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If I had more room and money, I'd get an Advantage. Kind of looked at it before buying the North Wind. Still want one. If I lived in Ely, I would have bought something like the Advantage or Peregrine or, maybe, something even racier. When I bought the North Wind, I was remembering my first day...

I have a North Wind solo and I've been kind of debating if I should have bought something else. Northstar implies that the North Wind is the fastest seaworthy canoe or the most seaworthy fast canoe. Take your pick. If I had it to do over, rather than something like the Peregrine, I'd be more...

My advice, to most people, is to not buy a new canoe. At least until you really know what you like. Your canoe is going to get beat up pretty quickly anyway, so you might as well buy it a little beat up and save the money. Having said that, I've bought far more new canoes than used. I want...

I order internal skid plates, when I can. I'm not a fan of external skid plates. A better option, in my opinion, is applying a tough tape and replacing it when it gets beat up.

I've been using a Klymit air mattress, but I bought myself a light weight cot that I'm going to try next summer.

I've been using an inside ground sheet for years, after reading about it in one of Cliff Jacobson's books. I sometimes use heavy mill painter's ground "cloth". I have some kind of black plastic sheet, that came in a big roll. Don't remember what it was for, but I've been cutting ground sheets...

I took a cheap comforter, with fiber fill, on a trip last fall. I'd say night time temp got down to about 45 and I was a little chilly. This winter I ordered a couple Klymit blankets that I'll probably give a try next summer. On sale pretty cheap at Camp Saver. If I have room, I'll take both...

I've never worn my heartrate monitor while paddling. When the ice melts, I'll have to try it. Because of my age and the medication I'm on, since heart surgery, it would be impossible for me to get my heart rate that high. In fact, I'm not really supposed to push my heart rate too high. I was...

I've found that paddling requires far less cardio vascular fitness than my other sports. But I think that depends on how powerful a paddler you are and how hard you are trying. A strong paddler, going hard, is going to put a bigger demand on their heart and lungs than a guy like me just cruising...

. The B16 and B17 are fairly popular in my neck of the woods. They aren't BWCAW type boats. In IXP they are a good river canoe. Seems like the B19 would be something I'd look at if I was planning on Paddling the Yukon or Nahanni. Maybe a bit much for the lower 48.

If the next shot isn't her in the water, then I'm impressed. I do a less extreme version, in a tandem, quite frequently. Makes me nervous just looking at her.

I've always said that, if you have two males on bicycles, you have a race. It's in our DNA. I think it's normal to want to test yourself against the other guy. I, personally, don't race. If I was ever capable of being competitive, that time is long gone. There really isn't much racing, to...

Timely post. I just had to sell a canoe so I'd have room for a new canoe. Last night, in bed, I was thinking I should take a look at my garage and see if there is a way I could hang one or two of my boats. I've managed to squeeze all my boats in the garage, but it's far from ideal.

I probably have most of his books. I've picked up some really good tips from him. One of the best is his advice to put the ground sheet inside the tent and not under it. There are things I don't agree with him on, like his love of tump lines and canoe packs. And I don't know how he fits all his...

Maybe I shouldn't even be replying. I have four ottertails, three Fishell and one Oak Orchard, but haven't used any of them yet. The main reasons I bought ottertails are: I thought the long narrow blade would give me better course correction without increased blade area. I wanted to try some of...

Pretty snazzy. Interesting paddle. Who made it?

This paddle isn't light for a carbon, but seems like it would be pretty hard to find a straight shaft wood paddle that light. Cliff Jacobson seems to think a fine edge is important. That is one reason I went for it. I have an old BB Starlight paddle that has been my go-to stern paddle for...

I just got a Wenonah Black Lite straight shaft. On sale very cheap. Very high quality. A little heavier than some, but that means it's tougher. T-grip. Blade shape is very different from their bent shafts. https://wenonah.com/Items.aspx?id=4 They charge $50 for oversize shipping, but still a...

I've been putting sponges under my legs. I'm thinking of ordering a block of open cell foam, from Foat Factory. Wonder what Jonny 5 had to say? There is a place, only a few minutes from my house, that does outdoor gear repair and custom work. They might make me something. I'm reluctant to try...

Some pretty clever work. Gives me some ideas. Is that a North Wind 16?