Recent content by Idiot Savant

I don't have the Encounter anymore. My second boat is an Esquif Echo, which should be a good boat to practice with. I don't kneel. Ever! I can see how kneeling would make the cross bow forward stroke easier. I have long arms, which should help.

Even 50% slower it would look pretty impressive. Far better than I could do. Watching the other video, and one I found on my own, a big part of the cross side stroke is leaning forward and then thrusting your hip forward with the stroke. He doesn't take the paddle out of the water for the...

Eckilson videos? Link? I've seen people in other videos do a cross forward stroke. Looks a little awkward but something I'd like to work on. In a long canoe with little rocker, like my Wenonah Encounter, I usually do sit and switch. In my North Wind solo I found that I had to switch sides too...

I have paddle from Oak Orchard that is a bent shaft with a spoon (curved) blade. In 2022, I was bow paddler on an overnight canoe trip and used it the whole first day. It has a really good catch and moves a lot of water, but I found it tiring. I was probably still recovering from major...

I can do a J-stroke, but it's not a thing of beauty. The big mistake I was making with my J is the thing I really need to watch with the other options, and that's being sure my thumb is really pointing straight up or down and not at an angle. Seems like thumbs down would make more sense with the...

Last year (2023) I bought a Werner Bandit. A whitewater paddle with carbon shaft and curved fiberglass blade. I don't do serious whitewater, but I thought it might come in handy. I used it once, didn't like it and never used it again. Last trip of the year, one of the other guys paddling stern...

I'm glad you asked this because I was thinking of starting a similar thread. My answer, partly, depends on whether you are talking about white water or flatwater. Generally, I'm more inclined to go symmetrical for whitewater and asymmetrical for flatwater. As far as swede form, I don't have any...

First off, I wouldn't call myself a kayak person. I had canoes long before I had kayaks and I still have four canoes and love them. Exactly my point about the car seats. Most people would want their cars to come with seats, wheels, etc. I know, in places like the Boundary Waters, they don't do...

Good point. Everyone has their own way of outfitting a canoe. But how do you think people would feel if their new car didn't come ready to drive? I have two touring kayaks, a high end recreational kayak, and a cross-over kayak. I haven't had to do a thing to any of them to get ready for a...

I might have mentioned before that my "canoe" club is being taken over by kayaks, but only for solo paddlers. Most tandem paddlers are still in canoes. This last weekend I was on a club paddle with five other (solo) boats and only two of them were kayaks, so that was encouraging. I think canoe...

Last weekend I paddled my Esquif Echo (T-Formex) on a shallow, gravely river. The bottom is so slippery I had to be careful about leaving it on the bank as it would self launch. I haven't had a chance to look over the bottom to see how badly scratched up it is. I suspect it took some damage...

I was recently on a river paddle with someone that had a Phoenix. Seemed to perform very well. Her's was Blacklite and I loaded it on her vehicle for her, after the paddle, and it felt noticeably lighter than my Blacklite North Wind. Very easy to lift. I have one on my wish list. I'd probably...

Went for my first paddle of the year a couple days ago. Lake was totally devoid of Ice. Looks like I could have gotten out sooner, but it's been pretty windy lately. Water is still pretty cold, so I stuck close to shore and at one end. I've been exercising all winter, which helped a lot, I'm...

Having read the article, it's not clear to me that he's against assymetric canoes. I think he's just trying to reassure readers that he's going to explain things so that a layman can understand. I've read most of what Winter's has published, on line, and did so way back in the late 1990s...

I was looking for something to read while riding my exercise bike and came across this. https://www.bearmountainboats.com/blogs/news/anatomy-of-a-canoe-essentials-of-good-design-canoecraft-excerpt Good info for anyone looking for a new canoe.