Recent content by tketcham

I went from hand drawing units from stereo pair aerial photo interpretation and USGS topo mapping to using Autodesk AutoCAD and ESRI ArcGIS. The incremental improvements over that time, using a number of devices and technology, was not without a fair amount of frustration. At times we'd have to...

Planimeter, able to measure to hundreths of a square inch. It was used by foresters to measure the scaled mapping area of forest stands, timber sale units, post-sale activity units, and fire areas, among other things. You'd measure the square inch area of a unit drawn on a map and convert it to...

Not sure what you mean by that.

Here's one that most people won't recognize. Well, ppine might...

Not really, I was looking for a lightweight version of our Curtis Northstar and was wondering if the Polaris was as stable. And like l said, we're getting older, but still enjoy "messing about in boats". Not at all. Gumpus's comment about steering from the bow/stern brought up another advantage...

That's what I'm looking for. (Well, it's an advantage to what I'm looking for.) We want to learn some tandem freestyle moves (I know better than to try and teach her myself) and the Polaris, while not a Savage River Harmony, Loon Works Duet, Colden Starfire, or any number of other nimble canoes...

Hmmm, wonder how that will affect the Adirondack Freestyle Canoeing Symposium?

That was my take on it. Your link to the Bell catalog is a nice resource and the specifications for the Northstar do strongly suggest that the Polaris is basically the same canoe. As for layups, I'm less concerned about durability and UV degradation than I used to be. The canoe won't be used on...

I get it, Glenn, we're at the age (now in our 70's) where we have to be realistic about our plans for the next decade or so. Thus, my concern about the stability and seaworthiness of the Polaris. I want my lovely canoeing partner to be comfortable in the canoe, even in windblown chop. I did...

Both reasonable primary characteristics but not the only ones... Perhaps you're correct if "any reasonable" is within the range of characteristics I'm after. I've been fortunate to have paddled some great tandem canoes over the years so I'm guilty of wanting to be a bit more discerning of a...

So that's your Bell Northstar, Gumpus? I really like the color. ;) I believe the Northstar Polaris is basically a revamping of the Bell Northstar based on Northstar's web page: "The Polaris accelerates quickly and offers a lively paddling experience. Skilled paddlers raved about the performance...

As I replied to Gumpus previously, that Stealth build emphasizes the adage of "lowest weight = highest price". (And it's more fragile.) I'm looking at dropping weight from 55 lbs to 38 lbs. I can live with that, until I cannot, and then I have a 22 lb solo to fall back on. Or into. :)

That's what I thought I'd read or heard. I'll have to review the history Charlie Wilson has provided over the years. And cost. :)

Glenn, I took a quick look at the sides of the Northstar (hanging in the garage and bagged, so a very cursory look) and you may be correct about the bubble-sided Curtis and Swift canoes vs the shouldered Polaris. The Polaris side walls appear to share more in common with my Northstar Firebird...

It is, and a lot of fun to paddle on all sorts of water. I can still lift it onto and off the car without too much trouble but I'd rather swap it out now while we can still get many more years out of a lighter canoe. A Swift Keewaydin 16 or Savage River Harmony would both be enjoyable, I'm sure...