Let's go Canoeing!

JGON

JGON

Joined
Mar 12, 2010
Messages
975
Well I don't know about ya'll, but this winter up here in Wisconsin has been a real B$*@#! Above average snowfall + below average temps = NO CANOEING.

Do we have many paddlers here? Up until this winter, I had gone canoeing 35 of the last 36 months... the last two winters before this one didn't hold me back, but this one has caused me to have to pump the brakes on it for a while. I was just looking through some old pictures, and thought I'd share one of my last trip... This is the Vernon Marsh in Southeastern Wisconsin... It's a huge, hidden marsh with only a very tiny channel leading to it off the Fox River. I've taken 3 people here, and all 3 times I told them to keep their eyes peeled for the channel into the marsh and all 3 missed it. Unless you know where to go, you'd never know there was a whole other world back there. There is a labyrinth of reeds that you can paddle through for hours... days even. The handsome stud in the bow is Lucky the Canoe Dog, my loyal river companion.

If there are any other fiddle-paddlers here, give me a shout!

JGON

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I have been known to paddle the kickapoo a little bit. And before that the Huron in Michigan. It is a terrible winter here in WI (and everywhere). Burning through lots of wood and worried about propane in the coming months. Definitely not as hard core as you though! 35 out of the last 36 is dampened impressive. I am lucky to get out 5 or ten times in a summer.
 
Whereabouts are you? Kickapoo is on my list for this summer... "The Crookedest River in the World".
 
I love canoeing, but haven't been in some time. Now, I do own a sweet Gheenoe that we pulled out of the river and re-fiberglassed. What a boat. 13.5' long and you can stand up and pee over the side with no worries of tipping it. Draws around half a foot. I have a little 2 horse pull start motor to go on it. I love that setup and I don't have $200 in it.
 
I prefer to canoe in the Adirondacks in upsate NY, Saranac Lake reigon. I also canoe a lot in the Hudson Valley where I live. I bought a nice solo canoe last year made by Placid Boatworks located in Lake Placid NY. The canoe is called the Rapidfire, it's 15' long, weighs 26 lbs. and flys across the water. I also like to bring my dog along though he is less than half the size of yours. I hope to do some extended canoe/camping trips this year, maybe a week instead of one or two nights.
 
We have a Mad River we use on lakes and rivers. We use sea kayaks when the kids aren't with us or when out on the ocean.

Our dog is an English Setter and he gets a bit restless in boats... He doesn't get to go with us in the canoe ;)
 
I have an Old Town Guide 147 that I love. I only get it out about 5 times a year, but I enjoy every second of it.
 
Chapel said:
I prefer to canoe in the Adirondacks in upsate NY, Saranac Lake reigon. I also canoe a lot in the Hudson Valley where I live. I bought a nice solo canoe last year made by Placid Boatworks located in Lake Placid NY. The canoe is called the Rapidfire, it's 15' long, weighs 26 lbs. and flys across the water. I also like to bring my dog along though he is less than half the size of yours. I hope to do some extended canoe/camping trips this year, maybe a week instead of one or two nights.
Click to expand...

I'm a huge fan of the Adirondack Guide Boat design that originated up that way. But one will remain out of my price range for a few years yet, so I'll probably end up with a canoe in the short term.
 
i purchased a mad river hybrid 3 years ago, new craigslist $120.00. always had standard canoes. At 54 this is great, unreal fast and can really set up to fish. 3 man capacity, over 950# wt cap. and at 58 lbs i can go alone and portage with ease, I love river scanning. many many veins off Catawba river that open into 25-200 ac. "duck Ponds" ft to 10 ft deep. Most you will never see unless you are under the river bank trees and brush. I always carry my cell, in W/P, floating bag, and got a SPOT locator on line for 45$. It works because I have cked my path on my computer.. Stuff happens. BTW I love your dog, Mine passed DEC. 2013. from 6 months on regardless of weather, I paddle 12 months, even at 20-30 degrees, she never missed a trip. Damn, i miss that dog. great thread. Catawba runs NC Mtns into SC Ocean. have had mad rive in ocean many times as well, can stand up, but I will not
 
This thread is really great. Pics!
 
There are many lakes here, so I am planning on picking up a canoe...but even if I had one right now, all of the local lakes have ice fishing camps set up on them right now :)
 
JGON said:
Whereabouts are you? Kickapoo is on my list for this summer... "The Crookedest River in the World".
Click to expand...

I am between lacrosse and viroqua. The kickapoo was really really shallow this year. Scratched the bottom of the canoe a bit. It is fun though. We usually do a stretch around wildcat park.
 
I'm a BWCA guy... wifey and I paddle a Souris River Quetico 17. Great tripping boat for that kind of thing.
 
Here is another one from the kayaking days... I sold the kayak to buy a canoe so I could take the dog. I miss the performance of the kayak, especially in open water, but I wouldn't give up the ability to take the dog for performance. Some people find it to be a bit dicey, but I love winter paddling. And I mostly love being able to paddle the same area and see it during all 4 seasons... during high water and drought. Fall is great too, but there is just something about winter paddling to me that I love. You can see all the animal tracks by the waters edge, and there is nobody else out there.

JGON

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The ability to take my dog is the same reason I use a canoe as well JGON. You should check out the canoe I mentioned in my previous post (http://placidboatworks.com/rapidfire.html). You sit in it like a kyak and you use a Kayak paddle. You will not be able to keep up with a good ocean kayak but you will not be far behind. It is big enough for you, your dog and a weeks worth of supplies, you can get spray decks as well. It's very fast, light and stable. The only down side is the cost.
 
Nice, yeah I'm in the market for a canoe in the spring. I'm not letting go of my kayak though, wilderness systems tsunami 165. Same reason - dog.
 
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