Paddling into 2014

Smile? I tried not to make it too obvious. A rueful smile, yes. As Codgers are wont to do, usually without comment. When the girls grounded their canoe in the gravel trying to pass me I regretfully grinned, waved and said, "Hey! There's rocks over there!", as I threded through the only deep chute between the bank and a tree rootball. And the buttboater that tried to follow me fubar'd the passage. There are times when a single blade paddle is best.

Yeah, the wind kicked up on me Sunday and the Morningstar, while not rockered nearly as much as your Impulse, wanted to go sailing. It is differential rockered 2 1/2-1 1/2". Not much but with no keel, and swirling winds... I did spend some time ferrying to lee sides of the river near high banks and blocking bluffs. The Blue Hole Sunburst was a bear to rassle in the wind compared to the Morningstar. But at this water level, it took a lot of effort to find deeper water to keep from scraping the composite hull on rocks. It doesn't draw much water, but it doesn't like being grounded, whereas the tupperware plasticle Guide just shruggs it off and keeps sliding.
 
Arkansas Canoe Club friends posted a video of their trip down the Big Piney River on the 17th.

[video=youtube;pXxRLVfJdvk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXxRLVfJdvk[/video]
 
And another taking mom down the Mulberry River on Mothers' Day. Her first canoe trip.

[video=vimeo;95396097]http://vimeo.com/95396097[/video]
 
Great company, a great day, a great canoe, fresh Salmon Berries and some good Rye. What else can a man ask for?

 
Something is happening at Codger's house... wonder what it is?

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Nice boat Karl! Hang onto that one! Roy Guinn joined up with Joe Pulliam (two of the four original partners in Blue Hole Canoes) to found the Dagger Canoe Company in 1988 in Harriman, Tennessee. By 1990, Dagger had begun producing kayaks in addition to canoes. Since then, their main competitor, Perception, purchased the company and relocated it to Easley, South Carolina. I don't remember the year Dagger ceased production, but I bought one of their last Tupelo pack canoes circa 2001-02.
 
So what is the next best thing to getting a new canoe? Helping a friend find and buy one of course! Spending other people's money is fun! And... I got dibs on the canoe if he isn't satisfied with it. A bud in the ACC (Arkansas Canoe Club) is making a road trip, to Houston Texas to pick up this beaut, a classic Blue Hole OCA Royalex. And it is the second least common color.

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Scott Free said:
Uhmmm... I think you forgot to tell us something. :)
Click to expand...

Wut? Oh yeah, green appears to be the least common color for Sunbright Blue Hole canoes. Of course they were also made by other manufacturers on the Warsaw Rocket hulls for a while (Buffalo, Perception, etc.), then made in other colors by Williamson when he bought the company and moved production to Gordonsville, Virginia briefly.
 
Looking at that last picture again... A black hull sitting in the Texas sun would have me a bit concerned. It doesn't look faded in the least, though. Maybe it's just outside for the pics. I don't ever think I've seen a Blue Hole that wasn't blue. I'm surprised that green is least popular. Most canoes are either green or red. Thinking about, maybe it's because Blue Hole canoes were marketed as white water canoes (as opposed to tripping canoes.) Reds and yellows are easier to find after a swim. Green is the most difficult.

I almost bought a decent 15'6" Shenandoah (Royalex) canoe for $125 a couple days ago. Yellow with wood. Always stored indoors. I passed on it because I would have only been buying it because it was such a great price. I already have three boats, and only have room for two of those. Someone bought it pretty quickly once I declined. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Shenandoah Canoes got their hulls from Perception and/or Blue Hole and then installed their own furniture.
 
I'm not that familiar with Shenandoah canoes. Perception made a Nantahala and a Chattooga, wood and aluminum trim. Blue hole made a version of the Starburst with wood trim called the "Cumberland". I get the impression that both companies sent their hulls to Merrimack to be outfitted in wood.
 
They quit making canoes in 2004. I was able to call them with my serial number and they told me it was built in April of '99.
Just came off the lake tonight with 16 bluegill all nearly 1 pound.
Also took a nice little solo trip last fall in the Boundary Waters.
In August I might take a trip up the Big Fork River to Canada.
So many places to paddle - so little time.

Codger_64 said:
I don't remember the year Dagger ceased production, but I bought one of their last Tupelo pack canoes circa 2001-02.
Click to expand...
 
Finally got the first paddle of the season with my boys and wife.





My boys are a lot like dogs. They like to shift, stand up, and try to upset the canoe.

 
Kids and canoes are a natural! I began taking my two canoeing when they were four, and my grandaughter likewise. And yes, they are definately ever-shifting balast, wearing on the old man's back as he leans to compensate. This is where the wide-beamed Old Town Guide shines. Jake is in near constant motion, though only 45#, it is mostly energy. As with kids, frequent pauses to let him swim and "answer nature" helps. Also as with kids, I could make him sit centered and low (and I do on tricky passages), but that reduces his enjoyment and, in the proper craft, his movement doesn't detract much from my own enjoyment.

FYI my OT Guide is about 42" wide in the center with a shallow keel, relatively flat bottom and hard chines. Not a sportscar by any means at 16' 9", but my canoeing is on moving water so minimum effort is required to move it downstream and just a bit of reading the currents to negotiate tricky shoals and avoid rocks, trees and rootballs. It shares, in many ways, the aquadynamics of my old Coleman seventeen footer.

My second canoe, the Bell Morningstar is my "me boat". As I have become more familiar with it's characteristics, it is easy to maneuver, to propel through the slower pools, perform eddy turns where a straight through path is obstructed. The narrow width and different hull shape is a tradeoff in forgiving stability. Not a problem when the only moving object on board is yours truely.

Jake and I stayed home this holiday weekend. I had everythoing sorted, loaded and ready to go but health problems combined with concerns about a river crowded with rented aluminum battering rams full of beer made postponement of the trip the wisest choice. This coming weekend we will go however.

Thanks for sharing the pictures guys!
 
Playboaters on the lower Saline River near Dierks, Arkansas this past Sunday. This section is between Dierks Lake to the North and Highway 70 to the South, a 5.6 mile run of class I-II whitewater in Southwest Arkansas above Texarkana.

[video=vimeo;95930667]http://vimeo.com/95930667[/video]
 
Greg finally completed his pilgrimage from Northwest Arkansas to Houston and back picking up his "new" 1981 Blue Hole OCA canoe. The owner told him that he had not had the canoe on the water in ten years, since he moved to Texas from California. Needless to say, Greg is proud of his new aquisition. And as I mentioned earlier, I have dibs on the canoe if Greg finds it not to his liking. He has plans to take it to the Buffalo National River this weekend. Rain currently moving through the midsouth and predicted through the end of the week assure plenty of water for a good maiden float!

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A little reminder to watch your local river levels if you are planning to canoe/kayak this weekend. We here in Southwest Tennessee have been deluged with rain this week and feeder creeks are really adding to the flows. My local Buffalo River was at a normal flow of 3.5 feet on the gauge and 580 Cubic feet per second. Then yesterday we had 2 1/2" of rainfall. Before dark the level was over 10' and 8500 CFS. During the night it peaked at 20' height on the gauge and 17,000 CFS. Likewise the temp of the water went from 80ish to the high sixties. Currently it is falling and 14' on the gauge, 9,380 cubic feet of water per second discharge. The USGS gauge sites are an excellent resource for paddlesports if you live in an area where small rivers are prone to sudden rises due to rainfall in the watershed. Just put in your river and state. Many rivers have several gauges so you can pick the one that pertains to the section you paddle.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=03604000
 
Got the family back out on our Wenonah Champlain......... with a 2 year old and 4 year old every trip gets a little better. I got them their own 3 foot paddles this time. We lasted about an hour and a half on the lake with no meltdowns!




 
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