Dog Pad

[Black_Fly]

Does anybody carry something or alter the floor of their canoe in any way to make the dog more comfortable? I have a piece of foam, but without gluing it in place it won't stay. Really, something that drains and keeps the pup out of the water would work best. Just wondered what you dog paddlers use if anything.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

https://flic.kr/p/DuFDYk https://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/

1/4" closed cell foam mat. It sticks fairly well if the floor of the canoe is clean.

 

[Alan Gage]

I use those interlocking foam mats used to put on the floor for cushioning. One is big enough for a small boat. Two for a bigger one. They wrap up the sides of the bow in a solo and even if not tied in often times stay in place even when portaging. But sometimes they would fall out mid-portage and that was annoying.

So I while I was attaching homemade d-rings (just webbing loops and no metal rings) to the rest of the canoe I made sure a few of them would fall under the edges of the dog mat. I then tied a short loop of bungee to those loops that I can push up through holes I cut in the floor mat. Then using twigs as toggles I push them through the bungee to hold the mat in place. That probably sounds confusing but it's not.

You can see the 4 webbing loops used for the pad in the bow of this picture. If there was no dog mat (or dog) they could be used to tie down gear, like the others.

20160717_009 by Alan, on Flickr

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures with the mat in place. But just imagine a short loop of thin diameter bungee on each of those four tie downs. There are matching holes in the foam mat. When the mat is put in the canoe pull those loops of bungee up through the holes and put a stick through the loop so it doesn't pull back through. Quick to put in, quick to take out, and stays in place while portaging.

Alan

 

[yellowcanoe]

I use the same interlocking pads that Alan uses.. You trim them so that the pad jams under the gunwales. That way the pad can't slip.
They are comfy for you too if you have to kneel

https://www.amazon.com/Stalwart-Int...ing-Playroom/dp/B01DAOSLVM?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

 

[snapper]

I put down an old yoga mat. It seems to hold without sliding around regardless of whether there is water in the canoe or not. I also picked up a used "Rapidfire" last fall and the person I got it from had glued down a CCF pad to the floor for her dog. I'll leave it alone unless the glue comes undone. Bottom line, at least with my dog, I've found she's much more comfortable lying on a pad of some kind instead of the bare floor.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

 

[Black_Fly]

I'm actually standing on those interlocking pads right now. I use them for my standup desk at work. I'll see what I can rig in the boats to hold them in place. I wonder what kind of glue works best. Maybe rubber cement?

 

[Pook]

Hi,
Nothing special at all- just the "car pads" from trunk of my wifes car.
As our Greyhound has zero body fat he feels every everything- kind of a prince and the pea situation.
That said, we just lay these down behind the centre thwart and he settles right down.

( strange how long it took us to actually try this dog in a canoe. Chestnut is incredibly timid of everything but rabbits so I figured there is no way he'll settle down in a rocking canoe hull. How wrong I was!
These pictures were from Elk Island National Park where we passed Bison, muskrats, beaver, Pelicans, Swans, Loons, hundreds of flocking waterfowl and he didn't anything more than stare at them over the gunwale and go back to sleep!)

Bruce

 

[Black_Fly]

Pook, He looks comfy. One of those high strung running breeds, eh? How much does that canoe weigh? I notice a yoke pad, so somebody's flipping it up.

I'm going to try the closed cell foam pad like Sweetfancymoses. I already have one in the garage, maybe two. I'd like to afix it somehow that won't make a mess of the floor bottom.

Eventually, I'm going to install Ds, when I find the ones I want. The steel ones don't do it for me either.

 

[Alan Gage]

I'll see what I can rig in the boats to hold them in place. I wonder what kind of glue works best. Maybe rubber cement?

My pads do double duty so I don't want them glued into place. At camp they give my dog something to lay on and help insulate her from the cold ground (usually rock). And sometimes I sit on them or use them as back pads as well.

Alan

 

[Pook]

Black fly

High Strung running breeds? Hah! Greyhounds are the BIGGEST couch potatoes you'll ever meet. They are sprinters not long distance runners so a quick burst then sleep all day...

That's my 16 foot Chestnut Pal, my go to here in Alberta. I haven't weighed it recently but should be about 65-68 lbs. Incredibly well balanced so, while not kevlar light it portages easily.
My 16 foot Prospector was weighed at WCHA last year- 85lbs dry! That thing is a pig to portage!!!

Bruce

 

[Black_Fly]

Alan, That's a good idea. Take a close up of those web Ds you installed if you can. The wheels are turning.

Pook, Just teasing about the breed. I took my royalex prospector to do the Frost River loop through BWCA in 2005. Never, never again. If I ever get a cabin by a lake, I'll leave it sit by the dock and never carry it again. That wood canoe looks a heck of a lot heavier than 68. I think that's the factory weight of my Prospector, but I'm sure it's much more. It seems to get heavier every year. I think it's soaking up moisture from the air.

 

[gumpus]

A pair of T-pads butted together has always worked well for me since I kneel. It also helps keep the dog in her spot which is on my side of the front thwart. We've always been very comfy but nowhere near as comfy as Pook's dog.

 

[latremorej]

A pair of T-pads butted together has always worked well for me since I kneel. It also helps keep the dog in her spot which is on my side of the front thwart. We've always been very comfy but nowhere near as comfy as Pook's dog.

I love the look on your dog!

"are we there yet?" Lol



I also use a yoga mat cut down to fit just right. Its sticky enough to stay put, and not too thick so it will lay flat in the rounded canoe bottom with no additional fasteners. I also take it out and use it for the dog in the tent.

Jason

 

[Black_Fly]

Those neoprene pads look comfy, but I'm afraid a loose pad would be all over with the heelers up and down. They don't chill out too much. I used to give Bogan a knee cap to settle him down, but then he started intentionally dropping them over the side, just to get a rise out of me.

 

[Black_Fly]

 

[yellowcanoe]

Heh heh . love the pooch.. If the minicell slides try gluing carpet gripper to the bottom.. Test paddling will tell if the pad slides up toward the gunwales.