Recent content by Glenn MacGrady

Nessmuk was sui generis—a 5'-3", 105 lb., tubercular man in his sixties, who was physically weak but a talented writer for Forest and Stream and master story teller. He commissioned five small and lightweight canoes from Henry Rushton between 1880 and 1885, most weighing in the 11-16 lb...

I've owned 19 canoes and three kayaks over the past 46 years, which I've bought new and used from all over the USA and Canada. I also am an "anti-mechanic" who owns the fewest tools in the world, and have trouble with any repair more difficult than screwing in a light bulb. In all that time...

I have no interests in promoting any designer's or manufacturer's canoes. I can, however, relate what I have experienced and witnessed over 45 years of observing, and occasionally participating in, sport canoeing and freestyle canoeing—which are the quiet water boat control disciplines where...

Al, your solo preference of paddling long tandem canoes from the stern seat is pretty unusual, and you are the expert in that style. I'm never sure that standard advice for centrally seated paddlers, or even bow-backward tandem seated paddlers, applies to you. Obviously, you are not turning the...

I've never paddled a Phoenix, so I can't compare it to anything. I have a 2001 Bell black-gold Bell Wildfire that I'm willing to sell to members here for $1200. I'd say it weighs 35 lbs. and is a very tough laminate: clear gel coat over carbon over a Kevlar interior with a Conk seat. I've day...

That depends. It can be done either way, depending on the geometry of the hull, the kneel/sit outfitting, and the skill of the paddler. As an adult, I first learned sophisticated, technical paddling as a whitewater paddler in whitewater outfitted canoes. In all such canoes in which I learned...

Although a very short paddle like a Nessmuk "pudding stick" will eliminate the need to shoulder cradle, that may or may not be an advantage depending on one's paddling skill. Here's a fellow paddling one-armed with what looks like my bent shaft Sawyer Manta...

It's not difficult to scull or even paddle slowly forward or backward with a regular paddle properly cradled in one arm. No gimmick paddle is needed.

I haven't paddled tandem in decades, but I have a lot of differently shafted and bladed paddles when I paddle solo: straight shaft paddles with both flat and spoon blades, single bends with both flat and spoon blades, double bends with spoon blades, double scoop dihededral blades, and S-blades...

I can't view the YouTube video. It says private.

Doesn't look like a Yost design. Which will be the bow and stern?

Looks like fun. Thank for the posting, @samb. Is there some cultural, secret society, prison escape, or DSM-5 reason for the red and white costumes of that tandem couple?

@Riffle-Raff, congrats on your new paddle, and thanks for you detailed report on its performance for you. Beavertails are among the oldest and most traditional paddle shapes. What is the difference between the Dri-Ki Beavertail and the Guide model that you are seeking. BTW, most folks here...

In this linked article, Marc Ornstein focuses on the physics of: (1) the forward stroke, and (2) heeling and pitching the hull. https://freestylecanoeing.com/the-physics-of-freestyle-without-the-numbers/ "Freestyle canoeing has been described as 'The Art and Science of Quiet Water Paddling'...

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-mysterious-island-has-emerged-in-a-canadian-lake "Technically, it's more like a raft than an island, with trees and other plants growing on something seemingly buoyant, like driftwood." "The reservoir is managed by BC Hydro, a power company that harnesses...