Canoes and Kayaks
Reviews of canoes and kayaks.
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Northstar Polaris Canoe Review
This is my Northstar Polaris review — well, mini-review of the Polaris. Summary: If I could only own one canoe in the world, this would be it. Longer Northstar Polaris Review The canoe is a Northstar Polaris. I’m using one with their BlackLite layup, carbon fiber and Aramid with a resin coat on the outside. It has wood trim, which is an upgrade over the standard aluminum trim. The seats, thwarts, yoke and deck are laminated ash and walnut and the gunwales are ash. I ordered it with a kneeling thwart to use solo after the rest of the crew is hanging in camp and I need to paddle somewhere…
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First Look: MyCanoe Review
The MyCanoe is a foldable, origami-style plastic canoe designed for easy storage and transport. This 14′ 6″ canoe folds up in a similar style to the more familiar Oru Kayak, and it packs down into two cases. The first case, created in part by parts of the canoe, measures approximately 37 inches wide by 25 inches high and 8 inches deep. The second case is soft sided. It measures about half the height of the other case. Both cases easily fit inside the trunk of a compact car such as a Toyota Corolla. The entire package weighs about 52 pounds and has a claimed capacity of 400 pounds. I had a chance…
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Northstar Phoenix Mini-Review
I’ll admit it right up front: I’m a Ted Bell and David Yost fan. I used to own a Bell Magic and Bell Wildfire. Those canoes really paddled like Magic and were the best combo to own. The Magic was perfect for fast and light tripping in the BWCA and the Wildfire was a fun boat to take down rivers or just mess about in on flat water. I was bummed when I heard that Bell Canoe went out of business. And then Ted Bell got back in business under the name of Northstar Canoe. And then I ran into a perfect deal. The deal was a trade from my old…
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Red Paddle Company 11′ Sport SUP Review
For that last few months I’ve had the opportunity to test a Red Paddle Company 11′ Sport SUP and review it. I got it on loan and had planned on taking it to Florida in March and April, but as you’ll read below that didn’t happen. I managed to test it in the lakes of northern Minnesota after the lakes thaw. NOTE: For those of you who follow the site, you might be surprised that PaddlingLight started covering SUPs as this has been primarily a canoe and kayak website mixed with philosophy about and advocacy for wilderness and wild places. Ultralight trips are being accomplished on SUPs, and SUPs are…
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The Moose Rack Review: The Ultimate Kayak Rack?
Earlier this year The Moose Rack (Headland Industries) sent me a rack to try out and review. While I usually like to use a product for 30 days before I review it, I found that with this rack, I got the basic of it in a few minutes, so this is my The Moose Rack review. The Moose Rack makes the following claims about the Hull-PRO Kayak Storage rack: Fits Many Unique Hull Shapes, Stores Your Boat On Edge Where It Is Strongest, 304 Stainless Steel J-Hook Cradles, Anodized Billet T6 Aluminum Brackets, Durable Nitrile Foam Protection Pads, 300 lb Capacity, 180 Degree Swivel Design, Locks Into Place When In Use, Fast Installation With Only Hand Tools, Made right…
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Initial KeelEazy Review: an Easy-to-Apply Kayak Keel Strip
KeelEazy is an adhesive keel strip designed to replace fiberglass or Kevlar kayak keel strips and canoe skid plates. It comes in multiple widths as long as you need. It’s available in two colors by the foot and additional colors by the roll. The manufacturer claims that it can be applied to fiberglass, polyethylene, thermoformed ABS and metal surfaces. According to the manufacturer it’s 14 times more abrasion resistant than a composite keel strip. It runs $4 to $8 per foot. Kits are available. In September, I received a small sample to do a KeelEazy review. I applied the sample KeelEazy strip to the stern of my Kevlar canoe. Years of…
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Kanuyak Canoe and Kayak Decal Review
One of the problems with mass produced canoes and kayaks is the lack of personality. Your boat looks just like another one off the same shelf. You can try to personalize things by changing the color of deck line, or you could paint something on the side. Or you could add a little pizazz to your boat with a sticker. Kanuyak makes easy-to-apply canoe and kayak decals. I spent this spring reviewing two versions, a 5-inch sticker and a 8-inch sticker. The stickers I tested come as a set of two, mirror images cut from commercial-grade decal vinyl with the color going all the way through. You apply one sticker…
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How to Pick a Bell Solo Canoe
How to pick a Bell solo canoe.
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Review: A Comparison of System Three MetlWeld and WEST System for Metal Bonding
When Charles E. Campbell built his he found out that many of the small metal parts he needed for the rig weren't available, so he had to make his own. In the process he tried System Three's Metlweld.
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Build Your Own Sea Kayak Video by Bob Boucher
A review of Bob Boucher's video Build Your Own Sea Kayak.
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