Judging a person on appearance

[Chip]

I was about to leave a rest stop in Southern Maryland when an elderly couple pulled in next to me. The old woman on the passenger side must have been 80+ and slowly began to get out, and I could tell it was taking a bit to get her old bones moving. As she got out, her eyes wandered from me to the canoe (Northstar B17) on my van, and back again. She took a few shakey steps towards me and stiffly raised her head to speak. I waited for the typical questions: going fishing, did you catch anything? how do you get that boat up there? You know the questions. I was unprepared for what she actually said: "Is that canoe an innegra aramid layup?" Not what I expected. She said it looked like their H2O canoe, made in Canada. Not what I expected. I was chuckling at my preconceptions as we went our separate ways.

 

[Penns Woods]

Great story, made me smile, thanks for sharing.

 

[Boatman53]

You are right, not your typical questions.
Jim

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Hey, I almost resemble that questioner, and so will a lot of us in a few more years. Octogenarian power! Adding to the woman's credibility is that H20 makes very light canoes, which are ideal for older folks (and smartly planning younger folks).

Home | H2O Canoe Company

Technically advanced, high performance canoes. Built to order and made locally in Ontario. Learn about our canoes, construction, and more.

h2ocanoe.com

 

[Gamma1214]

(sigh) If only her canoe paddling son would have pulled me over on the way to Ontario last Fall... maybe I'd have avoided the ticket.

I'm always pleasantly surprised when first impressions turn out to be a little off the mark. (keeps us humble)

 

[Pseudonym]

My friends and I have often remarked that there seems to be a strong correlation between canoes and decent people.

 

[riverstrider]

Riding around with a canoe on a car always seems to invite questions, and it's always good when the question is actually about the canoe or canoeing. The most common question I get, whether the canoe is on the car, or in the water with no fishing gear in sight, is how the fishing was. I don't fish. The most irritating question is where have I been "kayaking".

 

[Robin]

Last year, after a few days in the north Maine woods with my wood canvas square stern canoe on the trailer, I was approached by a gentleman at the grocery store in Greenville. He was very interested in the canoe and we spoke for a good 15 minutes, going over all the pros and cons of such a craft.
The thing about this guy was that he was no ordinary Joe Shmoe, his dress, grooming and mannerisms were all top shelf, but I felt very comfortable “chillin” with him, as the cool kids say, not the least bit intimidated by his obvious wealth and success.

 

[sweeper]

My friends and I have often remarked that there seems to be a strong correlation between canoes and decent people.

Insert: People who appreciate a well-constructed Canoe and do not use it as a dumpster for beer cans while fishing.

 

[Gamma1214]

...and do not use it as a dumpster for beer cans while fishing.

I'd much rather they use their canoe than throw the empties overboard, lots of good folks take beer on trips and I surely appreciated the offer of a cold one as I was finishing the Steel river loop last Fall. (come to think of it, I think the empty is still on the floor of my truck )

Drink, drive & paddle responsibly. (not that I advocate any particular order for those activities)

 

[Newtown Mark]

Long story, short. My daughter was invited to go sailing with someone who is a member of a very, very fancy yacht club. I spent the day paddling and drove over to pick up the kid. I'm sitting in my dirty truck in their parking lot surrounded mostly by high end German cars and SUVs when this tall gray haired gentleman walks over. I rolled down my window expecting a tense conversation about why I was parked in the private club's lot. Instead, we talked for 20 minutes about my canoe. I guess if you're into boats, you're into boats.