Recent content by tketcham

It seems that nowadays it takes a competitive approach to get some people outside. Think of all the apps that track miles hiked or ridden, vertical feet skied or ridden, and any number of metrics that compel people to compete with each other. If that's what it takes to get people outside I guess...

This discussion has reinforced thoughts I've had regarding turning a canoe with a heel vs carving and how it relates to carving a ski(s), which is how my brain thinks of carving. My conclusion is that there are two ways that canoes "carve" a turn and they rely on different aspects of canoe...

BFD was my first reaction. 😁

And perhaps more importantly, just won't feel right. Do you also consider paddle balance when considering materials for grip and blade, aiming for a particular balance point?

The Magic is a great canoe and the Magic and the Classic are comparably fast as touring boats. I'd give the edge to the Classic for speed but the Magic has a lot going for it as a solo touring canoe and day tripper.

I'm not sure where you do most of your canoeing but there are a few of us with fast canoes that get together occasionally in southern VT and central MA. Not for racing but just enjoying some time clipping along in a canoe.

True, for ski base shaping the card file is really stiff. For removing fine hairs and smoothing and for wax removal the card files I use are fairly flexible.

It was a funny summer, we were traveling (sans canoes) for almost a month and then I broke some ribs in late summer and that set me back a month or so. Otherwise, I don't have a lot of miles to claim but there were some quality paddling days spread out over the season.

Interesting, your card file looks a lot like the ones I use for alpine and Nordic ski tuning.

True, just wish we'd at least try to slow our homogenization of the Earth's ecosystems.

Sort of, the first may have been from Polynesia, or Asia, or Europe, or South America... And they may have wiped out whole populations of large carnivores, ungulates, and other fauna.

It's getting cold up here (water and temps) so I won't be going out much more this year. I noticed you have a Northstar Trillium. I have a Hemlock Kestrel, which is similar, and I think you'll appreciate the added performance of the Classic if you're wanting a faster boat. The Classic is more...

If that's not bad enough they're probably disrupting native fauna by eating local food sources and/or forcing the natives out of the monkey's territory.

Oh, brother, yet another introduced species that ought to be dealt with before they become a big problem. But people will think they're cute and want to protect them. Do monkeys taste like chicken? Added: I didn't realize that they already are a problem and becoming invasive. And yup, people...

Perhaps Marc Ornstein will chime in but for me the difference between functional freestyle and functional paddling is that when I'm paddling in "freestyle" mode I make a game of executing a range of paddling strokes, including some that I might not ordinarily use when out canoeing to get...