Hello from central Massachusetts

[Moonswept Blackwater]

Hi there,

I’m happy to have found this forum.

I’m the proud owner of an early 1960s Grumman aluminum canoe that’s been in my family since I was about 10 years old. Over the years I’ve paddled it on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, the Allagash Waterway, the Saco River, and various local rivers and ponds here in Massachusetts. I recently bought a lighter canoe—a 2002 Mad River Malecite. I’m looking forward to some quiet paddling time this summer as I get to know this new boat.

—M. Blackwater

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

MB, welcome to site membership!

Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, because canoeing is a geographic sport, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar as a clickable map link. Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

Many of us started out in aluminum canoes as children. I did at age 8. The Malecite was Mad River's first canoe, and 50+ years later remains a popular small tandem and solo canoe. You'll paddle a lighter canoe a lot more than a heavier one as you age, especially if you are solo.

 

[Gamma1214]

Welcome. Always nice to see someone new.

 

[stripperguy]

Mr Blackwater,
Welcome from upstate NY
By any chance have you paddled Quabbin reservoir?
I have little knowledge of it, MDB is always looking for new interesting spots to paddle

 

[Erica]

Welcome from Florida.

 

[Benson Gray]

By any chance have you paddled Quabbin reservoir?

Welcome, the page at the link below indicates that paddling is not permitted on the Quabbin reservoir.

Benson

The Quabbin Reservoir

massachusettspaddler.com

 

[sweeper]

Welcome to the site. I'm in Western Franklin County

 

[snapper]

Welcome from the headwaters of the Susquehanna River. If you're ever in the Cooperstown, NY area and looking for some things to do, or places to paddle, feel free to reach out to me at your convenience.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Simuliumvenustum]

Mr Blackwater,
Welcome from upstate NY
By any chance have you paddled Quabbin reservoir?
I have little knowledge of it, MDB is always looking for new interesting spots to paddle

Hi Stripperguy,

Sadly, canoes are not allowed on Quabbin Reservoir, which is unfortunate since it is a beautiful place.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Welcome @Moonswept Blackwater . I think you'll like that Malecite. Still one of my favorite canoes. You'll notice that it feels a little unsteady without a load and at rest, until you get used to it. It's one of the nicest tandems for paddling solo.

 

[Moonswept Blackwater]

Thanks to all for your replies.

Steve, I’m enjoying this Malecite a lot. You’re right — it felt a bit unsteady at first (compared to my heavier, broader canoe), but it’s feeling very good now.

 

[Winterlover]

Greetings! Actually you Can paddle on Quabbin Reservoir, but it’s not easy. There are lots of rules. You have to be fishing (or pretending to be) and I believe that you have to use one of the boats that you rent from them. However the rules have changed from time to time, so check out the mass.gov Quabbin page for the latest details. I have never done it, but I know people who have.

 

[Simuliumvenustum]

Greetings! Actually you Can paddle on Quabbin Reservoir, but it’s not easy. There are lots of rules. You have to be fishing (or pretending to be) and I believe that you have to use one of the boats that you rent from them. However the rules have changed from time to time, so check out the mass.gov Quabbin page for the latest details. I have never done it, but I know people who have.

The use of canoes and kayaks on the main body of Quabbin Reservoir has never been allowed since the reservoir first opened to boat fishing in 1952 (shore fishing was first allowed in 1946). Starting in 2002, canoe and kayak rentals were available from the Department of Conservation, the state agency that manages the Quabbin Reservoir, on two ponds that feed directly into the reservoir (Pottapaug Pond at fishing area 3 and the regulated pond above the baffle dam at fishing area 2). However, the canoe and kayak rental program on these two waterbodies ended in 2021 primarily due to concerns about aquatic invasive species. Prior to 2002, use of personal canoes and kayaks was allowed on these two waterbodies with restrictions, if I remember correctly.