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I believe it's traditional to put it on your beer drinkin' hand side.

That's kinda like how much more I see with my tiny $80 monocular instead of high quality binoculars. The little monocular is always with me. I'm no photographer, but I'm blown away by the picture quality and features available in modern phones. My philosophy is to take pictures of everything...

Imagine being a forest service employee trying to argue with someone about the difference in definitions between firewood and twigs.

I just got done making kneeling drops for my new Phoenix. I went a bit farther and added shelves on either side of the seat, one having a beverage holder. I was going to try to match the stain of the seat but failed. I can only describe the stain Northstar used as "Baby crap Brown". They...

I'm glad I found this site because finding conversations focused canoes is very difficult. Kayakers naturally seem to take over any general paddling community. I assume because the perception is that the barrier to entry is lower from a skills point of view. I'd like to know the ratio of...

I grew up paddling both canoes and kayaks because my father was heavily into whitewater kayaking and also belonged to a canoe club that camped/paddled class 1 & 2 type stuff almost every weekend. I've always preferred canoes and switched to soloing an open canoe in up to class 4 when I was...

I've never attended Canoecopia but my understanding is that they don't do test paddles so I wouldn't travel far to attend it if I were looking to compare canoes (it'd still be cool to see and talk to all the vendors though). I'd wait until Rutabaga opens up test paddles in their pond in late...

I don't pinch down the barbs unless the area requires it (certain trout streams in the Ozarks, for example) because I mostly fish for small mouth which like to go airborne and throw hooks. But I do replace treble hooks with single hooks. I only keep panfish for eating and release everything...

Northstar Phoenix. Discussed here: https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/northstar-firebird-vs-phoenix.129688/. What's funny is I noticed while test paddling it that I need a 2"-3" shorter paddle than the one I just made. It's narrower and has more tumblehome than what I've been paddling.

I was at an outfitter today and while contemplating whether I was going to drop the coin on a new boat (I caved and bought it) I wandered over to the paddle area. The grip in the rear of this picture is similar to what I made a few days ago and is what I'm used to. The one in front is one I...

I looked at a Northstar Firebird, Phoenix, and Swift Prospector 13 & 14 today and bought the Phoenix. The Firebird looked like a great play boat but seemed a bit too small. The craftsmanship of the Swifts was phenomenal. Absolutely stunning and really made the Northstars look crude but in the...

Fortunately the ash and walnut are pretty straight grained and plane nicely. I have a pile of curly maple I picked up 15 or so years ago. I made one table out of it and really struggled with tear out. I ended up finishing it with scrapers. I'm starting to think curly maple and quartersawn...

I'm curious how thick you're planning to make the blade? I'm thinking I'll do 3/8" or maybe a bit less. I plan to fiberglass mine since I mostly run shallow, rocky rivers and creeks (unless someone convinces me not to). I also see you're going for a more traditional handle shape. I've never...

My "worst" was actually a great canoe used for the wrong purpose. During covid when anything outdoor related was unobtanium I wanted a solo canoe for fishing on relatively flatwater rivers with nothing above class 1 rapids. A 1990's vintage Dagger Impulse popped up on Craigslist and I bought...

Well, you got farther than I did today. I got the idea while eating lunch that I'd try making a paddle for the first time. I milled all the wood and got it set up in the clamps then realized I don't have any waterproof glue on hand. I'll run out in the morning and get some. I'm a little...

She loves the water and hates being left behind but I no longer bring her because she barks the whole time. It's very out of character for her to bark - she'll happily watch delivery people walk up the drive and onto the porch without a peep. But for some reason if I put her in a canoe or...

I agree but it depends on what I'm doing. When I'm hunting and looking through a scope or binoculars all day I want the best optics I can afford. Cheap optics give me a headache. But when canoeing or hiking I'm only taking a quick look at a bird or other object so I don't need that level of...

A test paddle in the upper midwest this time of year is kind of tough. I'm game as long as the water isn't iced over (we used to whitewater kayak all winter) but I don't think the outfitters are comfortable allowing me to do it. I might have to wait until Spring. I don't think I can bring...

I'm a gun enthusiast and love both long range rifle shooting and pistols and I've had a carry permit for decades but I rarely carry in either urban or wilderness. In almost 60 years I've never been in a situation where having a gun would have led to a better outcome.

I'm in the market for a new solo canoe. 90% of my paddling is on rivers and most of those are shallow and rocky. My paddling is usually leisurely fishing on streams that flow at about 2.5-3 MPH with occasional class 1 rapids but at several points in every trip I'll hit a flat stretch and would...