• Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦🍁🎇

Search results

  1. riverstrider

    Royalex MR Explorer Cold Cracks - Advice & Repair

    That is a real good price, and I think you will be happy with that boat. To get back to your question about the oil-canning, I'm not even sure if the hull is warped or not. It just appeared to be in one of the pictures in the way it reflected the light. It could be totally fine. If not, you...
  2. riverstrider

    Stay safe in this big storm ...

    2-3 inches of rain or more overnight and warming temperatures pretty much got rid of the 7 or so inches of snow we got last Sunday. Oh well. More rain this weekend, then perhaps some snow coming up next Tuesday. It's a good time to stay off the rivers in RI...they're mostly in flood now. Again...
  3. riverstrider

    Royalex MR Explorer Cold Cracks - Advice & Repair

    I have a 1989 Rx Explorer that is in worse shape than that one! It's tough to tell if those are surface scratches or true cold cracks. If they are cold-cracks, I agree with pblanc...some G Flex and maybe a fiberglass patch will be a strong repair. That bottom hull is not in bad shape at all...
  4. riverstrider

    How do you know the water temperature?

    I'm with Gamma on this. I dress generally for the season, and if there is some question I stick my hand in to feel how cold it is. If it is a big enough lake that there could be a thermocline, I take that into consideration.
  5. riverstrider

    Odd, funny, scary or beautiful things seen on a portage

    Well, probably the oddest thing I have seen on a portage was this weird, rotating foam sculpture I passed on the Mud Pond Carry in Maine. I also found a sandal hanging in a tree, but that is probably par for the course on this portage. And finally there was that day on the portage from...
  6. riverstrider

    One canoe to rule them all?

    As one without a ton of storage space, I tend to gravitate towards the generalist hulls. Also, I'm cheap, and don't buy boats just to buy boats, even though I am lucky enough to have the funds to do just that. So, I have two Mad River Explorer 16', one Kevlar for most of my paddling needs and...
  7. riverstrider

    How do you keep a dog cool on summer paddle trips?

    Up here in New England, there aren't too many predators like alligators to worry about in the water, so our dog goes for frequent, supervised swims. That keeps her cool. When that isn't practical, such as when we are on the water for long open water crossings or on rivers without many good...
  8. riverstrider

    My Perfect Solo River Canoe

    I have a Hemlock SRT in Expedition Layup. It has also gotten an extra layer of carbon cloth and new gunnels & seats as part of a repair from an accident I had playing in floodwaters in 2013 (it got wrapped a bit in a pile of trees), so it gained a pound from that, but still only weighs in at 42...
  9. riverstrider

    SRT spray deck, yes or no

    I've never thought of a spray deck for my SRT, and only once or twice have I taken on any significant water over the gunnels...both times in heavy whitewater drops while loaded with camping gear. The SRT has a lot of freeboard, but even that has its limits. I have had it in significant waves and...
  10. riverstrider

    Caught in big weather events

    In the fall of 2014 my group was camped at Jaws on Churchill Lake, where we had arrived earlier that day under sunny, calm conditions. After we set up, we were entertained by several thunder storms that passed to our south. One of our group, Jim, decided to take a hike up to the dam and ranger...
  11. riverstrider

    Moose — Stories, Photos, Videos

    My first-ever encounter with a moose was also my closest, and one I'd like never to repeat. I was camping with a scout troop in Maine when I was in my late teens, and had gotten up early to do some bird watching off of some forest trails. While searching the canopy for some tiny dang warbler, I...
  12. riverstrider

    Roach River, Maine

    Thanks, Glenn. Yeah, it does not seem to be a popularly run river, perhaps due to its proximity to other more well-known quality runs and maybe it's dirt road shuttle route and half-mile lake paddle to the take-out. I did find it listed as a trip offered by a local outfitter, which tells me that...
  13. riverstrider

    Roach River, Maine

    While randomly "watching" a playlist of my favorite canoe trips while trying to fall asleep amidst a blinding full moon last night, one theoretical trip I have yet to do intruded on my thoughts. It was a trip I thought to do 4 or 5 years ago, but never had a chance to look into it and it sorta...
  14. riverstrider

    The best solo canoe may be a touring kayak.

    I've paddled many miles in both canoes and kayaks, over all sorts of water, day-tripping or loaded down with a week or two's worth of gear and food, and the only time I would prefer a kayak over a canoe is in large open waterbodies on windy days or for whitewater playboating (but only because I...
  15. riverstrider

    November on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania

    This trip report brought back memories! A group of us New Englanders (and one Floridian) came down 6 or 7 years ago and paddled the Allegheny from Kinzua to Emlenton in October. It was a fantastic river, and the camping was pretty good. I've never seen more eagles in one place than along this...
  16. riverstrider

    The Effects of Keeping and Removing Dams

    Even construction of small dams can be difficult or problematic. We have had several small dams removed in the State (and pretty much every dam other than the major drinking water reservoir dams are small), but the ones that have been removed have been the low-hanging fruit dams that did not...
  17. riverstrider

    What Do You Do In Winter ?

    I feel like here in RI I get the best of both worlds. We usually get enough snow so I can get out XC skiing a few times a year and if I want more, northern New England isn't a long drive. If the snow isn't deep enough to ski, it is usually not too deep for a quick hike...I do all my hiking...
  18. riverstrider

    New Rhode Island Law Makes Wearing PFD Mandatory for All

    RI requires helmets for any motorcyclist younger than 21 years, and anyone who has had a license less than a year...and also for all passengers regardless of age.
  19. riverstrider

    New Rhode Island Law Makes Wearing PFD Mandatory for All

    I live in Rhode Island and am pretty happy that this passed. It goes without saying that it was a controversial subject in the State, but it seems most folks...particularly the experienced paddling community and anyone with membership in local paddling groups...strongly support the measure. I...
  20. riverstrider

    Silver Springs, Florida Day Trip

    On a visit to my folks around 8 years ago, my wife and I rented a canoe from the State park and paddled up to the springs and back. What a great river! There is an astonishing amount of water that heaves out of the ground at the springs! We had never had the experience of travelling along a...
Back
Top Bottom