Recent content by tketcham

Well, that isn't the prettiest layup I've seen, that's for sure. But I've owned famous brand composite canoes where the interior epoxy layer has voids and one had a few places where the fabric edge was raised up. I sanded down the sharp edges and called it good. You could always run a bit of...

I don't think there's any one canoe design or layup that is the best overall because we all have different perspectives based on experiences and expectations. And our lives change over time so what might have been the best canoe when younger isn't going to be the best canoe when older. Plus, a...

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to convey. I put the stern forward because it extends further out from the roof racks when the widest portion of the canoe is centered between them. By having the bow to the rear of our hatchback the canoe doesn't stick out as far, there's less canoe...

I've been orienting our 18.5' Odyssey with the stern forward because when we center the widest section of the canoe between the two roof racks the stern section extends much farther than the bow section. Might not matter much with a sedan but with our hatchback it makes a big difference.

DNF

I think you may be blurring the line between standard features and extras, especially if a particular canoe isn't a whitewater or pack specific model. If the canoe you're talking about isn't, then most people may not want the extras you want and why should they have to pay for things they won't...

Mad River Canoe's version of a "Prospector". ;)

I don't know what kind of cars (or canoes) you've been buying but the ones I've purchased have always been ready to drive (or paddle). Maybe not leather Recaro seats but they've always worked well enough. :D Not sure what you needed to add to your canoe but being a kayak person you may have a...

Swift Canoe & Kayak offers special seats and backrests as options. Personally, I don't want more expensive seats and backrests to come standard with a canoe because then I'd have to spend time and waste money removing and replacing them with less expensive traditional seat(s) and...

Same here. I don't bother trying to hide scratches and just fill gouges with epoxy and call it good. The new outer coating that Swift is using is more about protection from real damage. The UV protection is a plus.

Gone with the passage of time; the boomer generation is moving on to other things. There never were many whitewater canoeists in Washington State when I took it up back in the 80's; mostly kayaks and rafts. I sold my solo whitewater canoe when I moved back to New England over a decade ago and...

For alpine and Nordic skiing this is turning out to be a dud year in Vermont. Sure, there's still some alpine skiing on the trails that got buried in man-made snow but overall the snow pack is going, going, gone. Ski season was short and mud season is going to feel like it's taking forever. I...

I always have two canoe paddles with me (and if tandem, two more for them) but the two I bring depend on the canoe and the conditions. Whichever paddle doesn't break is the spare.* 🫣 Sport solo 13.5' - river or flat water: Wood - straight lightweight & wood - straight dependable Touring solo...

I used the term "sufficient durability" for a reason. Your example is a good one and I can say that yes, I've owned a composite tandem canoe that could be dragged up a bony creek without worrying too much about it. It was a (Western Canoeing & Kayaking) Clipper Prospector 17 in their Kevlar...

Good thing you don't say that out loud. 😁 Minimizing weight while retaining sufficient durability is a major driver of innovations in construction techniques. The new materials and technique Swift is using is expected to reduce weight by quite a bit; one to four pounds depending on size and...