations differ so much. Usage matters too. The deciding factor for me is toxicity. Isopropanol is the less toxic of the commonly used alcohols. If I'm doing lots of prep cleaning I'll use isopropanol. Denatured alcohols with lots of...