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I'm not sure what your reasons are for trying to avoid portages but if they're not physical reasons then I would recommend reconsidering some of your options. I, and I'm sure many others, began our tripping careers exploring canoe routes with the idea of avoiding routes with portages. It very...

Those are fun boats. I had a couple of them. On both of them I removed the gunwales and cut down the sides a couple inches to make them a little easier for flat water paddling. The sides cut easily with a jigsaw. On one I shortened the thwarts a little for a bit more tumblehome. It definitely...

Have you ever tried to get back into a canoe after a capsize? :) Alan

It won't be directly from the bow but I ran a loop of cord from the center thwart to the carry handle. I used a metal ring to tie both ends of the rope together. To this metal ring I could clip the carabiner of my anchor rope. The metal ring would be within reach as I deployed the anchor and...

That was certainly my experience. I grew up where there were very few people paddling anything. And anything they did paddle was big tandem aluminum canoes. Growing up I thought that's all there was. When I was in my mid-20s kayaks were starting to get popular and readily available so I got one...

I always used one of the small folding anchors when I used to fish from my canoe. Never had a problem with it holding, even in current. I'm guessing I had the 3 pound model but don't remember for sure. Alan

I just discovered and finished Survival of the Bark Canoe by John Mcphee. How have I not heard of this book before? Just a wonderful read about a mid-1970's canoe trip in the Maine wilderness in birch bark canoes with a young canoe builder who is trying to keep the craft alive. Lots of...

I guess I would approach it this way: If you think working with epoxy and composites for canoe repair sounds like fun then go ahead and give it a try with some skid plates. If you think that doesn't sound something to do just for funsies then slap on the EZ-Keel strips and see how long they...

Looks great! Nice work under a time crunch. Can't wait for an on the water test. Very impressive weight if it's accurate! Alan

The more durable options: https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/more-skid-plate-repairs-and-retrofits.100773/ Alan

https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/more-skid-plate-repairs-and-retrofits.100773/

How long did it take for it to accumulate that much wear? It certainly doesn't look very deep or severe. If this happened over the course of years then something like EZKeel should be plenty. If it happened in 2 weeks you might want something a bit more robust. Alan

I laced one of mine with cord and tubing. It worked well. I've never tightened it and have never felt a need to. It seemed to hold taught when in use. With the sharp bends as it goes in and out of the hull there isn't a lot of transfer from one loop to the next (i.e. pulling on one end won't...

You're getting a lot of work done! I appreciate you showing your mistakes. I agree with you that it's important that new (or potentially new) builders should see that all of us deal with mistakes and setbacks and that they are all fixable. Alan

Uh, yeah, that boat always looks really weird from the outside. :) Alan

Well, if you're still thinking about the upstream trip at least you have the right boat available for it. :) Upstream travel was one of the main design considerations and it saw about 200 miles of upstream travel on its first trip. Alan

Specs on the boat look great. Seems like it would be perfect for Minnesota paddling. Price looks good too. Hope you find a buyer soon! Alan

I think you're looking at the wrong thread. This isn't the for sale thread you started, it's from another person (who is in Maine). Alan

I haven't been following Will Steger very closely but I believe he's already quite a way into his. I saw some updates a month or more ago traveling through the barrens in the snow and ice. I know a few years back he did a similar trip where he trekked in to experience breakup in the barrens. As...

I always thought 'jeezum crow' was just part of the regular lexicon but, now that I think about it, I think I'm the only person I've ever heard say it. I have no idea where I picked it up from. Alan