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For flat water, either quiet or moving, almost always a bent shaft. I frequently use a bent shaft paddle either sitting or kneeling. For anything on moving water that is more than slightly technical, a straight shaft paddle with a Sugar Island type of blade. For whitewater a synthetic...

I certainly don't wish to discourage you from making your own pack if that's what you want to do and have the necessary tools and know how, and I understand the satisfaction that comes from using something you made with your own hands. But if economy is a consideration, I rather expect that you...

I have not used it but read feedback from others who have. Although G Flex does not cure clear (it has an amber color when cured, the darkness of which varies with the thickness of the epoxy layer) I am told that this stuff is much less clear with a distinct brown color. The pricing that I...

A patch of any plain weave fabric, in which the individual fibers are woven but not bound to each other in any way, will tend to elongate lengthwise and narrow transversely as you wet it out. This is like the old "Chinese finger cuffs" you may have played with as a kid. This is true of...

You should have no problem using a different brand of epoxy. Yes, a cover coat of either a urethane or marine varnish with UV inhibitors should do fine.

Marlin Bayes of Western Canoeing and Kayaking of Abbotsford British Columbia told me that he bought the mold for those seats when Sawyer went under. Western Canoeing and Kayaking is also where Clipper Canoes are made. I had a clear plastic seat of the same type on my Sawyer Summersong that...

I have either applied abrasion plates to quite a few (two dozen or more) Royalex canoes that have worn through at the stems or repaired them in other ways, such as mending cold cracks or other cracks, using West Systems G Flex epoxy. I am pretty familiar with West System's recommendations for...

If the outer solid lamina of ABS has been abraded right through and into the foam core, as it clearly has in multiple areas in this case, the surrounding exposed ABS has almost certainly been thinned out to the point that it won't take much more abrasion to wear through into the foam core in...

I don't have any proof, but there was widespread speculation that the tooling at the Warsaw plant that produced Royalex was pretty well shot and continued production would have required a significant investment in upgraded machine tools that PolyOne deemed not financially worthwhile. I have...

Sometimes those crappy skid plates can be removed more easily than you might think. You can try warming the surface with a heat gun but be careful as over warming can cause the foam core of the Royalex to deform. Try getting under an edge of the skid plate with a thin blade or putty knife...

The areas of exposed outer solid layer of ABS (the yellowish areas) are almost certainly thinned out to greater or lesser degree. These areas will be prone to erosion that extends into other areas of the foam core. If you want to keep this boat a while I would definitely apply a belt of fabric...

It is true that an open boat without flotation is easier to roll. It stays very low in the water so there is little mass that has to be rolled up out of the water. Only problem is you can't do anything with it after you roll it up.

How hard it is to undo the slip knot depends not only on how much tension is applied to it, but also on the diameter of the line and its frictional properties. In some instances it can be difficult to undo.

Bugs, bad weather, injuries, illness, missed connections, screwed up shuttles, getting lost, ... the list is extensive.

I do the same. I put at least two twists put usually three into the line when tying the overhand slip knot.

If the Vermont Canoe version of the Independence follows the same specs as the MRC version, it is 15' 8" in length overall. That would be easy to confirm with a tape. So since half of 188 inches is 94" that places the front edge of the seat 3" aft of longitudinal center which should be just...

Yes, I came to favor whitewater boats with a harder chine, once I learned how not to trip over them. The Viper 12, Viper 11, and Dagger Ocoee are some of my favorites. Only problem with the Vipers, moreso with the Viper 11 than the Viper 12, is that the sheerline is fairly low and they don't...

"MAD" is the manufacturer's identification code for Mad River Canoe. "EX" is a model code for the Explorer. "584" is a serialized number. It might mean that the boat was the 584th Mad River Canoe made that year, or perhaps the 584th Explorer made, or perhaps something else. But it is the...

A few more Mohawk canoe photos. #1: Another shot of my brother-in-law on the Current River in a Solo 14 #2. A friend paddling an Odyssey 14 probably on the Blue River in Indiana #3: Another friend paddling a Shaman on either Slippery Rock Creek or the lower Youghiogheny River in PA #4: I'm...

Yes, I almost mentioned the same thing. It is important to wipe the excess Watco oil off after you allow it to penetrate for 15-30 minutes otherwise it can form a gummy residue that has to be scraped off. I have used a lot of Watco oil although I usually use their Teak Oil these days rather...