SOLD - Bloodvein solo expedition canoe

[Alan Gage]

Selling off my original Bloodvein. This is the canoe I paddled down the length of the Bloodvein River before turning around and paddling all the way back up. Handled 30 days worth of gear, food, and my dog just fine. Construction is cedar strip with 1 1/2 layers of fiberglass inside and out with carbon over cedar gunwales, carbon thwarts and grab handles, carbon sliding seat assembly, and aluminum foot brace. This is a seriously stout canoe but still relatively light (for an expedition boat) at 48 pounds.

This is perhaps the nicest canoe I've paddled, and I've paddled a lot, for mixed lake and river tripping. Nice mix of speed and maneuverability. This is the canoe that prompted me to sell my Bell Magic, which I didn't think would ever happen. I liked it so much I built a fully composite version and I now don't need two of them. After I got back from my Bloodvein trip I cleaned up the bottom of this one and added dynel skid plates. It hasn't been in the water since. Was built in 2015. 16.5'x30" with tons of flare in the bow for shedding waves. Looking for $1000. Lots more information and pictures if you're interested.

20150811_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20150802_009 by Alan, on Flickr

20150802_014 by Alan, on Flickr

20150819_002 by Alan, on Flickr

This is how it looks after cleaning it up and adding the dynel skid plates:

20160403_005 by Alan, on Flickr

20160403_004 by Alan, on Flickr

Alan

 

[red langford]

Are you coming to Canada any time soon?

 

[memaquay]

dang, had a buddy who just layed out close to 3 G's for a new solo. Pretty sure I could have convinced him.

 

[Alan Gage]

Are you coming to Canada any time soon?

Not exactly soon but the tentative plan is to paddle the Berens River sometime around August 20th and I'll probably start at Berens Lake. Not too often you can buy a canoe from 750 miles away and get it delivered to your door. Must be fate!

Alan

 

[red langford]

I am totally in the market for a new solo, just not sure if I prepared to spend the money, but it is a very nice looking canoe. Let me know if it's not sold by the time you come to the Berens.

 

[Guest]

That is a great looking canoe, with chops proven in the field. I really appreciate you showing a photo of the bottom shape.

That is something almost no commercial manufacturers bother to photograph or illustrate clearly. I know a few manufacturers, and lots of plans/kits, include drafting lines (or whatever those cross-section drawings are called), but those squiggles are as good as Greek to me; they don’t translate into a simple layman’s minds-eye image of the bottom.

I can get a good sense of a canoe simply by the length, width (gunwale, max & “waterline”), depth and rocker numbers, but prose saying “shallow arch” or some such really does not tell me much about the hull’s bottom shape and chines in relation to everything else. Which is pretty dang important to me.

For all the effort manufactuers put into yearly catalogs how hard would it be to present an end-on photo showing the shape of the bottom?

 

[Guest]

Alan, beyond 16.5 x 30 (the latter measured where?) and 48 lb weight what are the other specs on the Bloodvein?

Gunwale width, max width, “waterline” width? Center depth and stem(s) depth? Rocker? (I know measuring that is a mystery). How would you describe the bottom shape?

Great job on the Dynel skid plates by the way.

 

[Guest]

Great canoe with some serious mojo. If you have any practical ideas about getting it to the east coast, I'd put some serious thought into raising the cash.

 

[Jim Dodd]

If that that canoe could tell the stories about it's travels, half as good as Alan ! It would be worth a $million$ I'm sure !
If only I needed another canoe !

Jim

 

[Alan Gage]

Assuming the canoe doesn't fly off my roof rack before I can deliver it tomorrow this boat is SOLD.

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Right on Jim, I agree. I feel a little sad to see it go Alan. But there are adventures new with the next project and destination.
Congrats to the new owner, they've inherited a hull with miles of stories, and many more in store.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I wanted to paddle it one more time !

!

Jim

 

[red langford]

This makes me sad

somebody is a lucky soul

 

[Guest]

This makes me sad

Kinda makes me happy. I don’t think Alan has built anywhere near his last canoe, or that the evolution will stop.

Having past builds out on the water, where they belong, instead of hanging in the nascent Gage Museum of Canoe Design, seems a good thing. I do think purchasers should have to agree to provide trip reports and feedback.

Most of my canoes that have come and gone are in the hands of friends, or friends of friends, and I appreciate how hearing about their travels and travails keeps me connected.

 

[Guest]

Not at all surprised.

 

[BWCA66]

Got to meet Alan today and see his canoe first hand as he brought it to the Merrimack shop to have it picked up along with some of our finished canoes to begin it's trip east. Was great to meet him (and Sadie) and give him a tour of the shop and chat for awhile. Someone is getting a nice boat!

 

[Alan Gage]

Was great to meet him (and Sadie) and give him a tour of the shop and chat for awhile.

I enjoyed meeting you and getting the shop tour as well. Impressive setup and beautiful boats and paddles.

Kinda makes me happy. I don’t think Alan has built anywhere near his last canoe, or that the evolution will stop.
Having past builds out on the water, where they belong, instead of hanging in the nascent Gage Museum of Canoe Design, seems a good thing.

Makes me happy too. I don't get real emotional about canoes. If I don't think I'll be using them I don't tend to keep them around. Would much rather they find a new home where they'll see some use again. And yes, there are more new canoe builds to come and this will clear some much needed rack space.

But I think the reason Red was sad about the canoe being sold was that if it was still available when I came to Canada in August we probably would have worked out a deal on it.

Alan