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Fram Museum Kayaks and Kayaking Gear
In 2008, I visited Norway to kayak and be a tourist. The trip started in Oslo with visits to the museums. Then we flew north to kayak in the Lofoten Islands. After the Lofoten Islands, we kayaked in Aurlandsfjorden near Flåm. The scenery was stunning the entire trip — it’s the type of place that you can drop a camera and get a great picture. Even though the scenery was overwhelming and the kayaking good, I enjoyed the museums the most. Seeing my first “real” traditional Greenland kayak and the accompanying gear was one highlight. The Fram Museum in Oslo houses the polar ship Fram, which still holds the record…
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Free Walrus Kayak Plans
In 1921, Norman L. Skene surveyed the 1921 Peabody Museum’s Southwest Greenland kayak. Taken by the lines, he drew up plans for a westernized version, which he named Walrus. For the Walrus, he widened the boat to 22 inches, lowered the deadrise and designed a larger cockpit. Construction changed from bent ribs and animal skin to dimensional lumber, truss-like framing and canvas skin. He published the free plans in the June 1923 issue of The Rudder. By the time Skene published the article, many kayaks of his design had already been built. Builders noted that the design was seaworthy and easy to learn to paddle. Recently, George Putz covered building…
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Review of Canoe and Kayak Building Books
If you want to build a kayak or canoe from the free plans found on PaddlingLight, you should buy a couple of canoe or kayak building books. Most use different methods, which you can combine to make your boat uniquely your’s. There are lots of books out there to cover in a review, so I’m going to break them down into different categories and arrange them from the first to buy to the last. I’ll write a quick one-paragraph review. I’m leaving lots of books off this list, because I think these are the best. Cedar Strip Kayak Building Books Most of the plans that I do are designed for…
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Understanding Magnetic Deviation
Magnetic forces contained within your kayak can cause your compass to read an incorrect bearing. This type of error is known as magnetic deviation. With 1 degree of compass error, over a mile, you’ll end up about 92 feet away from your destination. If your deviation is extreme like shown in the image, you could completely miss your target by over 1.7 miles on a 10 mile crossing. Worse still, deviation varies as you turn your kayak. For example, you might have a negative 10 degree error when pointing northwest, but that might change to a positive three when pointing southwest. Making a chart showing the deviation error at each…
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Free Plans: 1921 Southwest Greenland Kayak
In 1921, Norman L. Skene took the lines off of the Peabody Museum’s Southwest Greenland kayak. Those lines, drawn by Howard I. Chapelle, appear as figure 207 in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. The kayak is similar in length and width to the 1883 Southwestern Greenland kayak with a few differences. The 1921 kayak shows little rocker, whereas, according to Chapelle, the 1883 kayak shows about the most amount used in a southwestern style. The 1921 boat shows both less deadrise and less flare than the 1883 boat. Also, the sheer line is less sweeping than the 1883 kayak. Chapelle notes that both the 1883 and…
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Rab SilTarp 2 Review
The Rab SilTarp 2 is an 8 feet by 10 feet silicone nylon tarp targeted at the fast and light crowd. Rab uses a 30-denier, 1.1 oz. parachute, rip-stop nylon impregnated with 1/4 oz. of silicone. This level of impregnation gives the nylon the ability to withstand 1 lb. per square inch or the equivalent of 2 feet depth of water pressure. They claim that’s enough to withstand leaks from even strongest rainstorms. The tarp has 16 nylon webbing loops sewn to the corners and at 2-foot intervals along the edges. A ridge-line seam, that needs seam sealing, runs 10 feet down the center of the tarp. An additional tie…
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Manitou River Kayaking Trip Report
If a kayaking trip included one arch, one cave and one waterfall, I’d call it a winner. By that definition, the trip from Sugarloaf Cove to the Manitou River on Lake Superior wins the world championship. During the 11 mile round-trip, you will paddle past three arches that you can kayak through and many others above the waterline. You’ll see two postcard worthy waterfalls, paddle past towering palisades, kayak into caves (one with a waterfall falling down over the entrance) and encounter mansions and old fishing buildings. Rock from Keweenawan lava flows and intrusions makes up the shoreline and the presence of glaciers gone shows itself with gouge marks. A…
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Free Kayak Plans: 1883 Southwestern Greenland Kayak
The original survey for the 1883 Southwestern Greenland kayak appears in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Figure 206). Howard I. Chapelle, the surveyor, writes that this kayak represent one of the last southwestern Greenland boats of the old style, a style characterized by a strong sweeping sheer at the bow and stern. This kayak shows what Chapelle believed was close to the maximum amount of rocker used in a southwestern-style kayak. The original survey shows bone plates pegged to the bow and stern to protect the kayak from landing and launch on ice. Chapelle writes that the old form was a fast and handy hunting boat.…
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Kelty Noah Tarp Review
If you’re looking for an easy-to-pitch, inexpensive tarp to use as a camp kitchen or shelter near the campfire, then Kelty’s Noah Tarp is it. The Noah Tarp is a catenary cut, easy-to-pitch tarp. It features 12 guy-points, tapped seams and quick-adjust line tensioners. It ships with a long but narrow stuff sack and guy lines. Stakes are sold separately. Noah Tarp is Easy to Use The tarp’s sides measures 9 feet by 9 feet, and although its sides measure the same, the diamond shape limits the usable space, which makes it good for a kitchen or dry area near the fire but not large enough to sleep comfortably under.…
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Susie Island Kayaking Trip Report
A great kayak day trip should have interesting landscapes, open-water crossings, nice places for lunch and a chance of surprise. In my book, it should also be remote but easily accessible. On Minnesota’s northshore of Lake Superior, the trip from Grand Portage through the Susie Islands to the Pigeon River includes all those features and more making it the best full-day kayaking trip on Minnesota’s shoreline. Distance: 16 miles Trip Rating: Advanced. Water conditions, especially in late summer or fall, can change quickly creating large waves. Use an experienced kayaking guide if you have doubts. Maps: NOAA Chart #14967, Lake Superior Water Trail Map #4, USGS Pigeon Point and Grand…
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Snow Peak Penta Tarp Review
Snow Peak bills the Penta Tarp as a lightweight, pentagon-shaped shelter for one or two canoeists or kayakers. To help reduce weight, it’s possible to leave the pole behind and set the Penta up with a canoe or kayak paddle and six stakes. The tarp is made from a pleasant mustard-colored 75D Polyester Taffeta with a minimum waterproof coating of 1,800mm and a Teflon water-repellent. Without a pole, it weighs 1.9 pounds. I’ve owned a Penta for over seven years, but have only used it on about 30 days of trips. I found it easy to set up. You insert the paddle into a specially designed sleeve, stake out the…
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Lightweight Paddling Philosophy
Back in 2004, I wrote an article called Nessmuking: A Return to Simple. In it I argued about the need to emphasize skills over equipment in the lightweight movement, because if you have the skills to survive in the wilderness, you can carry less and travel more simply. The argument continued that enjoyment is increased through simplicity and flexibility achieved through skills. I named the philosophy after Nessmuk, the pen name of George Washington Sears, who wrote for Forest and Stream in the late 1800s. His book, Woodcraft and Camping, which despite being over 100 years old remains relevant to today’s wilderness enthusiast, mixes the practice of bushcraft with a…
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Canoeing or Kayaking Menu Plan for 10 days
A kayaking menu plan for a 10-day canoeing or sea kayaking trip must be light, compact and crush resistant. It should also be varied enough to fight off boredom and maintain nutrition. The following menu plan provides about 3500 calories a day, and it’s light, compact, crush resistant and varied. Except for the fresh lunch items, this can be sent through the mail for resupply stops on longer multi-staged trips. I used this menu plan on multiple sea kayaking and canoe camping trips in the past, including trips where I resupplied. Hygiene & Misc Hygiene in this kayaking menu plan is simple. Bring a small supply of Dr. Bronner, which…
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GearPods Survival Pro Review
Background: GearPods are “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” Their systems combine interconnecting, containers with pre-selected survival gear. Users combine any containers and gear to arrive at a customized kit, something like my emergency ditch kit. I tested GearPods Wilderness system, which includes first-aid, survival gear, a lightweight stove, and the GearPods Shelter. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each part separately. The GearPods Survival Pro includes items geared towards helping you survive an emergency in the woods. GearPods claims the kit can handle navigating, emergency signaling, starting a fire, purifying water, fishing and snaring, repairing clothes and equipment,…
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Mishipeshu on Lake Superior in Agawa Bay Trip Report
Lake Superior Provincial Park is home to an impressive set of pictographs, including a painting of the Lake Superior monster, Mishipeshu: The most important underwater being for the OJIBWA is Mishipeshu, which means “the Great Lynx.” This fantastic dragon-like animal resembles a feline with horns, symbols of his power. It has palmed paws that enable him to swim fast, and his back and tail are covered with scales. Mishipeshu lives in the depths of big lakes. Although he has a feline shape and is an amphibian, he is always described as a reptile. He is feared by all Ojibwa because he is the cause of waves, rapids and whirlpools, and…
