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That's interesting, Al. I won what was supposed to be a Penobscot paddle from S&T in the NFCT auction. The Penobscot is the same blade as the 1897 but with a pear grip instead of the blockier grip (as you know but others may not), and I asked them for an 1897 instead of a Penobscot, which they...

I was referring to the side of the blade - as you say the spline in the bottom should prevent damage to the tip. I was surmising about the edge but haven't actually had it happen in 3 yrs. Very glad to hear you never had an edge chip either, and over a much longer period.

MyKneesHurt has some merit to their argument - whatever paddle a Maine Guide uses is a Maine Guide paddle. And let's not forget Maine Guides are a diverse bunch in terms of size, preference, waters they frequent, etc. But combining various sources I've encountered, including the article Benson...

As I recall, Mike at Badger paddles claims that a narrower tip is more likely to have a quiet entry into the water, assuming an out of water recovery. I believe the racers among you can get a smooth and silent entry with a flat-bottomed Sugar Island blade, but I'd expect it take less...

Really hate those Artificial Intelligence canoes!

Count me in. I was just pondering a fall HV gathering. I've also been meaning to get out on the Housatonic more.

I actually brought a beavertail and a bent-shaft Sugar Island-y paddle (homemade, I think, came with a used boat) to try both, thinking that if the Sojourn was a good tracker it might finally get me into using the bent shaft sit-and-switch. Now I am definitely not proficient at bent shaft...

Just stumbled upon this thread. I have an old Alden Ocean shell that my mom bought to row when I was little. When I was really little, she'd sit me in the bow while she rowed - probably my first small boat experience. As we got a little bigger, we started using the shell as a kayak when...

Looks like a fantastic trip and great dogs! Well done training them, including training a role model for Max. What is a Hanoverian Scent Hound/why did you opt for one? What boat and paddles are you using? Looks like your cedar GP I asked about before? Fine looking combo: boat, paddles and dogs!

Perfect example of reasonable DB use in my book. Some here will claim they can keep up with any kayak with a single blade. I'm not one of em. I'm getting faster and faster with a single but I'm faster still with a double. If I'm out to lily dip I always chose single. If I need to get...

Need =/= want indeed! When tripping lakes I sometimes wish I had something with stickier stems like a Prism, NW Solo or even Magic. When I'm in the twisty creeks I'm glad to have the Phoenix. It does tend to wander when drifting though. I was hoping the Sojourn would be more like a Prism...

@Erica just finished this series. Fantastic trip report, you had me on the edge of my seat. It takes work to put these together, thank you for sharing! I really appreciated your strength, honestly and openness, including the end. Hoping many more adventures await you in your freedom!

The seller was nice enough to let me test paddle the Sojourn yesterday. I was in a creek; at the put-in the current was almost imperceptible, just upstream it got shallow with enough current to have to work upstream a little. I spent about 10 min in the boat and tried my beavertail and...

Thanks for the offer and anecdote D J! Your anecdote confirms my suspicion that this is not the boat for taking my wife lily dipping. Sure would be fun to try one though. Next time I'm up near you I might just drop you a line!

Thanks Alan for those additional thoughts - very useful. I suspect those latter hulls you mention are really what I should be aiming for to fit my needs. The rest of y'all are terrible influences! I keep thinking I'll flip boats but they come in and don't leave. At a certain point one has...

Sage words, thank you gentlemen. The problem with paddle and release is that my garage is already over capacity on boats. @recped and especially @Alan Gage 's descriptions are really useful. The issues with trim and sinking an end are obvious once pointed out but wouldn't have occurred to...

Thanks, Steve. Unfortunately I'm also out of storage room for canoes. Really need to move a couple more out of the stable rather than adding more in. Still....🤔

There's a Jensen VA-1 for sale near me. I've never been in such a boat. With utmost respect for the racers among us, I have absolutely no interest in racing. I do have interest in a better tracking, faster paddling boat just to see the sights and leave traffic noise behind faster. What's the...

A Sojourn recently popped up near me. I think you never tried to pole one? Do they turn when heeled? Thinking of some rivers around here that are mostly flat and deep but with an occasional 'bump and scrape' shoal, as well as a better tracking boat that the Phoenix for some lake outings...

@Glenn MacGrady I was musing on multipurpose boats this morning with the Hudson in mind. In particular, I was thinking about car-toppable boats that can be sailed or paddled/rowed. Does anyone ever sail va'as?