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Canoecopia 2006: Trip Report
As I write this, we’re getting pounded by snow blowing sideways in an almost complete whiteout, which is in contrast to the great weather we had over the weekend at this year’s Canoecopia. I have to think, yet another Canoecopia, the show that signals the start of spring for me. This year, I spent two days in Madison, Wisconsin at the show, and these are the following observations that I made. The Sales Floor The sales floor completely changed in arrangement this year. They created a large main isle down the center of the show and then had the booths branching off the center isle. All similar products where then…
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Along the Banks of the Saskatchewan: A Kayak Trip Down the Saskatchewan River
Robert N Pruden returns to the pages of Nessmuking with a tale of adventure. For this installment, he paddled his homemade kayak from from Edmonton to North Battleford on the North Saskatchewan River. Along the way, he discovered a connection with the wilderness as well as a corpse...
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Interview With a Solo Canoeist: Part Two
During a 9 day, 200-mile solo canoe trip, solo canoeist, Bryan Hansel, interviewed himself. His trip started in Voyager National park and ended on Lake Superior. Since Bryan didn't get enough out of himself, he decided to interview himself again. Here is the follow up interview.
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Interview With a Solo Canoeist
During a 9 day, 200-mile solo canoe trip, solo canoeist, Bryan Hansel, interviewed himself. His mid-September trip started in Voyager National park and ended on Lake Superior. The Interview BH: So, Bryan, I’m going to interview you on the forth night of your trip across the Boundary Waters. Sound good? ME: Sure why not. I’m game. After all, it’s just me on this sandy beach right now, and I have nothing better to do except drink spiked hot chocolate and watch the northern lights. BH: Good. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to rough you up. Anyway, why did you decide to do this trip? ME: Well, I should say,…
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Canoecopia 2005: Trip Report
“It’s a Star Trek Convention for canoeists.” – Kevin Callan, he was asked what Canoecopia was by a border guard when crossing from Canada into the US. This was the third year that I’ve attended the Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddle sport expo, and this year was the first that I could fully enjoy the show. The last two years, my old employer, a large retail chain, sent me to get ideas and spy on the competition, so this year, I went on my own. I drove 10 hours down to Madison, WI, camped out at Blue Mounds State Park, and attended two days of the show before driving back…
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Disaster at The Saskatchewan Crossing
First marking on map: Start Saturday, June 01, 2002, 1000h. Elevation 1424 m, location N 51 degrees 59.023 minutes H 116 degrees 47.799 minutes. I am taking this reading just before I launch myself onto another page of my own history. I am excited, thrilled and nervous. I feel like a voyageur keeping careful track of an adventure into the exciting unknown. At 41 years of age, standing 5′ 10″ and very fit despite neck and back injuries from a car accident, this will be the first time I have ever gone off anywhere alone and for so long. This is supposed to be three weeks of external exploration and…
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Solo in the Boundary Waters – Fall 2003
A Journal by Bryan Hansel 9-22 Day One Baker Lake, Peterson Lake, Kelly Lake, Jack Lake, Weird Lake, S. Temperance Lake, N. Temperance Lake, Sitka Lake, end on Cherokee Lake (site west of last portage) approximately 11 miles. Put in today at 10:00 AM after driving threw the night and only stopping at a rest stop for 3 hours. I missed the turn for Baker Lake and drove a little further, so I’m going to cut the gas close for the return trip to town. On the drive from the ranger station to Baker I saw a dog like animal standing in the middle of the road in the haze…
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Summer Journal 2004 – Canoeing the Namekagon, St. Croix, and Mississippi Rivers.
By Bill Collett, Bettendorf, Iowa August 3, 2004 Pre trip plans hardly exist. I intend to solo paddle the designated National Scenic River Way of the Namekagon River. It is uncertain if I will paddle beyond that or not. All I know is that my wife and daughter are visiting relatives and friends in Duluth for a week and they can drop me off on the Namekagon. The option exists for them to pick me up on the way home, or if I am feeling good, they are to go home and I will continue to paddle. I’m operating under the axiom, when packing for a solo trip, weird and…
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Boundary Waters Solo, September 2004
September 19th, Sunday Portaged into the Boundary Waters today using the 320-rod Skipper/Portage Lake entry point. Because I double portaged it, total 15,390 feet of hiking. Now that’s a long portage. The leaves on the portage were turning colors as most of them were younger bushes and trees; the tallest pines and birch were all blown down and charred from a burn. The trail itself was being closed in by a tremendous amount of growth energized by an open canopy that allowed the sun to beat down. About a third of the way across I passed moose tracks, and about half of the way across I crossed an old road.…
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The Simplest of Seats
Considering how restricted the seating actually is in the average cruising kayak, it’d better be comfortable. Hours of being jammed in an uncomfortable cockpit is no one’s idea of fun – cramped muscles, hard-spot aches, and that pins-and-needles feeling in the legs just purely takes the fun out of a day on the water. For better or for worse, commercial kayaks come with one sort of seat or another, but those of us who build our own have to come up with some alternative that’s comfortable. If you’re up for it, you can certainly carve yourself a fine mini-cell seat, and there’s lots of nice carved mini-cell and/or gel seats…
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Building Ken Taylor 1959 Kayak – the Igdlorssuit
In the Fall of 2007, I set out to build a new kayak to serve several goals: Build a kayak that fits Ilena, my significant other, better than my Romany. Build a kayak that would be a Greenland style hard chined boat that is as easy or easier to roll than my Romany. Try several ideas for a kayak build that I haven’t tried yet. Glass hatch recesses. Glass fitting recesses. Dyeing the wood. And a few other. Generally to improve my building and glassing abilities during a quick build. Reproduce a historic kayak in cedar strip construction. Build another day boat with a different feel than my Romany and…
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Building the Ken Taylor Igdlorssuit Kayak
Gathering Supplies (2:30 Hours) The biggest show stopper for most new kayak and canoe builders is the gathering supply step. Having to decide exactly what materials to buy, where to find the best deal, and how to get everything together in the same location at the right time is complicated. For this kayak, I’m using left over glass from RAKA. I’m using 6 ounce E-glass on the outside and 5 ounce tight-weave E-glass on the inside. The open weave 6 ounce will wet-out more clearly than the tight weave. The epoxy is from US Composites. The dye is from Solar-Lux via Woodcraft.com. It is Blood Red. I’m using KajakSport hatches,…
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Building Ken Taylor 1959 Kayak – the Igdlorssuit – Part Three
Fair Inside (4 Hours) After the kayak is lifted off the forms, it’s time to fair the inside. This kayak is mainly flat on the inside, so fair is easily accomplished using a block plane, hobbyist plane, and a flat surform tool. A Convex surform can be used on the concave sections of the hull. The key point to watch for while using these tools, is use them only to take of the high edges of the strips. After the edges are taken off, change over to sand paper. A rough grit like 40 or 60 will quickly smooth the surface. This can be finished off up to 80 grit…
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Building Ken Taylor 1959 Kayak – the Igdlorssuit – Part Four
Cockpit Coaming (8 Hours) There are many methods of building a cockpit coaming and making a carbon fiber coaming is certainly one of the hardest, but it is an achievable project for the home builder. I like to build mine in four steps. The first step is to make the foam mold that will be used to produce the coaming. Make sure that your opening is sanded smoothly and looks fair. Check this fairing with the cockpit cutout template used to make the recess. Any type of foam can be used to form a coaming, but I used expanding spray foam, because it was what I could get in town.…
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Building Ken Taylor 1959 Kayak – the Igdlorssuit – Part Five
Control Box – 1 Hours The control box for the skeg is built much the same way as the deck fittings. A four and a half inch slot is cut into the hull. It’s located near the center of the coaming. A foam mold is inserted into the slot and covered with paste wax and mold release. Then thickened epoxy is used to round the corners and 5 layers of 3.2 ounce tight weave glass is used to lay-up the control box. After the box is finished, drill a hole to insert the tubing. I covered the hull around the skeg control box with packing tape, so I would be…
