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HERE is a PDF reprint of 1960s Boys Life articles, from the days when people actually made stuff. "Hickory" tarp tent, Explorer tent, reflector oven, backpack, cook kit from thrift store pans, (heavy and bulky) sleeping bags ["Get your Dad or his hunting friends to save down for you on their...

My Wife the Nurse reminds all canoeists to get the patient and the rescuers out of the water before administering AED!

This is a sideline, but just to spread the word, the FDA has begun proceedings to approve the use of Narcan as an OTC medication. I found this info on the Psychiatric Times website. To encourage sponsor application for over-the counter naloxone, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

Al, the Virginia Good Samaritan law protects "any person." It does not require training to render volunteer assistance in an emergency. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title8.01/chapter3/section8.01-225/ Paid professionals are held to a higher standard. There are specific provisions in...

ppine, I am glad you made it through your ordeal and are "back in the saddle again." (Couldn't resist some goofy humor.) You raise an excellent point: in addition to first aid skills and supplies, communication is vital. Even in settled areas, there are places without cell phone service...

Thanks, everybody. I received pretty consistent comments across three forums. Online training is better than nothing, but there is no substitute for hands-on. I think I will take the online class just as a refresher, and to report back to the safety committee. Maybe the safety committee...

I'm on the safety committee of our local river conservation non-profit. We do an annual river cleanup, and from time to time run organized river trips. Lately we have been discussing preparedness and response to accidents. Everybody agrees that CPR training for trip leaders would be good to...

The next step is installing a wide plank, called a "sheer strake," at the top of each side. This plank is not a simple straight board. I made a lattice pattern using two long wooden battens with multiple pieces of scrap as cross members. I used the lattice pattern to lay out the shape of...

Gosh, I haven't updated in a long time. I used the water level to lay out a series of marks along the side of the boat. Then, with Herself assisting, we used a piece of vinyl molding as a batten to connect the dots and draw the continuous waterline. The batten was attached to the boat...

Andrés Reséndez, Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery. The story of an uncovered voyage as colorful and momentous as any on record for the Age of Discovery—and of the Black mariner whose stunning accomplishment has been until now lost...

I have a Gregory 48 liter backpack that is very comfortable. REI lists a 30 liter Gregory pack that may fit your specifications, has a hip belt, and gets excellent reviews. https://www.rei.com/product/145658/gregory-zulu-30-pack-mens Black Fly, you don't say what is causing your back pain...

I am using MAS on my skiff build, which has not yet been banged over rocks. I have used it on other boat parts over the years and have found it to be easy to work with and reliable. MAS is the primary epoxy included in Chesapeake Light Craft kits. It is a quality product. There are two...

Stripperguy, this is a small unballasted boat, and so could be classified as a dinghy as well. "Skiff" is a designation applied to various boats, but traditionally a skiff is a flat-bottomed rowboat. Webster's says: "Middle English skif, from Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French...

A water level is really simple, Glenn. It's just a hose with one end fixed; in my first photo that's the tube with the blue tape. The water at the other end of the hose will always be at the same height as the water in the fixed end. Water levels are simple, inexpensive, and accurate. They...

I have not updated in a while. To lay out the waterline, I made a water level using clear vinyl tubing..... ....then connected the dots using a piece of vinyl molding as a batten. Warning! Do not use "permanent" double sided carpet tape to attach temporary battens to your hull! The...

I have rheumatoid and osteo arthritis in both hands, mainly in my knuckles and my right thumb. Also in my younger days I could not keep sharp objects away from my left hand, so there are traumatic injuries as well as degenerative disease. Physical therapy is slowly improving my strength and...

I faced this problem last summer, when a vehicle burst into flames and two Royalex canoes stored nearby were melted. This adventure resulted in a yet-to-be-published article for my canoe club newsletter. There are no good answers at this time. Because Royalex is a sandwich of different...

Just wonderful, Robin!

Around 1972, I saw a classified ad for a partly completed canoe kit. The seller's son had started building the boat, but abandoned it before getting very far. Among the defects was a broken keel timber. I repaired the keel by sawing out the broken part and attaching two pieces of scrap lumber...

I will amend what I said above about solo paddling my Prospecteur Sport after a little more experience with it. I did not have difficulty on a lake with 8-12 mph winds a couple weeks ago. I did find it helpful to paddle on the lee side when quartering into the stronger gusts, but that was only...