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Free Canoe Plan โ Modern Malecite St. John River Canoe
This cedar canoe drawing is taken from Edwin Adney and Howard Chapelleโs The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. It appears on page 79. Adney surveyed the original in 1895. He notes that the boat shows moderate sheer and low ends. For this set of free plans, I left the station shape and stem shape alone, and I modified the rocker and sheer. The original drawing shows the canoe with little to no rockerโI prefer a canoe that has some rockerโso I added a similar amount of rocker as seen in Prospector canoes. When I changed the rocker, I changed the sheerline, because I felt the additional rockerโฆ
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Paddle to Seattle Kayaking Film
J.J. Kelley and Josh Thomas built a couple of plywood kayaks. Then they paddled from Alaska to Seattle via the Inside Passage in the plywood kayaks that they built. During the trip, they filmed everything. After the trip, they whittled all the footage down to an 80-minute movie. Everyone from Paddler Magazine to Outside Online is raving about this new movie. Youโll see why after watching the trailer. Paddle to Seattle What intrigues me is that they took the time to build their own kayaks, invested the extra work into filming the movie, they got sponsorships, but they come across as just a couple of guys on an adventure. Theyโฆ
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Great Gift Ideas for Paddlers
The end of the year approaches and the holidays are almost upon us. This means itโs time to start thinking about holiday gift ideas for the canoeist and kayakers in the family. This year, Iโve used and fell in love with a bunch of gear. Some of the gear Iโve fallen in love with appears on this yearโs list. I think most paddlers would enjoy seeing these items under their Christmas or holiday tree, and I expect theyโd fall in love with the gifts too.
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IKEA Tote Bags for Kayakers
IKEA tote bags revolutionized (if revolution is simply change) the way I carry gear to and from my kayak. In the past, Iโd grab a couple or three dry bags, carry them up the beach to the tent, drop, and repeat, but since my trip to Norway last year, where I discovered IKEA tote bags being used by the folks we kayaked with, Iโve been using these lightweight and compact bags to store my gear, carry my gear from the car to the beach, and to carry from the kayak to camp. At IKEA stores, they cost $0.59, but without a nearby IKEA, Amazon is the only option. About Ikeaโฆ
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5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts For Canoeing and Kayaking
On my first paddling and camping trips, I often overlooked making a good breakfast for canoeing and kayak in favor of eating a few quick snacks, like Pop Tarts, and as I paddled I noticed my strength fading quickly. It took me a few trips to figure out my breakfast wasnโt working for me. Although breakfast snacks like instant pastries have over 400 calories per package, they lack any significant fat or protein. Essentially, theyโre just empty carbs and eating them in the morning creates high blood-sugar levels, which will eventually crash throwing the body into a battle thatโll will last all day. Thatโs no way to start a hardโฆ
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Throw Bags for Sea Kayaking
Most sea kayakers whoโve passed a safety and rescue class are aware of the importance of carrying a tow rope. A similar safety device that could be of equal importance and prove more handy in some rescue situations is a whitewater throw bag. These bags are inexpensive and lightweight, so there is no excuse not to carry one in some situations. Throw Bags Basics A whitewater throw bag is a rescue tool typically with 50 to 70 feet or floating rope loosely packed into a bag that pays out easily when thrown to a swimmer. It often has a rope handle on one end that allows it to be easilyโฆ
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Free Topo Maps for Your Garmin GPS
GPS units can be useful tools for some wilderness trips, and they become more useful when loaded with topo maps. If you own a Garmin GPS unit, high quality free topo maps may be available for the areas you travel. Youโll need a Garmin GPS capable of receiving user uploaded maps, software, and the free maps. Free Garmin GPS Maps I remember my first search for free Garmin GPS maps had me pulling my hair out after spending hours trying to download them and getting them to work on my GPS, which is the one I list below, but the good news is that getting the maps is the easyโฆ
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Kayaking on Lake Nipigon
Lake Nipigon should be one of the premier kayaking destinations in North America. Itโs remote, itโs wilderness, and itโs studded with 100s of islands to explore. It has big open water crossings, black sand beaches, towering palisades, and it can get rough and challenging. In 2008, Tim Russell and I took a week long trip to the lake. The following notes are from the research that we did (mainly Timโs work). Originally, this research appeared on a wiki. Itโs still there, but this will be a more permanent location. About Lake Nipigon From Wikipedia: Lake Nipigon (French : lac Nipigon) is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of theโฆ
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Review ChemFire Capsules Fire Starter
Part of the Nessmuking philosophy is being proficient in fire starting in all conditions. Many products attempt to address the needfor this skill, but none are as interesting as ChemFire Fire Starting System. The Reaction ChemFire uses a combination of potassium permanganate and glycerin. When these two chemicals are combined they react to produce fire. These items were/are often found in military survival kits and in many emergency kits sold in Europe. Back in the day, potassium permanganate was used to treat water and as a disinfectant, but itโs messy and stains skin and clothing purple, and if mixed incorrectly it can lead to death or violent illness. The Productโฆ
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Three Easy Tarp Setups
An easy way to drop weight out of your boat is to switch from a tent to a tarp. Even using a tarp with a bug bivy will save over 2 pounds for the lightest tents and over 4 pounds for average weight tents. Besides saving weight, tarps provide more usable space, less parts to break, theyโre easier to pack up, keep your sleeping area drier both in the morning when packing up and during the night with less condensation, and they take up considerably less space in your portage pack or hatches. With a little practice, tarps are easy and quick to set up, and depending on the setup,โฆ
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A Visual View of Wave Height
Last month I described how to estimate wave height when in a canoe or kayak, but after listening to some descriptions of the โsixโ foot waves that some kayakers paddled through, I thought a visual aid would be helpful in understanding the height of waves. Iโve built a little diagram showing a 17-foot kayak, and a stick-kayaker in different size waves. The kayaker is 36 inches tall from the baseline of the kayak. The waterline is shown in red. The size of a wave when described in feet is the wave height. The lowest wave in this diagram is two feet. The next two waves are three and four feet.โฆ
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Make your NDK/SKUK Romany or Explorer Seat Comfy
A common complaint about NDK/SKUK Romany and Explorers is an uncomfortable seat. If like me, you find the seat itself comfortable, but have problems with the backband pinching your arse between the seat and the band, try this easy fix before removing the glass seat. For this project, you need: You also need a comfy backband to replace the poor excuse of a backband supplied with the kayak. I heartily recommend this one: For this project, youโre going to lower the back of the seat using sandpaper and a rasp, install a new backband, and make everything look pretty. Steps: Notes: You could also try to wrap some thin minicellโฆ
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Watch Free Classic Paddling Films Online
Injured? Is the water frozen? Or is there some reason that you canโt get out on the water? If you have a high speed Internet connection, there are dozens of online classic paddling film to help you pass the time. It isnโt a complete substitute for the joy of being on the water, but, at least, you get to watch something that you really enjoy. Bill Mason Films If youโve never taken the time to watch one of the original paddling documentary film makers work, then itโs about time you did. Youโll be captivated by his love for the Great Lakes and northern woods. Watch online: Bill Masonโs Films atโฆ
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Estimating Wave Height for Canoes and Kayaks
Grand Marais, MN straddles the boundary between two worlds. To the north, canoeists explore the many lakes and portages of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and to the south, kayakers navigate the big ocean-like water of Lake Superior. If one adventurer from each crowd paddled in the same water and waves, expect to hear different reports of how big the waves were later in the pub. In my experience, Iโve found most paddlers have no idea how to report the size of a wave, and this comes from a lack of education and a reference point. Measuring Wave Size The measurement of a wave is typically given in heightโฆ
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Tarptent Double Rainbow Review
Tarptentโs Double Rainbow, introduced in 2006, received consistently good reviews on the Internet, so late in 2007, I decided to purchase one. During 2008, I used the tent exclusively. This tent has some good and bad points. Initial Thoughts Upon Receiving the Tarptent When I decided to purchase the Double Rainbow, I noticed a waiting list, so I exchanged emails with Henry Shires, the owner of Tarptent. He quickly answered all the email I sent to him before the purchase, so I made the assumption that the customer service would be quite good. Settled on a long wait, somehow my Double Rainbow showed up at the door a little earlierโฆ
