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Glenn, A group of us from "up nawth" (Chicago area and Madison Wisconsin, plus points between) went down to Tennessee to run a section of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek (just because of the name) on I think it's the Cumberland Plateau. (Part of the Collins River watershed?) I also think there's a...

My wife and I were on a local canoe club trip years ago, mid 1980s, I'm sure, on the North Fork of the John Day in Central Oregon. It was a fairly well-attended trip over Fourth of July Weekend, so the river level was down, probably near lower limit of running. It was a long weekend, so two...

I can't see the symmetrical vs. Swede form thing being that much of an issue because it can't be changed while paddling. Paddlers can change boat trim while on the move. If you're going on a mostly deep-water trip (lakes or big rivers), a symmetrical hull is fine (if you have one). For mostly...

Not sure how tool handles are made but they're probably usually extruded like the fiberglass ladder typically seen at Home Depot. They mix up a huge batch of the short fiber glass like comes out of a chopper gun with resin and then pressure it through a die in the shape they want. Cut pieces to...

If you're buying a commercially made boat, that makes it easier. Yeah, right. It's just a matter of picking the manufacturer, model, and construction out of the hundreds on offer. As long as you stick with one of the better brands, I don't think itchies will be a problem. Again, I wouldn't...

On epoxy, fully cured stuff should be nontoxic, not sensitizing at all. Make sure to stir thoroughly so that it's mixed fully, and use proper proportions when mixing up new batches. Not mixed well, some could not set fully and cause problems, though I'd consider it not much of a problem. It...

Wear protective clothing and few if any of these materials should be an issue unless you are one of the very few truly sensitive types (mostly liquid epoxy sensitifvity). I worked in the industry for years with no problems, wearing minimal gear at times, though not doing dumb things, either (or...

I applaud your sentiment here. My wife and I have over a thousand bucks worth of Watershed bags that we've used a lot, whitewater and tripping over the last 20 or so years. Great products! None of ours are hypalon, but they still take a real beating with no failures.

Both polyester/vinylester and epoxy are irritants to the skin in the liquid form, though epoxy is the worst. Many people who work with it a lot become sensitized to it and have to stop. Always wear gloves when working with epoxy and don't get any on your skin. After the resins cure, they are...

My wife and I have had trouble with that before in back-to-back permit trips where we weren't available to do the verification you mention for the second one because we were out of contact on the first one. We didn't have schmardt phones, not that there was cell service where we were anyway...

Escapees from Yellowstone Park as well as ranchers raising hybrids. Probably few water buffalo though, which is fine with me.

I paddled a Canadienne almost exclusively for all the 1970s and '80s, though I had the 17'-3" version in fiberglass. I don't consider it a really fast boat, but it was definitely no dog, and certainly maneuverable given its length. The only thing I didn't like about it was it got thrown around...

I can't see salt damaging composites. They make saltwater boats out of composite, right? Even carbon? America's Cup sailing racers? I don't know what the gunnels are made from but they could be affected. I'd still rinse everything off with fresh water anyway. Inside and out.

Anyone know how to delete posts? Couldn't figure it out so the "real" one is below.

I have never done it either, living in a slightly milder climate, but I've never heard of problems with other than Royalex family canoes in this expansion/contraction issue. If they have pop riveted gunnels, good luck. I have a couple Royalex canoes but store them inside. The building isn't...

Thanks Benson. Might be able to lean it far enough over to get the stem on top of the log to go over, but it would be dicey, as well as getting the hull back upright to finish the slide over. Shouldn't have to lean to come off the log if the try was successful. Hard on bark and the minimal...

Wouldn't work well with the Kootenay sturgeon-nosed canoe described by Adney in his "Bark Canoes and Skin Boats..." < HUGE GRIN >

My sister was visiting a couple years ago, and my wife and I took her canoeing on the local reservoir during her stay here. The reservoir is only a couple miles long and the boat ramp is right at the dam. I found a parking place maybe a block from the boat ramp and parked, then unloaded the...

Glenn, I used to have a black-gold Wildfire myself, bought a demo model directly from Ted Bell at the Outdoor Retailer show back about 2000 or so, then sold it to a local club member after my shoulder surgery ten years ago because I wasn't sure I'd be using it again, not quite trusting the...

I agree mostly with pblanc above. Both Kevlar/Twaron and carbon also have very high stiffness to weight ratios, so they help with the weight reduction in canoes in that respect, also, in that less material is needed to have a stiff enough hull to not deform appreciably when paddling it. If...