Recent content by Mason

Those are the newer tan gunwales, along with the cane instead of rotomolded seats. The white gunwales were from the 1970s I believe. I think the gunwales have aluminum inserts as well, but not sure. Year of manufacture will be the last two digits of the serial number--may be a 2000 or later model

I didn't include breakfast and lunch. I can eat the same thing for six weeks at a time. Grape nuts/dried milk/sugar for breakfast, mixed nuts and granola bars for lunch. I average 1.5 pounds of food per day and don't go hungry, but I'm a pretty light eater.

My staples for 6 week trips (involving lots of portages) are: instant brown rice, Bear Valley soup mix (e.g. broccoli/cheddar), and bacon bits; pasta w/Knorr pesto, sundried tomatoes, and bacon bits; Zatarains Jambalaya, dried tomatoes and andouille sausage. The bagged real bacon from Costco is...

30 years ago I helped a MS student study low productivity in red-tailed hawks. The culprit was blood parasites transmitted by black flies. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236145648_Blackfly-Induced_Mortality_of_Nestling_Red-Tailed_Hawks

Fun stuff! Dunno about all those rolls without helmets, though (or PFDs).

And then there's https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/winter-reading-list.128809/

They have an impressive video out on the trip on Youtube

I think you'll find it responds well to leans. With a hard lean, the stern will really slew around. I used to dick around with a hard lean and an outside low brace--I've come close to gunnel dipping! Although the depth can be problematic, the gunnels are the right height to get a solid brace...

Yes, 3 years ago. Even got to pole a makoro--wonderful experience. My daughter trying her hand (as a couple of hippos watched from a distance--and her father!).

My first thought was "that looks like makoros in the Okavango" , then saw the ID. Wonderful place!

Yeah, looking down from up high is different from looking up from the bottom of the hydraulic!

Does this count as a sign to portage? There was a cairn for the start. Dubawnt River Canyon, a 2.5 mile cross-tundra portage, still carrying 3 more weeks of food.

Tuff Weave wasn't a thing that early. I do think they used some Kevlar reinforcements at the ends. It looks like the seat has been lowered, which will improve stability. My FG C-1 (1983 also) has the same color interior--looks like yours has a gel coat rather than bare Kevlar. My FG boat...

Yes, it is a DEEP boat. I have (not so fond) memories of having to turn around in windy/wavy conditions, unladen, getting beam in 3 foot waves and leaning to turn downwind. I've also fished out a friend in open water with the wind torqueing his boat over, and the same has happened to me in a...

Enjoy! It's a fun boat. I've done everything from racing, to tripping, gunkholing, and significant whitewater in it. I think my daughter is going to set me adrift in mine in my final hours.