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Oh man, how about a few from the southeast. Lake: Lake Jocassee, Fontana Lake Low Country: Congaree National Park, Santee River Delta Mountain Stream: Chattooga, Shavers Fork Cheat Big Water: New River from Hinton to Hawk's Nest

Last Sunday was a typical hot southern summer day. I saw a sit-on-top kayak on top of a sedan with no roof racks. It looked like it had melted to the shape of the roof. Like it was made out of recycled vinyl records or something. I felt sad for whoever tried to paddle it. I think the big...

My 10 year old ask if she could paddle the Yellowstone.

That paddle device looks interesting. It is pretty simple, and would work in stock canoes. A different solution is to use pedals. A Hobie Mirage drive kayak might work stock, especially if paired with a hand paddle or short paddle. This company makes a cable driven pedal drive for a canoe...

I have a fiberglass Mad River Explorer with factory replacement gunwales. They were installed somewhere around 2010. They are attached with aluminum rivets, with aluminum mandibles. Like most people I used stainless steel fasteners for the handles and seats. Because the gunnels have a goofy...

Keels have always seemed like a vestigial growth to me. But I acknowledge in some cases they may help protect the bottom. The problem with canoe keels is they are in the wrong location and orientation to increase tracking. Rudders are skinny, deep, and go on the end of the boat. Keels on...

100% agree with this. Royalex can be repaired so the canoe is usable, but it's never going to look like it used to. I think this is good advice on both counts. You can't really restore it, but skid plates might be a good gesture.

I've noticed deck caps in wooden canoes add a lot of strength to the end of the canoe. They prevent the end of the gunnels from flexing together and apart. Following gunwales replacement, my fiberglass Mad River Explorer seemed floppy at the ends. I didn't have deck caps, so I bound the ends...

Thanks for posting this. I was wondering what happened up there. I think this is the online version of that article: Startribune story on BWCAW Curtain Falls drownings

I agree. It's easier to recover a paddle board. You also feel more exposed the whole time, so you're less likely to get into trouble.

Wow, that table is awful for canoes. 46 canoeist died, and only 17 paddle boarder. Considering how few canoes I see about compared to kayaks and paddle boards. The table really needs to be adjusted for usage time to be meaningful. For example, automotive death rates per vehicle are normally...

I had an unplanned swim several years ago on the lake. I was lollygagging near shore and didn't have a jacket on. When the canoe finally sank I was surprised that I went all the way under and then had to bump around and deliberately get my head back above the water. It was surprising because...

Wow. I'm particularly wary of older Kevlar hulls that show that much oxidation. But others here are more knowledgeable about what caused this and how to fix it. But if you think it is too much, then it probably is. Almost certainly it is a total constructive loss, meaning that cost + time +...

It does look really cool. But I see disadvantages. The first is weight, as already mentioned. The second disadvantage is your attachment points have to be wide enough to fit the webbing. Some methods this won't be a problem at all. But if you're using little d-rings attached to the gunnels...

That is just rotten. What an awful feeling. Stuff happens. The bright side is when you are done you'll have a composite that you don't worry about. I had a worn out Kevlar Mohawk that somebody had patched it up. Poorly. We took it everywhere, even bony rivers. It was wonderful, like an old...

Yeah, that is the trouble with most stuff in the southeast. That and the Piedmont rivers are often dirty looking from the clay. Rivers like the Yadkin and Catawba have river trails but they're just not very pretty. The Chattooga was mentioned above, it is probably the best wilderness river...

Fish feeder?

On a lighter note, there's this weird creature I saw on the river last year. Previously posted in our art on the river thread.

In the '90s I was paddling the Little Peedee or Lynches river in SC. As I approached a road a man and two kids appeared on the bridge. This was a low country bridge, about 15 ft or so. Then the man bent down, picked up a retriever, and threw it from the bridge. The dog landed with a mighty...

I've wondered about the position forward and aft. This is something that could probably be tested over a couple long trips. You've got more flexibility than most people since you can go back farther. I've also wandered how much the canoe funnels the air through it, and how that relates to...