Hello

[jdeerfoot]

Hi Bob and welcome to the site.

I had a hip replacement a year ago in December 2021 and by the March/April I was back at the local nature center carrying a 60# Penobscot around the trails to condition myself for the coming season. No issues with the hip, but a few other medical conditions occurred which precluded a planned trip in Canada last summer, but I have high hopes for this year.

I too enjoy soloing in my Wenonah Wilderness in T-formex. Lots of nice used boats around the upper Midwest. But I am trying to restrain myself since I culled the fleet over the past couple of years from five canoes to two.

 

[Bob MacDonald]

Hi Bob and welcome to the site.

I had a hip replacement a year ago in December 2021 and by the March/April I was back at the local nature center carrying a 60# Penobscot around the trails to condition myself for the coming season. No issues with the hip, but a few other medical conditions occurred which precluded a planned trip in Canada last summer, but I have high hopes for this year.

I too enjoy soloing in my Wenonah Wilderness in T-formex. Lots of nice used boats around the upper Midwest. But I am trying to restrain myself since I culled the fleet over the past couple of years from five canoes to two.

Thanks Deerfoot.
How a pebble changes the course of a river. Reading and rereading everyone’s comment, one that stands out the most is the 60lb canoe gets a lot heavier after 60 years of age. There’s a lot of wisdom in that comment. My budget was just increased, in the search of a canoe to paddle small lake and the Yukon River.

Thanks to you all

 

[stripperguy]

Bob,
Welcome to the gang
Not sure if you have the motivation but you may want to consider building your own boat rather than buying.
With your stated budget, you could build 4 times as many boats as you could buy, maybe even more.
You could try many designs and I’m sure the are many others here besides me that would gladly guide you through your builds. A virtual apprenticeship, if you will.
It can be a transformative process, not just a cheap way to get a quality canoe.

 

[Bob MacDonald]

Bob,
Welcome to the gang
Not sure if you have the motivation but you may want to consider building your own boat rather than buying.
With your stated budget, you could build 4 times as many boats as you could buy, maybe even more.
You could try many designs and I’m sure the are many others here besides me that would gladly guide you through your builds. A virtual apprenticeship, if you will.
It can be a transformative process, not just a cheap way to get a quality canoe.

Thanks Stripper guy,
I am listening…

 

[stripperguy]

Take a stroll through some of the build threads in the build and repair subforum
Jim Dodd, cruiser, memequay, Alan Gage all have excellent step by step threads, with each having different methods to arrive at the same result…a custom build lightweight strong pretty high performance canoe.
As long as you have a reasonably clean space to work in and but a few rudimentary tools you’ll be fine.
Seeing that you can type and read I know you have the physical skills, it’s not really difficult, just a series of small steps that add up in a big way.

 

[Boatman53]

Be careful. I built my first strip canoe in 1976. Then another one the an ADK Guideboat then a plank on frame boat then it got out of control and I took a job at boatyard and 5 years later I started my own company that I ran till I retired. That doesn’t happen to everyone and I would do it all over again.
Jim

 

[Candaceridlbauer12]

Welcome Bob