Recent content by Chip

The photos with the article show trees without much foliage, which undoubtedly allowed moon and city lights to somewhat illuminate the ponds. I had severe moonlight mania for a few years and regularly did full moon outings. One summer full moon i canoed the GW canal, an easy CII run. I could...

Cool article. Thanks for posting. Reminds me of the time I smuggled a canoe onto to Jefferson Memorial’s Tidal Basin. Across a fence and lowering the canoe down a 5’ retaining wall to the water. It was after hours and felt bandit, even though there is a concession that rents paddle wheelers...

Mike, it was Virginia Whitewater author Roger Corbett that paddled Intrepids until he “wore the bottoms off.” The Chapelle family regularly participated in Corbett-organized trips, so it is possible he passed a canoe to them. Unrelated story: I met Sheila Chapelle on a Corbett-organized trip on...

McCrae well remebers the (wrong) aluminum gunwales Mad River sent me for the Fantasy. MR shipped them to a local canoe shop with a load of their canoes, and I imagine Wenonah will do the same. The shipping was free. I ordered through the local shop (Springriver, now defunct). I don’t think...

I can think of two possible reasons for not focusing on the J. One reason newbies gravitate to kayaks is because kayaking is much easier at the start. It takes 15 minutes to get somebody to turn or paddle straight in a kayak. Perhaps ACA is simplifying for newbies In canoes to get them to a...

I think you got the right glue for the job, and I wouldnt worry about that hollow spot. When I was glueing straps to dry bag, I only glued a 1”band around the edge, and the bond held fine, despite a substantial unglue area in the center. Good luck And happy gluing...

looks good and the wrinkle came out of the deck plate very well.

Sounds like you went factory spec with thwart and seat width. I heard changing the width changes the rocker. I also heard Discos are the same hull shape as Trippers. I love the ability of the Tripper to turn when on edge and go straight when level—I wouldn’t want to change that, so I hope you...

Interesting trip and great documentation! Loved the linkage of map and photos on arc site. Well done!

True about the AP shape. All the store-bought tubs have tapered sides so they can be nested during shipment, and those tapers mean wasted space. I’ve never portaged an AP box. In the BWCA, I left it behind and used dry bags. Not sure I’d want to portage a wannigan either, but fitted with straps...

I know wannigans are honored traditional gear. Please don’t jump all over me for asking, but what makes a wannigan different from the Rubbermaid Action Packer box I’ve been using? Functionally, both seem to be boxes. What am I missing?

how long does the good tarp over you last with a fire by you? I’ve never had the nerve to put a fire under the tarp. How’s this work? I did read about using two tarps set in opposing lean-to configuration ( /\ ) with a vertical gap at the top. Seems logical enough, but sparks fly and I’d want...

Agree with Pete on the lists. At least they provide some information. And I think he makes a really good point about speed to access. A system that provides perfect protection is useless if you can't get to the camera quickly when the photo you want pops up in front of you.

I’m shopping for dry bags at the moment and just read a “best of” article in Paddler magazine, on line. One never knows what bias the authors may have, especially in an organization supported by advertising, but I noted they wrote about their #6 choice, a Watershed, it’s the dry bag of choice...

After bicycling in the rain with my dry stuff in a 20L Sea to Summit, my dry stuff wasn’t dry at all. I thought time to stick my head in the bag and look for pin holes. I shook the sand out and inserted my head, but didn’t see any holes. I moved on to the sink and filled the bag with water...