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Navigation: Doubling Angle on the Bow Fix
The doubling angle on the bow fix is a useful way to find your location when you only have one marker or feature to fix from. Itโs less accurate than fixing your position with two points, and your knowledge of your speed, any currents and wind affects the accuracy of the exercise, but when you only have one point to fix from, it can help you get a reasonable measure of your position. Itโs something you might use on a long crossing to help fix your position when passing shoals or markers. Take a bearing to a known feature or marker, and note the bearing and angle off your bow.โฆ
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Skin-on-Frame Version of the Unalaska Baidarka
Shortly after I published the plans for the 1894 Unalaska Baidarka, Bill Samson wrote me about his skin-on-frame replica of the boat. He said that he worked from a pre-publication survey from master kayak draftsman Harvey Golden, author of Kayaks of Greenland: The History and Development of the Greenlandic Hunting Kayak, 1600-2000. Goldenโs survey differs from Chapelleโs. Samson writes, โThe Chapelle survey seems to have been done in a hurry and shows an additional stringer each side that isnโt actually there. Harveyโs also shows a distinct turn-up of the deck ridge at the tail โ Thereโs no evidence that this is due to collapse. The ribs have all collapsed โโฆ
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Free Plans for the 1888 King Island Kayak
The 1888 King Island Kayak appears as figure 181 in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. Howard I. Chapelle writes that the King Islanders were known as skilled kayakers. Their kayaks followed a pattern similar to the Nunivak Island kayaks with a narrower and more V-shaped hull and different stems. The King Island boatโs stem sweeps upward and ends in what Chapelle called โa small birdlike head, with a small hole through it to represent eyes and to serve for a lifting gripโฆโ John Heath considers the cockpit coaming on this version of the King Island kayak atypical, because it doesnโt rest on any cross members. Itโฆ
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How to Carry a Spare Kayak Paddle
Most kayakers know that they should carry a spare paddle, because getting a broken paddle on a kayak trip โ even on a day trip โ is a pain. I know, because Iโve done it, and I didnโt have a spare. I limped back about a mile to the place I launched using my snapped Greenland paddle canoe style. Although, it got me back, it took extra time, and if I wasnโt an avid solo canoeist who knows the โCโ stroke, the paddle would have caused misery. Since that day, Iโve always carried a spare paddle, and you should, too. On the Kayakโs Front or Rear Deck Itโs best toโฆ
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12 Months of Paddling
I did it! On Saturday, I closed the circle and paddled year round for the third or fourth year in a row. I set a goal for the last few years to paddle at least once a month, even in winter when itโs cold. Most years in my area, Lake Superior remains completely open, but every once in a while it freezes completely over. This year, it didnโt even get close, and the area experienced enough warmer days throughout the winter to make paddling bearable for a couple of hours at a time. So, I did it! 12 Months of Paddling in a row. I usually donโt write about personalโฆ
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Free Plan โ 1889 Nunivak Island Kayak
The Nunivak Island kayak isnโt something that youโd see everyday in modern recreational kayaks. For one thing, it has a big hole in the bow. In the Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, Howard I. Chapelle notes that the hole is one of the main features that distinguished the Nunivak Island boats from the Kodiak kayaks. Figure 180, which this kayak comes from, shows the kayak with a mythological water monster painted on its side. Palriayuk, the water monster, eventually disappeared from the sides of the kayaks as missionaries influenced the thinking. Just try an Internet search to see if you can find reference to this water monsterโฆ
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Winter Kayaking Checklist
Winter offers a constantly changing shorelines to explore when paddling. As the waves roll and the pack ice blows in the shore becomes coated with ice and sometimes the ice piles so high it seems mountainous. Kayaking during the winter presents great risks versus other times of the year. The icy cold water can quickly kill. Before heading out make sure you have everything on this paddling checklist. Winter Paddling Skills Because of the greater danger that cold weather and water present, winter kayaking requires refined and reliable skills. A few that I consider essential are a perfectly reliable self-rescue. Because the paddle float rescue takes time, which exposes youโฆ
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Modern Technology and Courage in the Wilderness
The last time I dipped into a modern technology in the wilderness discussion, I inspired an almost book-length response โ both public and private โ from one blogger, so Iโve stayed out of the issue since. Lately, cabin fever has moved me into a more philosophical mood, so Iโve decided to stray once again into a subject that causes tempers to flare. This time, Iโm thinking about modern technology and how it affects our view of courage. Technology in Wilderness I place technology in a wilderness context into five categories: Here are a few examples to clarify my categories. In the first and second category, consider navigation. For millenniums humansโฆ
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Free Plans: 1910 St Francis Canoe
The St. Francis Canoe of About 1910 appears as Figure 81 in the Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. Howard I. Chapelle notes that the canoe features a narrow, rockered bottom, and he notes that the model was popular with guides and sportsmen for forest travel. The almost vertical to slightly flared sides resemble a more modern canoe than some of the other free plans that I posted. Chapelle writes that some of the St. Francis canoes had midship tumblehome like the Malecite canoes, but that those were not marketed to sportsmen. As my Winter Free Canoe and Kayak Plan project draws to an end, I feel likeโฆ
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Mindfulness in Paddling Practice
Mindfulness, mindlessness, practice makes permanent and practice makes automatic are four topics that Iโve pondered lately. I think how they relate impacts directly on how much enjoyment a paddler experiences. In my experience, I enjoy experiences when Iโm feeling the flow versus when my actions become automatic to the point that I donโt realize what I did until after it finished. I wonder how instructors can add the flow and mindfulness experience to paddling instruction. Paddling Instruction Methods One point emphasized during my American Canoe Association instructor trainings is that we should as instructors practice and emphasize that practice makes permanent. I whole-heartedly agree. Weโre also taught that one methodโฆ
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Free Plans: Long Nose Ojibway Canoe
In the Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, Howard Chapelle tells us that the most common type of Ojibway canoe northwest and west of Lake Superior was the โlong-noseโ form. The form shows a straight sheer, only slight rocker near the stems and a steeply upturned sheer near the stems. The stems were rounded and full. Chapelle seems to think that the combination features resulted in a clumsy and unfair looking canoe. He notes that the appearance didnโt affect the seaworthiness or paddling qualities. Later, he writes that Adney, the person who collected the lines, thought the long-nose canoes originated with the Dakotas before the Cree and Ojibwayโฆ
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Adding Ritual to Paddling Trips
Adding a ritual to the beginning of a paddling trip helps create a break from our normal life, which helps to enrich both our experience of the trip and our โrealโ lives after. After months of planning, organizing, packing and traveling, the start of a paddling trip is a relief. The instant of push-off removes all the responsibilities of home life and all preparation duties end. In that moment all that matters is the trip itself. The contrast between the moment before push-off and after is great. By adding a ritual at that moment, the paddler can recognize the contrast and celebrate the break lifeโs continuity. The recognition of theโฆ
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Navigation: Fixes and Triangulation
When lost or slightly misplaced while kayaking or canoeing, if you have a view of a couple of landmarks you can get a fix, which is the navigational term for finding an โXโ that marks the spot. The โXโ is your location. The process is a quick and easy way to find your location. For a more exacting needs, finding your location with triangulation involves only one extra step. Getting a Navigation Fix First, find a line of position, which is a line that runs from a landmark to your position. You can take a bearing with your compass or find a range to get a line of position. Toโฆ
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Free Canoe Plans: Malecite Racing Canoe of 1888
In 1888, Jim Paul and Peter Polchies built the Malecite Racing Canoe of 1888 for Lt. Col. Herbert Dibble of Woodstock notes Howard I. Chapelle in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. This 19-foot, 30-inch canoes, which appears as figure 66 in his book, shows flare in the center and tumblehome towards the ends. Its sleek hull looks fast. The original was built lightly built and much decorated. Thereโs something about Malecite canoes. The lines seem to draw my eyes, and the canoe in this free plan does the same. I imagine that itโs a tender but fast ride, and I think it looks like a fastโฆ
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Kayaking Through Winter Sea Ice
Winter kayaking opens up new worlds to paddle through. The ice changes the shoreline from just-another-sand-beach to towering cliffs of ice chuck full of caves. This is especially true on large bodies of water that produce sea ice, like the oceans and the Great Lakes. Not only is ice interesting to look at, but it also has fascinating names, such as grease ice, pack ice, bergy bits, frazil ice and my favorite, because it looks cool and sounds delicious, pancake ice. Next time you kayak through ice, think about the fun names and become a winter-ice geek by using them. Read more about Winter Kayaking. And remember, winter kayaking isโฆ
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