Foam block pad for one-shoulder carries

[Glenn MacGrady]

Has anyone ever tried this product from Northstar Canoe or any DIY foam pad for one-shoulder carries?

Shoulder Carry Foam Pad | Northstar Canoes

www.northstarcanoes.com

I'm too lazy to install and remove the Swift screw-in portage yoke for my 29 lb. Keewaydin 15, which has a wide centralized seat, so I usually end up carrying it back and forth to my car with the seat on the base of my arthritic neck and shoulders. I'm thinking this foam block pad may be safer as long as it doesn't slip off or slide along the gunwale or my shoulder.

 

[yknpdlr]

Maybe. I 'd like to see one in action. I suspect it would have to be temporarily duck taped in place and hope that it would not interfere with paddle strokes on that side. Could be a step up from foam pool noodles. if it works, I would buy one but $23 with shipping seems like a lot for a trial.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Maybe. I 'd like to see one in action. I suspect it would have to be temporarily duck taped in place and hope that it would not interfere with paddle strokes on that side. Could be a step up from foam pool noodles. if it works, I will buy one but $23 with shipping seems like a lot for a trial.

I wouldn't leave it in place while paddling. It seems to be made for quick on-off. Yeah, the shipping is $8. I'm asking about it because I'm reluctant to be a trial failure and out $23.

 

[stevet]

No experience with this but I would try a large diameter pool noodle with a slit?….lots cheaper

 

[tketcham]

Has anyone ever tried this product from Northstar Canoe or any DIY foam pad for one-shoulder carries?

I have two of them, purchased from a local Northstar dealer and they work OK for short carries. I used to just set my solo canoes up on my shoulder sideways but because the Northstar Firebird has wide outer gunwales it digs into my neck/shoulder. The pad works pretty well but I did have to modify them so they had a snugger fit on the gunnel configurations of my solos, otherwise the pad isn't angled correctly and will slip off. By modifying the pad (cutting and re-glueing a strip of foam) I am able to reverse the pad and have a better fit into the tumblehome with less slop on the inner gunwale. I could make it even more custom but it works good enough for short carries. The pad then fits onto the wooden thwart behind the seat for the duration of the paddle, ready to be used to carry the canoe back to the car.


PS: You can see I tried two different methods of cutting and glueing and they both work equally well.

 

[yknpdlr]

Maybe ok for short casual carries. But I would not want o have to quickly locate and mount it without dropping it overboard as I approach and maneuver to safely land at a carry landing at speed during a race. For non race trips when I am not in a hurry, I have a carry yoke that easily and securely installs on the gunwales in a very few seconds. On my solo canoes without an inwale lip for the yoke clamp to grip, I have glued in short blocks at the balance point to serve that purpose. Noodles (large or small diameter) on almost any canoe work just fine, but may have to be taped in place for a rough or long carry.

 

[Boatman53]

Looks like time to cut up another yoga block, for $6 I’ll give it a go.
Jim

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I used my z-lite pad, folded up, for shoulder carries before I started building yokes. It's easily thicker than that, and it's got enough length to it that you can shift around under it to balance the canoe. I bring it anyway as a kneeling/sit/camp pad, so I'm not adding anything to my gear to have a shoulder pad. If you wanted to pad the seat as a carry yoke, it would be as simple as a piece of paracord or shockcord to keep a z-lite in place.

 

[Will Derness]

I bought one of those Northstar mini cell foam carry pads. It worked OK but moved around which I didn’t like. And after you arrive at your destination it is another piece of gear to stow.

It turns out after I fabricated knee/leg cushions for the canoe they double as a shoulder carry. Since then the Northstar contraption is gathering cob webs.

 

[gumpus]

I bought one of the Northstar pads because my Advantage can be a bit awkward to carry. I don't use it. It may work well on some boats but with the Advantage when you balance the boat on your shoulder you may find your arm competing for the same space as the seat pedestal plus I found that I had to hold the lower edge of the boat away from my hip (which is awkward) or the boat would bounce against my hip as I walk and leave a bruise that may hurt even more the next time you shoulder carry. So if you want to try it you may need two sections of pool noodle. I tried adding a piece of pool noodle opposite the shoulder pad and quickly concluded that having two pieces of foam that are easy to knock off wasn't making my life any easier.

I always use a seat pad so on most of my solos it's very comfortable to just carry the boat with seat pad on my shoulders.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I used my z-lite pad, folded up, for shoulder carries

I always use a seat pad so on most of my solos it's very comfortable to just carry the boat with seat pad on my shoulders.

I use a 34.5" x 15" kneeling pad in my Kee 15.



These comments encourage me to try to use it either as gunwale pad for a one-shoulder carry or to wrap it around my central seat for a more cushioned two-shoulder seat carry. Thanks.

I would use my custom Swift yoke if I ever go on actual portage trail trips again.

 

[tketcham]

... I found that I had to hold the lower edge of the boat away from my hip (which is awkward) or the boat would bounce against my hip as I walk and leave a bruise...

I tried using the pad the way it was intended, with the canoe draped over my shoulder, but like you I found that the lower gunnel bumped into my leg. That's why I modified the pad so I can use it to carry the canoe with the lower gunnel now resting on my shoulder.

One arm wraps around the hull and the other reaches forward and grabs the gunnel or a thwart for stability. It's actually a fairly comfortable way to carry a canoe but I use a removable carry yoke if I'm portaging several hundred meters/yards or more.

 

[Brightraven]

I use that shoulder carry foam pad from Northstar, and it really helps soften the edge of the gunwale digging into my shoulder when I’m carrying around my royalex Penobscot 16. Since I don’t have a yoke in that boat the shoulder pad has been helpful when bringing it around for short distances.

 

[M Clemens]

I had been carrying my Keewaydin 14 on my shoulder from the launch as well, BUT after seeing the other post about the Swift side pod seat mount popping off the hull, I thought better of it. It always made a strange creaking sound when I lifted the boat up from the one side, and in my head I'm thinking "Am I putting more stress on those side pods than Bill anticipated in the design?" Worry Wart? Maybe.............

 

[gumpus]

I tried using the pad the way it was intended, with the canoe draped over my shoulder, but like you I found that the lower gunnel bumped into my leg. That's why I modified the pad so I can use it to carry the canoe with the lower gunnel now resting on my shoulder.

One arm wraps around the hull and the other reaches forward and grabs the gunnel or a thwart for stability. It's actually a fairly comfortable way to carry a canoe but I use a removable carry yoke if I'm portaging several hundred meters/yards or more.

I'd like to understand the modifications you made.

My solution for the Advantage for short carries is padding the seat pedestal and balancing it on my head. Works pretty well, your arms can take most of the weight. And it turns out I got lucky and if I throw a rag over the padding it gives Gracie another place to lean or rest her chin.