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Not if you heel the canoe and use an axle or wedge or any number of prying and drawing combinations. There are a bunch of solo paddling (in tandem canoes) instructional videos that demonstrate the maneuvers.

Now that's provenance! Thank you Dave and Carol for helping to bring solo canoeing mainstream. Long live Hemlock Canoes! The Mayfly is a fine little canoe. Tracks really well for a short canoe and yet will turn crisply if you heel it a bit. The low sheer is nice in the wind.

Paddling a big tandem solo with the stern a bit heavy (or bow light) sure, but your examples are rather extreme (in my opinion) and aren't comparable to paddling Canadian style from behind the center of the canoe or sitting in the stern seat with a weighted bow. When I said "level trim" it...

As you point out, paddling for efficiency (stacked hands, locked elbows, etc.) may not be as effective for sprinting, at least not for some racers.

That was a strange video, like it was an info-mercial for who knows what. All I know is that I'd rather sleep in a capped truck bed, a car, or a tent than sleeping within an open-faced snow berm with spruce/fir bows for a roof and floor. At -20F. 🥶

I'm going to disagree with you about the stern heavy trim. When I kneel against the stern thwart of my Odyssey I don't raise the bow out of the water anywhere near as much as the photos you provided. That's why I don't sit in the stern seat, at least not without weighing the bow down. I'm also...

Dyneema rope is lighter and far more UV resistant than poly rope and you can easily splice loops and finished ends. I've thought about buying a length of 9.5 mm (3/8") yellow Amsteel rope to use as bow/stern painters. Wouldn't cost me all that much because I use the same painters for every...

We all have our preferences and I'm not a fan of the stern-loaded trim your examples show. But maybe that's because I don't paddle long tandem canoes solo very often. Still, even when I occasionally paddled my 18' Wenonah Odyssey or 16' Curtis Northstar solo I'd add some weight to the bow, kneel...

I took that Savage River Shenandoah prototype canoe out on Atsion Lake a couple of times, once with the gunnels pulled in and the keel line flattened out and once with the gunnels pushed out and 3-4 cm (+/- 1.5 in.) of rocker added. Here are my impressions... It's an interesting canoe because...

That perceived air of superiority (arrogance) you mention is something that happens with just about any sport, with paddling being no different. I've noticed at whitewater clinics and races and on whitewater rafting trips; at marathon C1/C2 clinics and races, wooden canoe gatherings, freestyle...

I'm not sure I know where the center of the canoe universe is either, but you gotta love the enthusiasm that sport canoeing generates.

Well said, Robert. Functional Freestyle (sport canoeing) offers a fun way to challenge ourselves while canoeing. And even without paddling through obstacle courses on the rivers of the Pine Barrens, learning Freestyle maneuvers is a great way to elevate our enjoyment of canoeing, on any type of...

Fun in the Pine Barrens! Some good puzzles to solve on a rainy day...

They're similar and I haven't spent anywhere near as much time in a Wildfire as in my Firebird, but at my weight (<150 lbs) the Wildfire feels like it would be great as a nimble multi-day river tripping canoe. The Firebird feels more like a nimble sport canoe for day trips. It's nuanced though...

😃 I think the Firebird would do fine with a double-blade but if you really want to get the best out of that canoe, I think kneeling with a single-blade is the way to go. And the Pine Barrens Symposium is a great way to start out learning some of the Freestyle maneuvers. I think learning single...

Driftwood or... ? I see all kinds of creatures when I go canoeing. Sometimes they actually turn out to be wildlife.

We stopped in Saranac Lake Thursday morning (17th) for breakfast on our way home and every restaurant in town seemed to be packed with people. Hopefully it was a special event or gathering and not the new normal for mid-September. Darned retirees are clogging up the place. 😜

I can't heel the gunwale to the waterline without placing both knees in the chine. To get even more of the stern out of the water I rise up off the seat into a two-point stance. I'm getting more comfortable doing that but I still wobble while doing a maneuver. If I back off the heel a bit, so...

My first thought when I read that you wanted to "maintain that position comfortably as I paddle" was: Do you want to paddle your canoe with the gunnel at water level while paddling stylistic Freestyle? Or are you asking about functional paddling, where having a bit of freeboard helps keep water...

Which foot brace? They have a kayak foot brace that bolts on and canoe foot braces that either rivet or glue on. If you're looking at the rivet footbraces for canoes, I've installed them into two Kevlar canoes and will be intalling them into another Kevlar canoe when it arrives. But as clemency...