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My experience with headlamps is you spoil your night vision when you raise your hands at the beginning of the stroke. If I needed to run lights on my canoe, I'd use a marine light on a pole that has 360 degree view, but does not cast downward. Practically, I very rarely paddle at night where...

Hey Blackrock. Those are cool canoes. The problem with Clippers is they use heavy layups. After a good round of patches it will only be heavier. Those look like loooong creases. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will hold it's shape. Then some 'glass and paint might be reasonable. But it still...

Yes, this is one of those trips. Had a whiner expressed interest we would have gone somewhere easy.

I returned to Falls Lake this evening, hoping to enjoy the sunset. Despite some much needed rain, the lake is still way down. A heron, just before catching it's dinner. Another sunset. Saw another beaver, this one swimming across the middle of the lake. Big osprey too, they are everywhere...

Riverman by Ben McGrath. It is about Dick Conant. He was a character who traveled thousands of miles on several trips. He also was basically homeless with a canoe. Despite being well read and curious he wasn't savvy about gear. His last tripper was a square-sterned Sun Dolphin Scout or...

The drought might be making the beaver shifty down here (southeast). My Falls Lake day trip report includes lots of tail-slapping. Maybe they are being more aggressive as their ponds shrink. https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/dry-falls-lake-day-trip.131379/ Thankfully they aren't...

This is so sad. We had a similar incident here several years ago, where an unaware family tubed over a low head dam, and most of them drowned. The poor kid who survived was in the water overnight. That's gotta be so traumatic. Watching that video I can't figure out why they sent a boat in if...

I paddle a fiberglass Explorer. It is fine. I suspect the v helps stabilize the boat from rolling, but I don't know. I know the v doesn't side-surf well. I like shallow arch better. I love the high quality fiberglass layup on my Explorer. It is wonderfully stiff, even without a foamcore or...

Details matter with fuel economy. The canoe alone is fine, hard to notice without keeping a detailed log. If i load enough, like a canoe, kayak and ski box, fuel economy drops drastically. Like check-for-leaks drastic. I think the problem is that at certain loads and speeds the torque...

Yes, summer is tough in the low country. We were camping at Congaree NP the first day of October and it was too hot to sleep.

I think UCanoe_2 has a good point. If you have a good storage setup it isn't too bad to remove a kevlar canoe and put it away. It is probably safer, cheaper, and gentler on the gear to store at home if you can. I don't leave my paddle in the car except when necessary. The last paddle I...

We've gone from flood to drought here in the Carolinas. Over the 4th of July weekend I went to see the north western end of Falls Lake. Location: Falls Lake, NC, near Hickory Hill boat ramp. Date: early July 2026 Craft: fiberglass Mad River Explorer Paddlers: 1 adult Falls Lake was about 6...

My canoe lived on top of my SUV in college. I had decent racks and a locking system. It is a tough life for a canoe, but it works. I keep a tightly wound reflective rope hanging on the back of the canoe. This keeps you, spouses, and random strangers from banging your heads. It also helps...

Very nice, enjoy.

I won't comment on injuries and if it is appropriate to ride at all. If it is OK for you to ride, the i agree with Sedges that wider, regular mountain bike tire are better. I've got a hybrid (a freebie) and it is pretty lousy. I'd much rather have standard mountain bike. As to roads, I think...

I use my carbon kevlar (no foam core) Yellowstone solo for exercise paddling in rivers. It has taken several really hard hits from snags. It is fine. I don't think I'd go for ultralight layups. If I bought a new solo I'd be tempted for a composite with an extra layer. I would avoid solos...

I'd hoped to paddle and run in a riverside park on our vacation this week. It turns out the Swannanoa river and local riverside parks were greatly damaged by the flooding in western NC last year. The area is recovering, most roads are open. Lots of businesses and home are still empty. Piles...

I like the mushrooms. They don't have sharp edges and are readily available. I think there was another thread about folks using old brake rotors. I'm not sure why. Maybe as drag anchors. The only problem with anchors is they help sink the canoe if you swamp and don't have additional...

While I was out this morning I saw a guy in a pickup truck with a poly kayak smashed over the tailgate. The tailgate was up and pushing the bottom of the kayak 4 inches up. I felt sad for the kayak. A crappy poly kayak was probably the right boat for him. For no other reason, then he would...

Kayaks, SOT, and paddle boards are: - easier to store - easier to transport - available new at a lower price - lighter at entry level price kayaks are: - more stable - more seaworthy for beginners Paddle boards are very easy to self-rescue Both entry level kayaks and paddle boards are...