Recent content by Alan Gage

Good point. When I referred to it as 'king' I simply meant that it fits the task well and seems to be the most widely available. Perhaps calling it the 'default' wood would be a better description. Alan

I've made a lot of them from WRC and one from Cottonwood. I would like to try Basswood but it's not an easy thing to find unless you have a local sawmill that saws and sells it or can saw your logs. Even though cottonwood is pretty soft I was surprised how much harder it was than WRC. Sanding...

Locking the thread because I think everyone has had a good say and that it can only go downhill from here.

I'm sure all those Canadians will be welcoming us with open arms. :) Alan

Good to hear you're back in action! Alan

Well, I guess for a group meal I'd have to travel with a group so that's an automatic thumbs down for me. :) Alan

Here's a great 14 minute video traveling with toddlers to the arctic ocean. It's an older video and these kids should nearly be adults now. Alan

The grip might have gotten hot on the really stubborn one, I can't remember for sure. But otherwise, no, as long as the heat is applied at the grip/shaft junction I haven't had to use any hand protection. Just keep twisting as you add heat until it comes free. Alan

I've been able to easily remove and reuse the grips on three ZRE paddles by applying some heat with a heat gun. I had one that was very reluctant to release (but finally did) and one that was completely ruined (plastic grip that melted). I cut the shaft shorter and use electrical tape to...

This is what I keep wrestling with too. About 20 years ago I sold my house and almost everything I owned and spent 6 months living out of my car while traveling the country. I took a kayak with me to the PNW for the summer and while I did get in a couple very memorable paddles I was surprised...

I don't think I've ever paddled an Advantage but I have paddled plenty of similar hulls and it's usually my preferred hull style. I generally don't lean unless I'm in tight quarters at slow speeds. Around 5 hit and switch strokes/side seems to be in the ballpark. Shorter strokes (not pulled...

Not pointing fingers at anyone since this has not gotten political yet but please keep in mind the "No Politics" policy as this thread could quickly go off the rails.

If this is something that's actually a concern then it's probably best to be proactive and put yourself in an advantageous position well ahead of time. I personally feel that heading into the Canadian wilderness with a canoe full of camping and fishing gear would be one of the worst things I...

I canoed with my father a few times/year as a kid fishing the local river and I paddled a couple times solo on the lake to go fishing but as soon as I had a driver's license it was goodbye canoes and hello motorized fishing boats. I took up paddling again in my mid-20's. I grew up in a small...

@Chip I initially did not ever consider this as an option because that's what I expected but after hearing some people say the passenger version was much better I test drove a couple and was pleasantly surprised. Even driving on a windy day there was no noticeable wind noise. Road noise is...