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Yeah, don't take dangerous risks pushing your limits when alone. But I've done a lot of learning by mistake on features just above pools where a swim is easy to recover from. Sometimes with witnesses, sometimes not. :)

I'll try to describe it better. I was actually thinking about describing this as I was doing it yesterday. Picture a midstream eddy below a rock. If I want to go up to my left of the rock, I'll push off on my right, in the eddy. The angle of attack will look almost like I'm going to peel out -...

@RickR - I would encourage you to try exiting the eddy bow first, taking advantage of all the momentum aided by the eddy, and immediately edge hard on the stream side to bring the bow up. A pole plant on the downstream side as you carve your turn into the current keeps you moving up. It's an...

I honestly don't know how to make a pole with metal shoes quiet. The bolt spikes are noisier than the conical bronze shoes on one of my poles, but then it's a heavier pole.

I should try that sometime, but I think a rubber end cap won't last long in the rivers I pole.

I have mixed feelings about the punishment, but if all that is true it wreaks of gross negligence. I can understand the court having little respect for the person who misrepresents himself or herself as an expert guide for profit and causes such an accident.

Definitely makes it easier to control the bow going against the current. But requires more thrust per FPS. Wind complicates things for sure. I was fighting a headwind while poling down the lower Payette in the Coho one day. Current was strong and the wind kept increasing. Eventually, I was...

Yes, @ABT - great post! #7.... Amen to that.

Maybe that's what I'm seeing. Or one accentuates the other.

This is why discussing it will never be as helpful as getting the boat in the water and practicing. Learning by repeated failure is the way. It does depend on a lot of variables, including which boat you're standing in. I break these bow light/heavy "rules" all the time, depending on the...

The flare is obvious in that boat!

Well, I missed that whole era. Thank heavens we have canoetripping.net. And Mike's sentiments on solo canoes match mine, but he says it much better than I ever could. Thanks, Glenn.

Yep. Slick rock slabs are always a problem. I have a few local spots where that has stopped my progress.

Totally agree. The price one considers acceptable is a matter of perspective. I like to stay within what I can expect to recover if I sell it soon, but if it's a rare find in my area and fills a niche I consider important to me, I don't mind paying a premium. It's a weird market here though...

Certainly all things worth taking into account. There have been times I have "overpaid" for a highly desirable used canoe, and not regretted it.

Yes. I think those prices are a little high for the area at least. I usually expect to pay around 1000 to 1400 dollars for a used kevlar canoe in nice condition in my area, and we aren't flush with good canoes. Rare models, I expect to pay more - but neither of those are rare, even here.

When I was first learning to pole, I tried to power my way up everything. That's a mistake for a couple of reasons. First - it wears you out and can cause an injury. Second - it can cause your bow to raise out of the water unnecessarily, which slows you down and increases effort. Try easing...

Standing farther back does make it easier to avoid introducing yaw while pushing hard, but also reduces your leverage for heeling. Sometimes it's an advantage, sometimes not. Every drop is different, but the more ledge-like it is, the more it helps to get the bow up when attacking it. Going up...

More about weight and hopping forward at the top of the ledge... Hopping forward while topping out on a climb gets the stern out of the accelerated water quicker and releases you from its drag. But with an empty boat, you have to make this move really quick because the boat gets stalled before...

Couple of videos from a couple of my local play spots... On this one, I can't climb this because there's a slick slab of concrete under it. But if you want to practice bow control, find yourself a surf wave. Idunno if this demonstrates bow light or bow heavy though. One things for sure - if I...