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  1. JohnSand

    New cars: are they as impossible as they seem for cartopping?

    While my car is a 2006, I still never use bow or stern ties to the bumpers. (!) Firmly cross strapped, with a line from the bow and stern hitched to the crossbars just in case. Thousands of miles without incident. There are pieces of hose with loops designed to fit under the hood.
  2. JohnSand

    Hello from Connecticut

    Welcome aboard! (Waving north toward the Sound)
  3. JohnSand

    Budget Stripper or Wood/Canvas Builds: How to Save Costs

    I've built a kayak, a sailing dinghy and a rowboat. While all were cheaper than buying new, none were cheaper than buying used. The point of building a boat is the challenge and reward of making and using your own homebuilt boat. Launch day is priceless. There are quicker and cheaper canoe...
  4. JohnSand

    Canoe Cradle Stand

    I use a couple of folding saw horses with webbing tied between.
  5. JohnSand

    Who's ready for spring, 2024?

    I do most of my paddling in winter. This year shoulder trouble has kept me ashore since december.
  6. JohnSand

    Florida day tripping with Jake and my Wife …

    My only multi day canoe trip as an adult was driving to Florida with the canoe, staying in a cheap motel, and paddling or sailing a different spot every day. I loved it.
  7. JohnSand

    Video, of a guy tipping a canoe over in the middle of a Minnesota Lake

    I rescued a young woman on a kayak blown out into LI Sound. When she launched from the beach she was in the lee. Farther out the full force of the wind kept her from returning. I spotted her as we were furling sail before going in. We could just see the flash of her paddles, but it looked wrong...
  8. JohnSand

    Wooden Canoe Assembly

    I wanted to go last year. I'm planning to go this year.
  9. JohnSand

    Video, of a guy tipping a canoe over in the middle of a Minnesota Lake

    I capsized a canoe in cold water once, while sailing. I was wearing a short wetsuit, and swam the boat to shore to drain it. I added float bags after that. I swamped a folding kayak in an inlet once through a combination of problems. While the boat was rated by the manufacturer for my weight, it...
  10. JohnSand

    One thing I will never do again is . . .

    Cruise all day in a gale, or downpour. Get married. :D
  11. JohnSand

    Tips To Deal With The Great Tick Invasion

    We're pretty much at ground zero for Lyme. I've suffered joint pain all my life, I suspect from the numerous tick bites in my childhood. In recent years I got Lyme again, and Babesiosis. I have friends with the acquired meat allergy. I won't bushwack any more, as much as I love the woods.
  12. JohnSand

    Dreaded Cancer, Mark III

    Maybe appropriate that I'm reading this now. 32 years ago today my closest brother died of cancer, he was 31. That was very sad, it still is. But I'm sharing it to make the point that all life is temporary. Whenever I have health challenges (just discomfort and inconvenience so far) I remember...
  13. JohnSand

    The Psychology of Choosing the "Perfect" Canoe

    It's also a matter of priorities. Light weight and wood construction are two of mine. Of course I have price limits, buying used limits options to what's available. I've enjoyed owning and sailing many small boats, I sell one and buy the next. I've had some favorites, but I'd like to keep...
  14. JohnSand

    A Raven from Scratch

    If you build one of oak, consider adding frames and deleting the cloth. Just seal both sides with epoxy. Larger boats have often been built with unclad strip planking. My 39' ketch has 1.25" square strips of cypress, edge nailed and glued with resorcinol, coated with only paint. She has heavy...
  15. JohnSand

    A Raven from Scratch

    Honestly, for a 10# weight saving I would put up with cloudy finish. Paint the outside, or call it a dream sequence.
  16. JohnSand

    Marine Salvage Tripper XL

    If they brought duct tape, they could have finished the trip. ;)
  17. JohnSand

    Simple Meal Ideas

    Not canoeing, but on a sailboat delivery a couple of years back we ran out of cooking propane at sea. Every day I ate cereal for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and a turkey sandwich for dinner. It was good enough and filling enough.
  18. JohnSand

    Finds, Relics, and Evidence from The Past

    Sailing small boats in the south shore bays of Long Island I've found some interesting things. On a beach of one I found a collection of nautical iron including chain and oarlocks. Too much to come from one boat, I wonder how it got there. Near another island of long time summer homes, my...
  19. JohnSand

    Almost lost one

    Rain and tides did the most damage here. Though a couple of boats broke lines from wave action in the harbor. I've had two canoes blow away, one in a microburst, the other in a hurricane. Both were recovered and repaired.
  20. JohnSand

    Kodiak 8x9 tent with ammo can stove

    I haven't camped in winter, but have slept in sailboats, or day sailed in cold weather. It's impressive what a small heater like a mantle lamp can do. If I can get the temperature above 50f, I'm happy.
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