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OR... you can return to WPASCR next year, test paddle the Bloodvein again and decide that you like it enough to build one :) much cheaper than buying & you could install a pedestal as Alan did or stay more conventional like me. Might even be able to convince Alan to bring the original & you...

Sizing the blade down on shorter paddles is a great idea and would certainly help the balance as solid wood paddles tend to be blade-heavy if you don't.

Can't hurt. They really don't weight THAT much.

I do it as Alan describes. Typically, the 1st strip is the hardest but it's not critical since it'll be hidden under the gunwales anyway. I use a scrap piece to check my angle before gluing it down.

Best trip so far and highly recommended. I'll be back in 2027 or '28 (but probably not both)

I've always left one thwart off of the strippers that I build because I don't hang my seats and don't feel that I need the extra support. If you've been using the boat like this for 10 years, it seems obvious that you don't need the additional support either. Besides, The picture looks like...

Just a tarp works fine if the season is right & bugs aren't an issue. Throw a water filter and a small 1st aid kit into your gear list and you probably have anything that you'd NEED to have but I'd be taking my inReach too. I'm certainly no ultralight guy but I don't like unnecessary weight...

Welcome. Lots of information in the "Tripping" section, both in the "Trip Reports" and "Destinations" tabs. Everyone here is typically helpful too so ask whatever you wish & be sure to share where you go (I'm not likely to point my windshield NE anytime soon so I'll be tripping vicariously)

Those are some pretty big trees. I'd still want to know where it goes when it disappears before I camped on it. Bermuda triangle's been pretty quiet lately but I'd hate to find out that it just relocated beyond 50° N latitude.

Incidentally, I found out, today, that outfitters cannot (probably) reserve blocks of tickets. VIA rail tickets are non-transferable so the outfitter would have to have the client's name before booking. Of course, there are ways around that... I've reserved a ticket for May 31st to take me...

I pretty much do it like Alan states above. I'll land however I can, grab one end (lifting it out of the water) and pull it onto shore. I don't (usually) beat the crap out of the boat intentionally but I have been known to drag it through a portage that's particularly long or swampy. The port...

No suggestions about lifting the packs but... Could be. Mine aren't rentals (but they don't cost thousands of dollars either) and I beach 'em regardless of conditions (I prefer sand but it ain't a deal-breaker). I think it would take a liquid lava shoreline to wet foot in waist deep water...

...When you've stared at maps so long that you've memorized them and you still need to postpone "one more year".

Update in case anyone is interested: I canceled the train tickets this morning and VIA says that I can reserve tickets for next year 10 months in advance. I'll be calling them the 2nd week of October and doing this loop in 2027. It appears that I'll be spending about 3 days in the recent...

You do you but bear in mind that someone will have to have their nose within a foot of your bow to get the view that you show in your last picture. If they're THAT close, they'd better be inspecting for purchase while holding a fat roll of cash or asking questions about your process in...

Lookin' good. IME, that's the best way- "just do it" As for varnish, that varies for me. I'm under the impression that the epoxy should harden a few (like 5ish) days before varnishing so, if I'm into other things, I'll let it sit & then sand and (sometimes) varnish before flipping. If I'm...

Glad you were able to make the trip. Did you install hood loops, were they already there or did you use something that simply clips on?

Personally, I wouldn't be adding one to the bow until you've got enough wear that you actually need it but I wouldn't be spending time trying to remove the one that's already on there. Just paddle the crap out of it and see if you can wear through it. That'll let you see what's under it and...

I've started using 1/4 inch braided polyester rope for painters and just cut the 100 ft roll in 1/2. It doesn't add much weight but I'm not certain that it floats either. Alternatively, I've used 1/8 inch diameter paracord which weighs (practically) nothing and I always have lots of it around...

Wait... that works?... The tape sticks well enough to the wood that it acts as a single lamination? I wouldn't have expected that. I would have thought it would yield a very thin canoe wrapped (somewhat loosely) around a wooden canoe shell. Interesting...