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Thanks for bringing us along. The cinematography and narration were excellent.

Interesting, I had never considered that. I'll keep it in mind.

I know it's and oft chased thread and commonly pursued end, but I figured I'd share my experience and process solo-izing the Old Town Penobscot 16. If you care to, take a seat, get comfy, I'm a bit long winded, without further ado here we go. I don't think I've brought it up here, but one of my...

I hear ya on flat bottom boats. I've had two of them and came away from them fairly unimpressed in regards to paddling characteristics. In regards to depth, just remember another 2" of depth along the 15ft hull is another 5 square feet of sail to the wind when paddling on your own. (15' is...

If looking for used to save a few bucks something like a Dagger Reflection 15, Mad River Tahoe, Explorer 15 or even an Old Town Camper may turn up on marketplace somewhere between $300-1000 depending on condition and location. If you find you don't mind saving up for a bit, the huron 15 in t...

Holy moly what a gem of a video! Thank you for sharing. Funnily enough I instinctively took a very similar line to these folks in 2023 in the charles river. Not quite as far left but similar enough that it was funny to see. The current is a bit slower that way and you can have a bit more control...

I'd love to see how the penetrol holds up. I've been using boatguard spf 50 and find it needs occasional touch ups over the course of a season. Here's a little before and after on my tripper. Scrubbed, pressure washed, and then hit with spf 50.

This year I had this boat at the St George Stream Canoe Race and managed to eek out a 1st place win in the C1 Rec category. It helped that some of my competitors were in other categories this year, and the guy with the Wenonah Wilderness didn't show, but a win is a win!

Running Tannery Falls, Union River, ME, Spring 2026. The water levels held up enough, the good weather prevailed and by the good graces of my very patient wife and family I was able to run the falls and surf the wave just below. Pictured: above tannery falls at medium flow, below the tannery...

Many boats will fit the definition of "good all rounder" some better than others. The size and shape of the paddler is as important as the boat in my experience. All of that before considering what is available locally for boats and geographically for paddling locations. What works good in the...

Holy cow that is a grail boat for Old Town paddlers. Definitely give a report back on your impressions from paddling.

Canoes are a finesse craft. Their overall use and utility only becomes fully apparent when you put time and effort into learning how to do it. Rec paddlers only care about 2 or 3 things really. Being on the water, feeling stable while on the water and being able to move in a general direction...

I didn't know they made spruce poles! I started with a great spruce pole gifted to me by a retired Maine guide named Jared. It snapped due to some grain runout unfortunately, but I never forgot the quickness and stiffness of it compared to the ash pole I put together afterwards. I got my ash...

It's a noble effort what you're doing. Looks like you've made a decent amount of progress. Hopefully by spring you'll have it in shape for some paddling!

Nice find! For $150 you did pretty good. I picked up an Intrepid 16 last summer and think it's a decent pick for a high volume whitewater canoe. Maybe not the most agile or responsive hull, but very confidence inspiring due to its initial stability and depth. The guy I bought it from had 3 of...

I personally don't get out enough to justify a dry suit either. This is actually a combination of a splash jacket and dry pants. I got the top at a thrift store oddly enough and got the pants at a steep discount because they were 10yr old dead stock at a paddle shop. I do some spring whitewater...

I almost always go upstream when poling. Its fun to strategize and pick your way upstream. I'm not overly keen on snubbing downstream, although I can understand the merits of it from a historical standpoint when you would be navigating rocks and the like with a fully loaded wood and canvas...

I quite like the extra paddle length for catching eddies as well. Though the blade on my paddle being a bit narrower does make it less effective in shallow water than I would sometimes hope when compared to a dedicated rock beater paddle such as an Aquabound Edge. It probably doesn't help that I...

Thanks! The 14mi stretch from Great Pond to Amherst is a real wilderness treat. Several sets of falls and named rapids along the way, you won't see another soul on the water despite the relative ease of access.

Up here in Maine, the last few weeks have given us enough rain to raise the rivers to a somewhat reasonable level. A local favorite paddling spot was brought back to life just in time for some late season poling. On this section of the West Branch of the Union River there are several unnamed...