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Possible source for used blue barrels

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The Hereford Zone along the Mason-Dixon Line
I am still ISO a local source for used blue barrels, preferably not ones used for chemicals or fertilizer.

On another board a poster offered this:

I used to work next to a factory that made jam and marmalade.
They had, literally, hundreds of those barrels. They arrived full of fruit of various types.
I believe they reused them as much as possible but they certainly sold some off as well.


If you happen to live near the Smucker’s or Welch’s plant it might be worth a visit.
 
I have a source near me. The ones I picked up (for a floating dock) smelled of liquid smoke or mesquite. I can send you the contact info, but that’s a lengthy trip. He has different sizes and sources. All food grade.
 
Oh lordy, I’ve fallen down another rabbit hole. I don’t really need a new barrel, but I wouldn’t mind a 20L, or two, a small emptied container is sometime garbage handy. Crushed beer cans and etc. And I know a bunch of tripper friends who would appreciate differently sized blue barrels if inexpensive enough; I really like our 38L and 45L.

A little Googling reveals that Smucker’s has 30 manufacturing plants in the US, including one not too far away in Havre De Grace Maryland, and one out I-80, north of Pittsburgh in New Bethlehem. It may become akin to breaking up a long road trip by stopping in at paddlesport shops along the way.

Although, the McCormick Spice HG and plant is only 20 miles away. They had barrels but maybe too big an operation, they didn’t care.

A more local boutique Jelly & Jam maker might be better.

https://www.jillsbest.com/

Dang it, I drove through Hampstead two days ago. And there are bunch of other boutique jam & jelly makers in southern Pennsylvania. I wonder if K.O.E will eliminate the odor of marmalade.

For barrel-istas wanting a variety of different sizes recommendations or even a compiled list of various manufacturers who use those barrels might be a Stop-and-ask boon. The worst they could say was “no”.

Save me a 20L if you find one.
 
If you are still looking for suggestions, you might be able to try screen printers. I have an almost unlimited supply of 30L used to transport untinted base inks. These inks are waterbased, environmentally friendly, and leave no odor or residue.

If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley area, I would be happy to give you couple. Your posts around the web have been the inspiration for my Phoenix Vagabond solo conversion.
 
“If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley area, I would be happy to give you couple. Your posts around the web have been the inspiration for my Phoenix Vagabond solo conversion”

Ash, arrgghhhh, my wife and son were camped at Hickory Run last weekend, probably close enough. Maybe next time.

What I really want to hear about is your Phoenix Vagabond soloization. Horrible tandem, decent solo and a fine poor-man’s decked canoe with a raised center seat. With the very low stern it is trim finicky, especially in following waves, but it downwind sails nimbly.

Tell me more. What seat did you install? Rudder, foot pedals, outfitting? Photos!

Mostly, where have you paddled it and how do you like it?
 
If you are still looking for suggestions, you might be able to try screen printers. I have an almost unlimited supply of 30L used to transport untinted base inks. These inks are waterbased, environmentally friendly, and leave no odor or residue.

If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley area, I would be happy to give you couple. Your posts around the web have been the inspiration for my Phoenix Vagabond solo conversion.

Welcome to site membership, Ash! Feel free to ask any questions and post any messages in our many canoe-related forums. We look forward to your participation in our community.
 
“If you are ever in the Lehigh Valley area, I would be happy to give you couple. Your posts around the web have been the inspiration for my Phoenix Vagabond solo conversion”

Ash, arrgghhhh, my wife and son were camped at Hickory Run last weekend, probably close enough. Maybe next time.

What I really want to hear about is your Phoenix Vagabond soloization. Horrible tandem, decent solo and a fine poor-man’s decked canoe with a raised center seat. With the very low stern it is trim finicky, especially in following waves, but it downwind sails nimbly.

Tell me more. What seat did you install? Rudder, foot pedals, outfitting? Photos!

Mostly, where have you paddled it and how do you like it?

I had been on the look out for a Kruger, but had never paddled one, and the vagabond seemed close enough for me to not know what I was missing. I found a kevlar one that I missed out on in southern New York, then I the one I have in Northern NJ at the peak of the first wave of Covid for $400. With the premiums people were asking it was the best price per pound I could find for a solo canoe.

I'm primarily a flat water paddler. Never done the sailing so the following waves aren't a bother, yet... I do worry since I am 250 lbs, but haven't had an issue. I came across your posts after I got this boat and now I am regularly trolling the web trying to track down an Optima or something with a bit more volume and freeboard.

It needed the hull painted as it had been stored upside down outside and handling it made me itchy. I haven't done much otherwise.

I removed the molded front seat, turned it on its side, and bolted it back in to use as a fore thwart/foot brace. Turns out it is pretty ergonomic and the front lip of the seat makes a nice handle for getting the boat on my shoulder. There is just enough room to squeeze two 30l barrels under the deck in front.

For the seat, I dismantled a stadium seat from walmart, attaching the back to the bottom to use as a riser then attached a new back made out of a PVC ergonomic office chair adapter trying to mimic those seats you see on the fishing kayaks. It is very comfortable and gives me enough height, although It could be a touch higher. I have a low profile indoor outdoor rug I used to slide boats when car topping them. I toss that into the empty hull of the boat and my seat sits on top. The rug keeps it from marring the boat and from sliding and I can adjust fore or aft for trim or if I need to stretch my legs.

I am still looking for suitable float bags and will need to add some internal rigging for storage, but otherwise I have been enjoying the boat immensely. I can paddle circles around the rotomolded fishing kayaks with a single blade, and awe the locals at the boat launch when I shoulder and rooftop its mere 45 lbs.

I am on the fence about installing a rudder. I can get it to track well enough with a bent shaft racing style paddle when i concentrate on my stroke and switch every five or so. It definitely doesn't glide straight and probably would do better with some ballast. If I do install a rudder I want a K1 racing tiller style control because I prefer having a foot board to pegs. This boat, however, is sleek and light as an empty hull so I might leave it bare. I primarily do day trips for now so i'll likely just keep looking for another boat, hopefully a Loon or Monarch, which will already have the rudder and rigging. I would take a second Vagabond. They would be fun to catamaran. Supposedly, Phoenix offered a carbon fiber layup.

Speaking of another boat, this probably deserves its own post, but I believe I just acquired a 15-foot Hyperform tandem decked river canoe. The seats are glassed in at gunnel height and it has a lot of rocker with stubby old-school bow and stern. They only had pictures of the cockpit on FB marketplace so I snatched it up thinking it would be an Optima for $50. There are no maker marks, but it appears to be a fiberglass/nylon layup with the same style wood keelson as on your Optima so my best guess is same maker. It is in terrible shape but might be fun for river floats where the Vagabond would be too fragile.
 
Ash, used Kruger Sea Winds are out of my price range. As are Mad River Monarch; I was lucky to grab out for $1000 and a drove across three States to get it. Even Sawyer Loons are pricey.

Rudders are very much a matter of personal preference, including whether to have one at all. But since I have sails in all of our decked boats a rudder is a godsend.

The Optima is a wonderful hull once soloized as a decked canoe. But it is one of the most rudder dependant boats I, and others, have ever paddled. DougD had a rudder disengage on his Optima and found it difficult to control, I had a foot pedal come askew and discovered the same.

Having swamped a decked canoe I can attest that float bags are a very good thing; that’s a lot of dang water. Canoe bags are too big, kayak bags are too small. . . . .or are they?

The simplest and least expensive decked canoe float bag solution I have found is to use two sets of Seattle Sports sea kayak float bags. A set of those comes with one wide and one narrower bag, and they can be used in some paired combination as “split bags”, two in the bow, two in the stern.

https://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Spor...ocphy=9007844&hvtargid=pla-404306531727&psc=1

I’d love to hear more about the Hyperform; I’m guessing it could be a vintage C2, something like the classic Berrigan

https://cboats.net/c_db/list.php?type=2&boat_id=23&name=Berrigan

The seats in those, intended for kneeling, were at gunwale height.
 
The simplest and least expensive decked canoe float bag solution I have found is to use two sets of Seattle Sports sea kayak float bags. A set of those comes with one wide and one narrower bag, and they can be used in some paired combination as “split bags”, two in the bow, two in the stern.
Thanks for the tip. I was also thinking of using inflatable drybags. Might be more expensive but could do double duty down the road. This one looked like it had good dimensions, although I don't know about trusting the zipper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MZQ6569?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_5267CMZS7VGNZP2SZG77

I’d love to hear more about the Hyperform; I’m guessing it could be a vintage C2, something like the classic Berrigan

The site is fascinating. I love all that old racing stuff. My dreamboat was once an old winged wildwater K1.

I posted about the maybe hyperform canoe with pictures. Let me know what you think:

 
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