The yoke will definitely get a pad no doubt...and no apology either. We travel quite minimalist but the pad is a must for me.
Contemplating end caps because (depending on how much wind is blowing or how long the day was) it is sometimes nice to shoulder the canoe with the nose on the ground meaning rocks. Definitely not for looks but instead protection.
Now I'm on the fence. Definitely like the looks of the sharp entry point(s) and anticipate it being a swift & silent boat. I pretty much avoid rivers so maybe should just leave it alone??
Crop circles are already here...or possibly it's just grub worms?
The more comfortable the yoke the less the hull seems to weigh. Yes to some pads or padding, whatever feels best on your shoulders. Which are not my shoulders. I really like the comfort of a deep sculpted yoke, even without additional paddling.
I am not thigh flipping a 65lb onto my shoulders anymore, and usually grind the stern deck plate into the ground while I walk my way back under the yoke on our heavier boats. And it shows on the stern deck plates of those abused canoes.
Abuse the deck plate, or my tender back? Doesn’t need much thought; I can fix deck plates, no specialist yet has been able to fix my spine. Some protective/sacrificial end cap on the stern would be beneficial.
Dynel skid plates? Oh heck yes! Properly installed, with repeated peel ply compression, a single layer Dynel skid plate rests flush and silent, and provides incredible abrasion resistance. Blacked out with graphite powder and black pigment they look just fine.
If you want to skip the black contrast just pigment the epoxy white (cream) and the skidplates will be all but invisible. And, bonus, will scratch white on white.
Not sure those crop circles in your lawn are grub worms. Maybe Basidomycetes “fairy circles”.
I am of the belief that a slurry of Basidomycetes fungi were used by ancient aliens to grease the rollers while moving the Baalbek stones. I read it on a Flat Earth blog, so it must be true.
