Mine was baby blue 4 door. 1963. My friend and I slept in it on the way back (to S.C.) from the Allagash in 1977. 14 foot aluminum, Kelty frame packs. What did we know? Current canoe tripper:
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Mine was baby blue 4 door. 1963. My friend and I slept in it on the way back (to S.C.) from the Allagash in 1977. 14 foot aluminum, Kelty frame packs. What did we know? Current canoe tripper:
I wasn't driving yet, but I have very clear (and mostly fond) memories of my father driving us up into the Sierra Mtns of CA, outside Yosemite NP from our home base in the San Fernando Valley - cars at those formative camping/boating trips were Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant wagons and then my dad's favorite, a '72 Buick Skylark GS 4 door sedan with a cop style engine, tranny, suspension package for towing...we never towed but he HAULED with that thing on roads into the mtns that always made me wonder a bit about our safety margins...*
A later Dodge Coronet wagon had black vinyl seats and my dad liked to drive without the AC on in the thin mtn air...nothing like being glued to the seat in 90F temps.
*anyone ever driven from North Fork to Mammoth Pool campground? You will understand those memories.
I have had some decent vehicles over the years myself and several full sized trucks but always took the easiest to pack and the easiest on gas typically.
A later Dodge Coronet wagon had black vinyl seats and my dad liked to drive without the AC on in the thin mtn air...nothing like being glued to the seat in 90F temps.
*anyone ever driven from North Fork to Mammoth Pool campground? You will understand those memories.
I have had some decent vehicles over the years myself and several full sized trucks but always took the easiest to pack and the easiest on gas typically.
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Saab Sonnett, 1972. Little 2 seater sports car, roof racks were 16" apart. Front wheel drive before that was common, 16" wheels and 36 MPG just in time for the oil crises. Put an average of 28,000mile per year on that car. Lived in Washington DC, Mass and NY and traveled to races all up and down the east coast, Texas, Wyoming, Michigan Minnesota etc That vehicle had 330,000 miles on it and was still running strong when it was totaled when a van FELL on it in a parking lot..
While stationed in DC while in the Air Force I lived in a tower at the Washington Canoe Club. One day a semi trailer was blocking the road to the club. The Sonnett, being only 38" off the ground allowed me to drive right under the Semi and continue on my way.
While stationed in DC while in the Air Force I lived in a tower at the Washington Canoe Club. One day a semi trailer was blocking the road to the club. The Sonnett, being only 38" off the ground allowed me to drive right under the Semi and continue on my way.
the #1 tripping car for us when I was a kid was a '63 Ford "Custom" wagon- a massive 9 passenger beast that My Dad bought cheap and rebuilt and repowered with a "non-production" Lincoln 500CI motor that he got from the factory "back door" That beast could (and often did) do 90 on the highway with Himself and 8 scouts, a gear trailer, and up to FIVE canoes on the roof! That monster could drive through anything with the L60- 15 snows and detroit locker in the back! It died in the driveway in '77 when a drunk mistook our lane for a highway and pushed it a good 50' taking out 3 trees in the process (that's a 5000lb car for those that don't know)
So of course, after I got married, my tow vehicle was a '95 Taurus wagon, and in our time honoured family tradition, the entire drive train was ripped out, and replaced with a 351W, c-6 tranny, and Ford 9" rear end (yeah, I know, that's a FWD car but the wagon had a full-frame pickup chassis) So I could carry 8 (front buckets), tow a trailer, and carry 5 canoes on the roof!
So of course, after I got married, my tow vehicle was a '95 Taurus wagon, and in our time honoured family tradition, the entire drive train was ripped out, and replaced with a 351W, c-6 tranny, and Ford 9" rear end (yeah, I know, that's a FWD car but the wagon had a full-frame pickup chassis) So I could carry 8 (front buckets), tow a trailer, and carry 5 canoes on the roof!
In April of 2017 I flew to Alabama to purchase a rust-free, low miles, loaded, manually shifted 2003 Subaru Baja for the purpose of carting gear, dog, and canoe around the country. All wheel drive all the time and it still gets mid 20's (mpg) with a canoe on top. Unloaded on the highway it does just under 30mpg.
It came with a factory roof rack and a bed extender so I fab'd up a rack for the receiver hitch that clears the open tailgate and breaks down so I can stow it in the bed or back seat. See attached (poor) photo. For hauling two canoes, I later fabricated a wider top piece for the rack and coped a 4' pine round to the factory roof rack. I haven't tested it out with two up there yet but I'm confident it will do the trick. I'll try to remember to take pictures when I do.
I comfortable hauled four <6' tall men and gear for a day of shore fishing in northern MN a couple of weeks ago. Round trip was about 300 miles. Loaded a canoe on top and headed to EP20 with another friend and the dog for 4 nights the very next day.
Someday it will haul four people, two canoes, gear and the dog but the box will be awfully full. It has hauled one or two people, one canoe, gear and the dog thousands of miles already.
It came with a factory roof rack and a bed extender so I fab'd up a rack for the receiver hitch that clears the open tailgate and breaks down so I can stow it in the bed or back seat. See attached (poor) photo. For hauling two canoes, I later fabricated a wider top piece for the rack and coped a 4' pine round to the factory roof rack. I haven't tested it out with two up there yet but I'm confident it will do the trick. I'll try to remember to take pictures when I do.
I comfortable hauled four <6' tall men and gear for a day of shore fishing in northern MN a couple of weeks ago. Round trip was about 300 miles. Loaded a canoe on top and headed to EP20 with another friend and the dog for 4 nights the very next day.
Someday it will haul four people, two canoes, gear and the dog but the box will be awfully full. It has hauled one or two people, one canoe, gear and the dog thousands of miles already.
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