I'm heading to Maine in early July for a trip from Allagash Lake to Chase Rapids. We'll put in at Johnson Pond, or the southern end of Allagash Lake, and take out at Bissonette Bridge, on the Allagash River. The vast majority of the trip will be on Lakes (Allagash, Chamberlain, Eagle, Churchill) though we'll have two relatively short and fun stretches of river (Allagash Stream and then Chase Rapids) during which I'd like to do some poling. I'm still a rank novice with a pole, but in June I'm planning to participate in a two day poling clinic with Maine Guide, Lisa DeHart.
This is a group trip, and if we end up with even numbers, I'll be paddling tandem and bring one of my Trippers. If we have odd numbers, then I might use this trip as an excuse to add another boat to my quiver. While I'd love to paddle my RX Wildfire, I don't think it's beamy enough to be a good poler. Soloing my Tripper with a cross breeze on those windy lakes seems like a lot of hard work but doable with the right trim.
So.... what say you experienced polers? What boat might you recommend for poling that wouldn't be a dog to solo on a big lake?
I could pretty readily pick up an Old Town Camper, which is a pretty common poling boat around these parts, but aside from the somewhat reduced windage (and a few pounds) I'm not sure how much advantage it would have over my Trippers. I'm not looking to spend top dollar on a new composite boat, but would like to think I might learn something about the poling/flat-water compromise that would ultimately inform that sort of investment, if I ever get to do something like the NFCT after my kids are grown.
This is a group trip, and if we end up with even numbers, I'll be paddling tandem and bring one of my Trippers. If we have odd numbers, then I might use this trip as an excuse to add another boat to my quiver. While I'd love to paddle my RX Wildfire, I don't think it's beamy enough to be a good poler. Soloing my Tripper with a cross breeze on those windy lakes seems like a lot of hard work but doable with the right trim.
So.... what say you experienced polers? What boat might you recommend for poling that wouldn't be a dog to solo on a big lake?
I could pretty readily pick up an Old Town Camper, which is a pretty common poling boat around these parts, but aside from the somewhat reduced windage (and a few pounds) I'm not sure how much advantage it would have over my Trippers. I'm not looking to spend top dollar on a new composite boat, but would like to think I might learn something about the poling/flat-water compromise that would ultimately inform that sort of investment, if I ever get to do something like the NFCT after my kids are grown.