Recent content by lowangle al

It's possible her husband didn't like the way the boat was trimmed.;)

It was a surprise to me too. About five years ago, before there was a nest on the lake I saw an eagle. He was perched in a tree on the far shore, about 250 yards across the water. He took off, flew to the shore I was paddling on and grabbed what I thought was a snake from a tree. It just didn’t...

There is an eagle nest right down the lake from me and I've seen them bringing sticks to repair the nest many times. This morning the eagle flew over my boat going towards shore and snapped this dead branch from the top of a tree while in flight. I heard it snap, and it didn't seem to slow him...

I like my Malecite for solo. I mostly paddled it from the bow seat backwards. I removed the center seat before ever trying it out, but I use that center position for fishing and photography as it tracks well. If I was doing more whitewater I think I would prefer a MR Explorer. I find with the...

Thanks again for posting this. It gave me some perspective of the traditions that shaped Bill Mason's style. It also enlightened me about traditions are not only a function of time, but of place too. If I'm right about the old Maine guides using their sterns like I describe, it may have been a...

Thanks for your input Scoutergriz, you were very lucky to have those experiences with your Dad and those experienced guides. I had to figure things out on my own through books mostly, but with some in person training. The time period that I'm thinking about was probably earlier, and the place...

Sorry about any thread drift, but my intension was to relate carving with your stern to a boat with differential rocker. I've picked up my paddling style from all disciplines. I've gotten a lot from Tom Fosters videos where I learned to incorporate carving in a big way. Tom mostly does his with...

To simplify things and not stray too far from the topic of the thread there are a few things I do in the wind. First, I paddle almost directly into it. The stronger the wind the less I can deviate from it. If I need to go right or left I move laterally, just like doing a forward ferry in a...

Thanks for responding Marc. As you may or may not know from perusing the forum, I have been paddling tandem boats from the stern seat for the past several years. For the past season I've been focusing on carving with the stern, by using it as a skeg. From my many years of paddling from a more...

If the differential rocker results in the stern being skegged, why not just use it as a skeg to facilitate turns? I would assume the skeg effect is there to make the boat track better. If that is the case it should also make a boat steer into turns when leaned into the turn. That is if the skeg...

I’ve found it doesn’t take much weight or flattening out of the hull to make it work. I’ve been using ballast of about 25 lbs. I don’t usually put it in the bow unless it’s windy. Otherwise I put it behind the bow seat. Sometimes right under the center thwart so it doesn’t affect trim, but the...

I now have 7 seasons paddling from the stern seat and have taken it to a new level. After watching a Tom Foster video last year about bow pinning, I was enlightened and intrigued by the possibilities of using my hull to facilitate turning. Leaning will make turning easier, but carving will...

There was a little frost on the hull yesterday when I started out in the fog, but it warmed up quickly. There is a buck in the fog that you can barely make out.

Where are you located Brace? My neighbor is thinking about getting a Merrimack.

For sure, even a slight change on trim or lean changes the boats performance.