Recent content by carpenter

Just finished it myself and passed it on to friends

Gregor, Looks cosmetic, it will not affect the performance of the boat. Outwales look to be in reasonable shape. Epoxy would fill the space and look like epoxy filler until it pops out. It may also fuse the different elements together requiring future repairs to be more aggressive. I would cut...

I would always recommend finding calm water, a spotter, wear your PFD and empty your boat of anything you don't want to lose and play. Lean way over, stand up, move around in the boat, tip while sitting, tip while kneeling, find the range of initial and secondary stability. Best to know your...

a roto-moulded 6' kayak

I echo the varieties of dried fruits for flavour and sugar boost. Granola as a snack instead of GORP (or in addition to) - homemade allows you to experiment with ingredients. I have made and had great success with dried meats like Biltong (South Africa) and bought dry salami (Mennonite sausage...

Definitely - any of the stations along the route. Worth calling/asking around to see which would be most suitable for a longer term car park. I parked at a friend's house near Washago, just North of Orillia and about an hour North of Toronto, and got on the train there. Was tempted to attempt...

Red berries look like Serviceberries or "Saskatoons", they darken as they ripen and taste and feel like a sweet rosehip.

20 minutes and 5 days too late for the real money shot but a beautiful evening with Belle. Freakishly warm days in Eastern Ontario the past few days. Great for paddling though.

Regardless, 20 kg of "dried products" is 44 lbs! That is a lot of "Big Bill's Rice and Beans". A quick search led me to this - 7.5 lbs of food, enough for one person for 30 days...and why would anyone other than folk from Vermont want to bring more than 250mL of maple syrup into Canada let alone...

Not racing hit and switch marathon canoes, but rather racing kayaks, so starting off quite close to the water already...I am perhaps starting to answer my own question with additional details provided above, but higher performance kayaks have taller seats and narrower hulls so very unstable but...

Why the conversion to pack style for a double blade? Racing kayaks are more effective with higher seats - less stable but better stroke dynamics. I find that sitting low in a canoe awkward and uncomfortable. I have always been curious about this - lower seats in canoes for seated paddling...

Urban rather than wilderness - a new book about a 1200 mile loop from Ottawa to Montreal, down to New York and back up through the Erie Canal to Buffalo on to Toronto and back to Ottawa. Waterborne by Dan Rubinstein. A paddleboarder rather than a canoeist but fascinating encounters with folk...

Unfortunately I have had to cancel a trip to Wabakimi, August 3-14. Washago to Flindt Landing return. This does open up a spot for a canoe on the train. Hopefully someone on the site can take advantage.

Not a Thursday but finally found a photo. From a trip we were actually paid to do, 1989. Quebec City to Midland on Georgian Bay, 1200 km in three North canoes, 8 to a canoe. Gear packed in old Canada Post canvas bags, way too much Big Bill's Beans and Rice from Harvest Foodworks, bilingual skits...

I think the question has merit - traditional designs were confined by technology and materials. Certainly folk covered many kilometers in their boats and likely refined designs when able, but I imagine they just paddled and did not worry about how to make the next trip faster by changing the...