How many canoeists do we have here?

[Joezilla]

I just use cam locks from the dollar store...they are easy and have worked for years. The front tie down I don't need unless I'm toting the 14" Kevlar.

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I've always loved boating, could be part of my Norwegian heritage. This year I bought a canoe and kayak for the family to grow with. We got it out a couple of times and as a whole it was great- even with a pair of under 5 year olds! No great adventures this year, but one of my moments to remember from last year was my 2 year old son climbing onto my lap as I was paddling and curled up to rest. Great times ahead I'm sure, at a minimal cost.

Hiwa- Maybe we can make it a group trip this year, especially if you are land locked for a while!

 

[Codger_64]

It is amazing how the number of people drawn to paddlesports has proliferated in the past forty years or so, at least here in the mid-South. Accomodating the increase in river usage has become a major concern for a lot of resource managers. This is particularly true on rivers that are most popular destinations due to proximity to services like rentals, shuttles and fairly constant river flow levels. A couple of rivers that used to be quite attractive to me are crossed off of my list of destinations because they have become party destinations where good sense is lacking and inhibitions run wild. Certain weekends, particularly holidays, these rivers resemble a cross between Mardi Gras and a frat party, with a bit of Six Flags thrown in crowd-wise. It is great for the local merchants, I am sure. But it changes the experience greatly and not for the better, IMHO.

This particular river is considered class I, a few spots approach class II. It is an easy river for beginers, and yet there are now several drowning deaths here a year. Alcohol doesn't always play a part, but most often does. As does the laxness of wearing PFD's and knowledge/use of good river sense.

[video=youtube;0prdStRv0Wk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0prdStRv0Wk&feature=related[/video]
[video=youtube;bo3W9_fpGmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3W9_fpGmg[/video]

There are several saving graces to the current boom in interest. With the growing market, equipment has been greatly improved. Whitewater skills and wilderness tripping skills have been refined to the point that certified instruction is available at affordable cost to those really interested in learning the safe and easy way. One just has to be more careful in selecting their destinations, companions and their timing to avoid crowds. Another saving grace is the pasage of laws such as PFD requirements, glass container and cooler restrictions, motor restrictions, etc., as well as enlistment of wildlife officers in enforcement where park rangers are not available.

As for me, I go to enjoy solitude. But occasional fellow paddlers don't spoil it for me. I just avoid the places that have become party destinations.

 

[dipbait]

Codger , I canoed the black river in Missouri 2 years ago. It was not what I expected but made the best of it. Thousands of partiers , music blasting. The only good thing about the trip was I discovered jello shots and how they effect females.

 

[jim in ohio]

am enjoying this thread. i've got a 14ft old town i use to fish strip mine ponds around my home and the amount of fish caught and good times i've had is hard to describe. i've had that canoe for 10 yrs and figure its payed for itself a bunch of times over. this thread has really made my day and a big thanks to everyone who posted pictures.

 

[August West]

The new interest is a 2 edged sword, lots more places to buy gear and quality of gear has really gone up but I am not sure it's worth it. I grew up 10 minutes from the Nantahala Gorge and a couple of hours from the Ocoee, I think about what they were like 30 years ago and what they are like now and it makes me sad. They have turned beautiful wild rivers and some of the best trout fishing in the south into a disneyland ride. Chris

 

[Codger_64]

The new interest is a 2 edged sword, lots more places to buy gear and quality of gear has really gone up but I am not sure it's worth it. I grew up 10 minutes from the Nantahala Gorge and a couple of hours from the Ocoee, I think about what they were like 30 years ago and what they are like now and it makes me sad. They have turned beautiful wild rivers and some of the best trout fishing in the south into a disneyland ride. Chris

Yes, but there are many miles of river and thousands of acres of lakes still uncrowded. In Arkansas alone, there are more than 9,000 miles of streams, most of which can be canoed. Not many have facilities which attract great crowds and, just as here, if you pick off peak seasons or even days of the week, you can be pretty sure of being the only one afloat.

"Back in the day", we didn't know about canoe floatation. It didn't take long running wild whitewater for the need to sink in. I installed a fitted styrofoam dock billet in my canoe. Now, floatation is built into the hulls and seats. And air bags are the cat's meow. I just installed a pair of red Harmony floatation bags in my Old Town last fall (after removing the hollow floatation seats) using a hybrid method of straps and paracord developed by Mike Yee and others. It is good peace of mind knowing that if I mess up, my canoe will still float level even with water up to the gunnels. And even an old Codger like me can recover it without a block and tackle since it will not submerge and is less likely to be pinned.

I am looking at getting a new water bag by spring. I had one years ago and it was the schnitz. It was a three gallon plastic resevoir inside a two gallon nylon case. IIRC, it was a freebie for subscribing to Canoeing magazine. I found a current maker of those, but a new style with more tiedown points is being made by Sea To Summit.

See the difference? These water bags are real handy because they hold a lot of water, don't burst when frozen, and can be hung up in camp for dispensing or even a shower if warmed. The STS bag comes in 2, 4, 6 and 10 liters.

 

[August West]

I agree and you are right, there are a lot of great rivers left to explore, I just hate to see resources over exploited and some rivers are just ridiculous. Here is what I normally see on my trips, that is my son in front and that is all I see but I do take pains to get away from the masses.

 

[Codger_64]

That is Jake, my navigator and partner in crime up front.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Ya know, I moved to North Eastern PA, (NEPA) 25 years ago, I live within' walkin' distance of the Delaware River, I used to canoe every weekend and my days off up and down the river, from the NY state line all the way down to Easton PA and everywhere in between.

Then we had a kid, a mortgage, 2 careers and life just has a way of fillin' in the free time ya have and so here is a pic of my canoe, a vintage, 1970s, 17 foot aluminum Grumann Expedition Canoe as it has sat for the last 15 years, I should be ashamed of myself.

Hey at least I know it still floats, I mean hell it's been full of water for 15 years

 

[Codger_64]

Bail it out and take it to the car wash for a good blasting. It's been waiting patiently for you to come back, just like a good dog.

 

[Mack]

Bail it out and take it to the car wash for a good blasting. It's been waiting patiently for you to come back, just like a good dog.

At the very least clean it up and then look at how much they're selling for. That may give you a little incentive.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

After losin' 120 lbs and spendin' all fall and winter so far cuttin' splittin', haulin' and stackin' firewood I think I'll be in good enough shape to take the river on again.

For now I think I'll tackle the waves in the jacuzzi, my back's sore from all the chainsaw work today.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

I guess it's time to take this in a different direction. I have canoed for maybe 40 years, but I probably do it a little differently than most of you. I and my buds belong to the Huck Finn School of Canoeing. What is that, you ask?

Well, most canoeists I've met, go to bed early, get up early, eat a quickee meal of freeze dried cardboard or some such, and then paddle for 18 hours to get in as much mileage as possible. Sure, I'm exaggerating a bit, but not that much.

Compare that with our buddy Huck and his friends travelling down the river at a relaxed pace on a raft. They let the river do the work for them. If they see something interesting, they pull over and check it out. Good day for swimming? Sure, why not. Maybe a little fishing, too. Just whatever struck their fancy. If they felt like sleeping in, you can bet they did, as well.

That's what we do, except we use canoes. We use canoes because we can carry plenty of stuff to maximize our enjoyment of the great outdoors. In other words, when we canoe, it's a means to an end, not the end itself. Also we build in lots of time to swim, fish, (thought I'd pop this picture in here:

...gold pan, practice bushcraft, or anything else that strikes our fancy. We usually take the normal time for a trip and multipy it by three. That's how long we take.

Now I know this probably makes the purists shudder, but we don't worry about it because we're too busy "Hucking" it.

"Pictures or it doesn't count." Yes, I know. Coincidentally, I have been scanning old photos to put on my hard drive, so I have a ton of them. It's really hard to decide which ones to post. I finally decided on posting a couple that demonstrates our hedonistic approach to the paddling world.

Coleman canoes have received a bit of attention in this thread so far. Except for a few of the early years when we rented Gruman aluminum canoes, we have almost used Colemans exclusively. Why? Well you'd be hard pressed to find a tougher canoe, and remember, we're not too worried about speed. Case in point - a lot of portages were done like this (Anson Creek - Central Ontario, for our Ontarioan friends):

And man, can they carry a pile of gear (Groundhog River - Northern Ontario).

Somebody mentioned sailing? This is the only shot I can find, so far (A-framed rigged sail)

Now there are different ways to sail a canoe, but with the load we take, stability is job 1. In order to maximize stability, we lash 2 canoes together. This should give you an idea (this was a 15 foot and a 17 foot - unequal lengths present no problem)

Here's another shot, working them past a couple of rocks

Just how stable are they?

(Note the Buck knife hat I'm wearing.)

(to be continued)

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Other benefits?

(BTW, the three poles in the centre were the frame for the sail. A blue tarp served in this capacity.)

We can take the time to satisfy our appetites.

Practice bushcraft?

Here's my buddy Pete, burning out the bowl of a spoon because he forgot his at home.

There's much more, but the clock is ticking, so I'll leave you with a couple of scenery shots:

Groundhog River

And just in case you think Colemans are only fair weather transport,:

OK, purists, your turn.

Doc

 

[Ahnkochee]

Pictures of Hawai inland waters? Sure. I've never been there but I wasn't aware of streams and rivers there that could be canoed.

These pictures taken at Lake Wilson on Oahu island, great Peacock Bass fishing. I was in my 11' Eagle canoe.

Kaelepulu Pond Island of Oahu taken on my Grumman canoe

North Shore of Oahu rowing my 11" eagle canoe with rowing frame.

15'6" Pearson Dory outside Kailua Bay east Oahu with 40 pound Kaku aka Barracuda (rowed over 18 miles this day)

Sunrise at Kailua Beach

 

[Codger_64]

It is amazing to me (and pleasing) to see so many people still enjoying their old Coleman canoes. In their day, they were ignored by all the canoe magazines and sneered at by canoeing purists because they weren't high-tech and were a cheap "volks-boot". It is a shame they are no longer made, Coleman Marine having been bought by Pelican, and Pelican canoes are not the same. I know because I bought one prior to getting the Old Town. I brought it home and assembled it, then noticed right off the funky molded seats. No problem, I'll replace them with ash and cane. When I contacted Pelican, they informed me that it would void the warranty. So I returned it to the store unused. I'll yet get another used Coleman 17' canoe, for the nostalgia factor if for no other reason. I still see them for sale occasionally at reasonable prices.

Doc, I sailed my canoe a few times on large lakes. The width and pronounced keel helped in tracking. I remember the huge load capacity of the 17 footer. IIRC, it was like 1,000 pounds!

Ahnkochee, great pictures! I'm not familiar with your 11' Eagle canoe, but it appears to have way more freeboard than my Dagger Tupelo. I see you sitting high in the boat which would gurantee flipping the Dagger. In fact, it's seat is mounted to the bottom of the hull and it still has a delicate balance!

 

[R.Russell]

Found a gorgeous 17 ft vintage cherrywood Merrimack last year, and have taken it out 5 or 6 times. Really just needed a light sanding and some good oil when I found her. Its about 38 pounds and easy to carry with yoke pads, I've portaged it a couple hundred yards at a time. My hound, my knife, and a good friend usually come along:thumbup:

This boat has an 1100 pound load limit. I take a portable feast along--- do some real cooking. The idea of bringing my cast iron cookware and a full feast loadout always gets me smilin and motivated to get out on the water. Looking to do some longer trips though this year (week+). There's just something about a wood canoe that satisfies the soul.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Codger, I have never sailed a single canoe (yet), but long ago I bought a book called 'Sail Your Canoe' by John Bull. In it he describes the set up for different kinds of sail rigs and daggerboards etc. Maybe one day, not dead yet.

We did sail tandem canoes quite often, though, and man, could we get some speed up. One time on the Gibson River, one of my buddies tried to troll a lure and all it did was bounce along on the surface. Had we hit a rock, I think the bottom of the canoes would have ripped off. I kind of think I have a picture of that somewhere. Have to look a bit harder.

Doc

 

[Codger_64]

russamurai, A very nice canoe! I've always had wood & canvas envy, but know that I would kill one in short order. I just frequent too many rocky streams with shoals and drops! More pictures of that one please?