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Crown land permits only in Ontario.

The Yellowstone front country is already a solid line of traffic during most of the open season. Can you imagine the cluster $&% it would create if the rivers were opened to boating? Not to mention the resource damage, garbage etc. Sure, I would love to paddle the Yellowstone River through...

From my experience with a skegged kayak, a skeg mostly helps in the downwind direction, maybe a little with a broadside wind to reduce weathercocking but that would really depends on the canoe/kayak design. If you paddle primarily on large lakes, the skeg can help keep the boat from broaching in...

I am a fan of sandals for canoe tripping. For those interested in trying sandals, this Teva Omnium sandal has served me well for years. I am now on my third pair. The toe is pretty much closed until just beyond the ball of the foot. You can, on occasion, get stuff underneath the foot but it...

processing.............processing...............

The Horror!

Thanks, this sounds good. I see it's available at Canadian Tire. I'll grab some on my next trip north😉.

I have used TB III on all my canoe builds, paddles etc. and never had any issues. It has the longest open time and most importantly is rated for use at the lowest temperature of all 3, which means I don't have to heat up the shop as much. I am pretty good about using the right amount of glue, so...

I wish you had photographed the broken blade. It still isn’t exactly clear to me why the mould was necessary. Also, how did you break the paddles? I assume hitting a rock. My non ps zre paddle seems amazingly strong. I often paddle upstream, hitting rocks has knocked the paddle out of my hands...

That is true, and I stand corrected, but now I have seen the ugliest canoe. Thanks

It's probably just me, but those Swift canoes are about the ugliest things I've seen. I know they can still make regular solid colors, but what's up with the burlap bag, woven plastic chair look and primer gray? To each his own.

This is a great idea. The narrower hull will make it a much better solo canoe. Increasing your station spacing to roughly 12-1/2" brings it to about 14.5'. It should end up being a stable solo canoe with plenty of displacement for a tripping load. Once you build the hull you may even be able to...

Good luck with that Gamma, I've luckily never had that happen. I have had good luck using a heat gun to twist strips into shape near the ends before I glue and staple them down. It takes some of the pressure off the staples. I just use a couple of those irwin grip clamps to get leverage. It...

The NWC Merlin is a hard tracking boat. I gave away the one I made, but have paddled it on a number of occasions in flat and moving water. Upstream travel and crossing eddy lines is done with caution, or not at all. The rocker measurements are deceiving since the keel line is flat along 2/3 of...

Gamma, one other tip on using these plans. You'll notice that the keel line on the stem forms does not meet up with the keel line on last form on either end the way they usually do on canoe plans. At first I thought the designer left a space to accommodate an internal stem, but no, these plans...

Good choice. I built a slightly shortened version of that Merlin. It is a fast boat and tracks really well. Watch out when crossing eddy lines, this canoe wasn't designed for that. You may find that the last 2 stations in the stern need additional fairing. I'm pretty sure I didn't make a mistake...

As Rubbaboo said above, there are many possible routes that start in the Missinipe area. There are lake loops north of Missinipe starting from McClennan and Brabant Lakes as well as loops and out and backs using the Churchill River and its tributaries. Since it's your first trip, it might be...

This might be helpful to some of you who do paddle trips or camp on crown land in Ontario. A few years ago they changed how you buy these permits online. If you have used Ontario One-key website to get a permit, it is no longer valid. The old system was quite cryptic, and the new system is as...

Of course there are a number of portages on this route around rapids and falls. In addition, there are swifts and minor class 1's leading up to portages from both direction. This being Wabakimi, there are downed trees and other obstacles to paddling in the upstream direction. All I can say is...

Last May I paddled from the put in at Smye Lake and travelled downstream on the Flindt River, but I had no clue about the 2023 fire prior to my trip. I made it a ways, reached the burn and was determined to cut my way through the portages and make it to Wabakimi Lake and beyond. I broke my saw...