Recent content by stripperguy

My Kites are sensitive to fore-aft trim. As such, I made my seats adjustable. If I’m paddling with gear, it’s easy to achieve ideal trim, but if I’m day tripping, it’s very convenient to be able to adjust for wind and water conditions. Now, on to the important stuff… where is that marvelous...

MDB and I have visited Boreas Ponds several times...It's an easy roll in on wheels or carry on your shoulders. Camping spots are relatively few, most shores are pretty soggy. It's a short drive from Lake Harris state campground. Views are very good from the water, similar views can be had from...

I gotta admit, I like the looks of those extruded alum gunwales. I bet you can hardly wait to get it in the water!

Agree to disagree Once set up with infeed and out feed rollers, a 6 pitch blade will cut strips as fast as I can push the plank through. Strips are uniform in thickness and have a nice enough finish to send directly to the shaper for bead and cove. It’s all in the set up of blade guides and rip...

Due to my previous life as an apprentice trained toolmaker, I have always preferred a bandsaw for cutting strips. Set up is sometimes challenging, but a typical 1/2" 4 of 6 pitch hook tooth blade produces a kerf of roughly 1/32". Understandably, others prefer the skilsaw method, perhaps due to...

WRT scarf joints: Whenever I have built with less than full length strips, I've simply used a butt joint positioned on a form. I stagger the joints randomly, and position them in a low stress location. Small knots are fine as long as you can keep them intact until glassed, they add quite a bit...

John, welcome to the site, you’ll find a couple centuries of collected experience here. My advice to you: Don’t do it!! Strip building a canoe can lead to a life long addiction… But seriously, decide what sort of build you want, lightweight, large capacity, nimble, super stable and so on. Then...

It was a big disappointment for me...At home in Colonie (between Albany and Schenectady, NY) we got maybe 3 inches. Not that I necessarily wanted a full driveway, but big snows at home equates to great back country skiing at Petersburg Pass. (out of business since the '80's) There are no...

Skid plates? What material?

Let's see, for better or worse? I've been exclusively paddling canoes that I have built since 1978, using only my own bent shaft paddles since 1982. Not much change. Hull designs are somewhat improved, but I mostly paddled racing hulls for tripping...not much changed. Tents, sleeping pads...

My son built one of those godesic canoes when he was 12 years old. Here he is is paddling between Duck Hole and the Prestons (ADK's). It was 12 ft and weighed 10 lbs. MDB thought it was impractical and often called it "the lampshade".

haha, that does look like a pretty handy paddle...

I do a fair amount of finish carpentry...those folding rules are the best for precise, inside measurements. Slide rules, yeah, I relied on them earlier in my career, they've been obsolete forever. Three sided scales? Still useful for scaled, hand drawings. CAD and 3D modeling software changed my...

I am jealous!! My back country runs are usually at long abandoned ski areas here in NY or VT and MA. No above tree lines for me, but the old trails are narrow and grown in, and the tree skiing is superb. Last week there was a 27” base, pretty good for all natural around here.

Anyone smell burning feathers? (obscure reference to a Billy Bob Thorton line in the 2001 movie "Bandits") I would guess the inclusion of canoes in these pharma ads is supposed to connote a relaxed, healthy lifestyle...