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I concur with the opinions from Steve in Idaho. I have a Phoenix IXP, a Royalex Mad River Guide and a Kevlar Bell Wildfire. The latter two were bought used-both "I can't pass this up"kind of deals. The Phoenix and Wildfire are very similar in handling. I really enjoy both of them on rivers...

Thanks for the info. Black Canyon is on my list. It is supposedly feasible to put in at Willow Beach, downstream from the dam and paddle up about 14 miles to the dam then return with the current. There are reportedly campsites and hot springs along the way.

Ppine- Is the trip on the Colorado the one you previously mentioned from Blythe to Yuma? What were the camping conditions like? How many days/nights? I am considering doing this trip with my son and grandsons who live in CA. Thanks for any trip details.

I agree with ppine on this. I bought a Bell Wildfire last year with wood that looked a lot like yours. It sanded down very well. Our relatively dry western climate seems to be a lot easier on wood than the humid east/midwest. The gunnels dry out and turn grey but don't thoroughly rot as...

I'm curious Jim- what length canoes have you carried on that rack setup on your pickup? Any problems with a canoe with more rocker touching the top of your cab above the windshield? Thanks for the report.

I just finished "An Unfinished Love Story" by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. It has nothing to do with canoeing, but is a fascinating history of the 1960's, for those (apparently many) of us who were coming of age in that era.

Problem with the above: you are still exposing yourself to mosquitoes/black flies when you open the hammock fly and "stand up". I assume that you are using a pee bottle when you say "cap", and not just peeing on the ground under the hammock. In a tent you don't really have to stand or...

Your guy line solution looked good to me. We had a really crazy setup while running the San Juan river one year. The campsite was primarily slick rock with no trees and little to no soil. Luckily there were a lot of boulders and big rocks around. We scavenged the end ropes from all of the...

They are great tents. I purchased the 4 man size about 40 years ago and it is still functioning. Sheds water well with just the single cotton layer. The only drawbacks are the weight (mine is 35 pounds plus 10+ pounds of poles) and the difficulty of setup in areas with shallow soil for tent...

Back in the 80's they used to haul us up in a flatbed truck on the West River dam release weekends. Is that a thing of the past? I had a "learning experience " on that river in an experimental open tandem Sawyer canoe which wasn't suitable for Class 3 rapids. The portage was no problem though!

I hate to bear bad news, but I have seen a Royalex Bell Yellowstone solo with vinyl gunnels and a cold crack. A friend of mine bought it last spring. The prior owner was from Steamboat Springs (NW Colorado) and we don't know how it was stored. The crack extends down about 5" from a rivet near...

Thanks for the report and photos. It brought back good memories of trips with my boys to the St Regis canoe area 40 years ago in our 18'6" Kevlar TW Special. We still reminisce often about paddling, camping and portaging in that beautiful area- un disturbed by motor boats or cars. Enjoy the...

Art D- that is a great concept. What have you thought of so far? I wonder if some kind of hinge could be built into the seat frame which would be rigid when weight is applied from above, but which would allow it to rotate up when pressure from the paddler's lower legs or feet is applied from...

I would think that the holes in the inwales for tiny D rings would be much smaller in diameter than those in the hull shown in your post. In addition they would be filled with screws, rather than open. It seems to me that they wouldn't weaken the gunwales much. I screwed metal Mini D rings...

My friend, John, is the one who purchased it. He loves it, except for the tractor seat, which he said was too narrow for his butt. He replaced it with a contoured web seat from Ed's last week. I paddled it in a lake for a couple of hours before the seat swap and liked it a lot. I think it...

The photos didn't load with my post. Will try again

I didn't realize that my old Iliad was now a rarity. It has been my favorite whitewater paddle for over 30 years and I just used it yesterday. My son and I each have one with the gray grip, as pictured. It says Iliad, Inc. at the top of the blade. I don't know when I got them, but suspect...

Welcome to the group. I am one of your closest neighbors here in northern Utah. I’m enjoying the Mad River Guide that we picked up in Boise last year. Fun boats for the Snake, Payette, Salmon and other rivers that you are lucky to have in Idaho!

My kayak skirts required two hands to "push" off. Maybe I was lucky, but the paddle was always within grabbing distance after wet exiting. The primary goal was to get my head into the air for a breath- the fate of the paddle a distant second! This was especially true if wet exiting followed...

Kahel thanks for that link. Your friend has some interesting videos.