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Better than nothing, but not definitive. Best to file down the front sight in case it ends up not being definitive.

Agreed. I hope I didn't imply that I'm callous with how I treat my things. Running shallow, rocky rivers and creeks is a fact of life where I live and paddle. I don't aim for rocks or shallow spots, but scraped and dings are inevitable. I really wish Swift made something appropriate in both...

I bought my IXP Phoenix specifically to run the shallow, rocky creeks that make up the bulk of the water in my neck of the woods. It's not a precious work of art - it's just a canoe. I certainly don't have Elon Musk money but I buy my stuff to use. If it gets scraped up or bent I'll repair...

It could be closer to Ohiopyle (the Youghiogheny is where the canoes pictures were taken), but my fuzzy memory of that day is that we drove from Cleveland to Slippery Rock in the morning, ran Slippery Rock Creek, then drove to this other creek with the drop in the picture, then drove home. It's...

I suspect in low water that's about what it would take. I seem to remember the only reason we ran it is because one of the guys had wanted to do it for awhile but there was never enough water. BTW, that's only 1 of 2 pictures I found of myself in a kayak. The other is during a roll session...

This is a longshot, but I was going through some old photos and found one where I'm running this little drop. It would have been in the early 1980s because I remember being too young to drive and some older friends gave me a lift to Pennsylvania to run Slippery Rock Creek. After running that...

Wait until you hear how people warm up their wetsuits.

I used to buy lumber from a guy with a band saw mill who did all the floors in his house in Osage Orange. It's absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors and will no doubt wear like iron. I can't imagine how many cutters got dulled milling all that flooring.

The most important canoe related thing I've taught my dogs is they can't get into or out of the canoe until I give the command. A 60 lb dog hopping in or out of the boat while I'm trying to get in or out is a good way for us and our gear to get wet.

I believe it's traditional to put it on your beer drinkin' hand side.

That's kinda like how much more I see with my tiny $80 monocular instead of high quality binoculars. The little monocular is always with me. I'm no photographer, but I'm blown away by the picture quality and features available in modern phones. My philosophy is to take pictures of everything...

Imagine being a forest service employee trying to argue with someone about the difference in definitions between firewood and twigs.

I just got done making kneeling drops for my new Phoenix. I went a bit farther and added shelves on either side of the seat, one having a beverage holder. I was going to try to match the stain of the seat but failed. I can only describe the stain Northstar used as "Baby crap Brown". They...

I'm glad I found this site because finding conversations focused canoes is very difficult. Kayakers naturally seem to take over any general paddling community. I assume because the perception is that the barrier to entry is lower from a skills point of view. I'd like to know the ratio of...

I grew up paddling both canoes and kayaks because my father was heavily into whitewater kayaking and also belonged to a canoe club that camped/paddled class 1 & 2 type stuff almost every weekend. I've always preferred canoes and switched to soloing an open canoe in up to class 4 when I was...

I've never attended Canoecopia but my understanding is that they don't do test paddles so I wouldn't travel far to attend it if I were looking to compare canoes (it'd still be cool to see and talk to all the vendors though). I'd wait until Rutabaga opens up test paddles in their pond in late...

I don't pinch down the barbs unless the area requires it (certain trout streams in the Ozarks, for example) because I mostly fish for small mouth which like to go airborne and throw hooks. But I do replace treble hooks with single hooks. I only keep panfish for eating and release everything...

Northstar Phoenix. Discussed here: https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/northstar-firebird-vs-phoenix.129688/. What's funny is I noticed while test paddling it that I need a 2"-3" shorter paddle than the one I just made. It's narrower and has more tumblehome than what I've been paddling.

I was at an outfitter today and while contemplating whether I was going to drop the coin on a new boat (I caved and bought it) I wandered over to the paddle area. The grip in the rear of this picture is similar to what I made a few days ago and is what I'm used to. The one in front is one I...

I looked at a Northstar Firebird, Phoenix, and Swift Prospector 13 & 14 today and bought the Phoenix. The Firebird looked like a great play boat but seemed a bit too small. The craftsmanship of the Swifts was phenomenal. Absolutely stunning and really made the Northstars look crude but in the...