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  1. tketcham

    Detachable Yoke for Swift Carbon Gunnels

    I figured that would look funny. I'm going to do a lot more rasping and sanding than just those ends. The yoke is beefy enough for a Royalex tandem expedition canoe but the yoke is being used with an UL solo so I'm going to carve away a lot of excess material. And yes, it will be lighter in...
  2. tketcham

    Detachable Yoke for Swift Carbon Gunnels

    I checked and a standard SAE 1/4 x 20 nut fit onto the bolt just right. I bet one of those 1/4" carriage bolts (or similar) would work well. The hardware store might even have some of those specialty stainless bolts and I've seen those keeper washers as well.
  3. tketcham

    Detachable Yoke for Swift Carbon Gunnels

    Here's what the bolt assembly looks like. It looks like the bolt head (probably with a square underside) fits into the nylon handle. I didn't try to pop it out of the handle to confirm. The friction keeper washer has a small nylon inset. Those pencil marks are where I roughed in an area that...
  4. tketcham

    Detachable Yoke for Swift Carbon Gunnels

    If your yoke is long enough to reach across each rail at midpoint I don't see why you couldn't drill out holes or channels in the yoke to retrofit with something from a hardware store or perhaps from Swift. Yes, the bolt length would have to accommodate the yoke thickness and have sufficient...
  5. tketcham

    'new' Bell Morningstar

    This discussion at BWCA.com provides some background... Some history of Curtis/Bell/Hemlock tandems Scroll down to read Charlie Wilson's reply.
  6. tketcham

    'new' Bell Morningstar

    My bad, the Curtis tandem I have is the 16' Northstar; Kevlar with gel coat. I bought it used and it had minor scrapes and gouges and I haven't put much additional wear and tear other than bouncing down shallow sections now and then. It's not a rock bashing canoe but gel coat helps absorb the...
  7. tketcham

    'new' Bell Morningstar

    Well, that isn't the prettiest layup I've seen, that's for sure. But I've owned famous brand composite canoes where the interior epoxy layer has voids and one had a few places where the fabric edge was raised up. I sanded down the sharp edges and called it good. You could always run a bit of...
  8. tketcham

    One canoe to rule them all?

    I don't think there's any one canoe design or layup that is the best overall because we all have different perspectives based on experiences and expectations. And our lives change over time so what might have been the best canoe when younger isn't going to be the best canoe when older. Plus, a...
  9. tketcham

    New cars: are they as impossible as they seem for cartopping?

    I think you misunderstood what I was trying to convey. I put the stern forward because it extends further out from the roof racks when the widest portion of the canoe is centered between them. By having the bow to the rear of our hatchback the canoe doesn't stick out as far, there's less canoe...
  10. tketcham

    New cars: are they as impossible as they seem for cartopping?

    I've been orienting our 18.5' Odyssey with the stern forward because when we center the widest section of the canoe between the two roof racks the stern section extends much farther than the bow section. Might not matter much with a sedan but with our hatchback it makes a big difference.
  11. tketcham

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    I think you may be blurring the line between standard features and extras, especially if a particular canoe isn't a whitewater or pack specific model. If the canoe you're talking about isn't, then most people may not want the extras you want and why should they have to pay for things they won't...
  12. tketcham

    WTB Mid-Weight Tandem Tripper

    Mad River Canoe's version of a "Prospector". ;)
  13. tketcham

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    I don't know what kind of cars (or canoes) you've been buying but the ones I've purchased have always been ready to drive (or paddle). Maybe not leather Recaro seats but they've always worked well enough. :D Not sure what you needed to add to your canoe but being a kayak person you may have a...
  14. tketcham

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    Swift Canoe & Kayak offers special seats and backrests as options. Personally, I don't want more expensive seats and backrests to come standard with a canoe because then I'd have to spend time and waste money removing and replacing them with less expensive traditional seat(s) and...
  15. tketcham

    Swift with new "UV shield" and Heat cured Epoxy resin built boats new for 2024

    Same here. I don't bother trying to hide scratches and just fill gouges with epoxy and call it good. The new outer coating that Swift is using is more about protection from real damage. The UV protection is a plus.
  16. tketcham

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    Gone with the passage of time; the boomer generation is moving on to other things. There never were many whitewater canoeists in Washington State when I took it up back in the 80's; mostly kayaks and rafts. I sold my solo whitewater canoe when I moved back to New England over a decade ago and...
  17. tketcham

    How is your winter so far?

    For alpine and Nordic skiing this is turning out to be a dud year in Vermont. Sure, there's still some alpine skiing on the trails that got buried in man-made snow but overall the snow pack is going, going, gone. Ski season was short and mud season is going to feel like it's taking forever. I...
  18. tketcham

    How many paddles do you bring on a canoe trip?

    I always have two canoe paddles with me (and if tandem, two more for them) but the two I bring depend on the canoe and the conditions. Whichever paddle doesn't break is the spare.* 🫣 Sport solo 13.5' - river or flat water: Wood - straight lightweight & wood - straight dependable Touring solo...
  19. tketcham

    Swift with new "UV shield" and Heat cured Epoxy resin built boats new for 2024

    I used the term "sufficient durability" for a reason. Your example is a good one and I can say that yes, I've owned a composite tandem canoe that could be dragged up a bony creek without worrying too much about it. It was a (Western Canoeing & Kayaking) Clipper Prospector 17 in their Kevlar...
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