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Post by spike on Dec 29, 2019 21:06:38 GMT -5
I know I am constantly talking about how it is once again raining here BUT I honestly do want a canoe. We have so many lakes and rivers (and my back yard gosh) that I would love to get out on the water. What I am asking is if any of you own a canoe and can you give me any tips. Have plenty of sporting goods stores around so I am sure I can find one to buy!
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tallpines
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Post by tallpines on Dec 30, 2019 0:38:52 GMT -5
We have a canoe. ..... It’s a good, sturdy metal canoe that has a squared off end ...... that end is about 10-12 inches wide ..... we can mount a small boat motor on it.
I really liked the canoe but ...... It was much too heavy for me to lift on/off the car when my hubby was not available.
It was a good size so myself and 3 kids could all go fishing and be comfortable.
Being a good sturdy metal, it was never good for White River rafting. A canoe with a more flexible, less rigid bottom works best for sliding through rocky rapids.
We never had the time to use it as often as I would have liked. It’s still here, but has not been used for a few years ..... and with our bodies becoming more arthritic, we may never use it again .....
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tallpines
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Posts: 298
Zone:: 4a
Favorite Vegetable:: This week, it’s Rhubarb
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Post by tallpines on Dec 30, 2019 2:27:31 GMT -5
I should have mentioned kayaks. My children all have kayaks! They are light weight and easy to load and unload. They come in all different sizes. The 6 year old grandson and his 8 year old sister each have their own.
Last summer their Mama got them up extra early and drove to a nearby lake ...... just so they could all watch the sunrise while out on the lake in their kayaks. A son goes out with his children, too. Each in their own kayak.
They come in several different styles, too. I once saw a fellow in one that has peddles. He used his feet to move the kayak and his arms were free for casting for fish.
My adult children often do 40 mile canoe trips hauling along tents and supplies for 4 days of remote camping. Sometimes their group has 20 people. Half of then have canoes while the other half have kayaks. The canoe people usually end up hauling all of supplies for the group because the kayaks are not as roomy as the deeper canoes.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Dec 30, 2019 5:49:04 GMT -5
I grew up in a canoe. My parents discovered Old Town brand canoes and had them for our annual camping excursions. We traveled a few rivers, lakes, and did a bit of fishing from them as well. They always wanted to try remote camping via canoe, but never got up the courage to try it with children. By the time we were all grown, the desire to remote camp had passed. Eventually my parents switched to kayaks and now they have an armada of kayaks that they haul around for their boating pleasure. The Old Town brand of canoe is still being made- they are very lightweight and easy to maneuver. They are made of some kind of poly that keeps the canoe from getting damaged by hitting rocks and debris. They are also super difficult to flip over (but not entirely impossible). I don't have any boats of any kind. I always enjoyed canoeing, but since we only have opportunity to use one once a year it's not an investment we wish to make. I'm not a fan of kayaking either- My center of gravity must be strange because I never feel comfortable in one and always feel like I'm about to flip over.
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Post by spike on Dec 30, 2019 11:02:26 GMT -5
I actually have a kayak. The only way I am getting my husband to go out with me is in a canoe!
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reubent
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Post by reubent on Jan 2, 2020 15:03:41 GMT -5
The most experience I had canoeing was about 20 years ago when we did 50 miles on a small river with extremely minimal rapids, camped on the river bank for 3 nights. Did it three summers in a row I think, or was it 4, can't remember now. A friend has a big family and 6 canoes. They all grown up with families of their own now, but I built a canoe rack trailer to haul them before the first trip, and they still get stored on the trailer and hauled to church camp every year for use on the lake. All aluminum I think, one is fiberglass perhaps, and that was the 7th addition. the 50 mile trip ended with just a few miles on the Tennessee river after the small river joined it. I've always dreamed of building a cedar strip wood canoe with our own cedar. Might still do it if I ever find the time. But since we are very limited on waterways to use it on up here on the highlands of Tennessee, there's not much use for it. And I don't care for white water, plus the wood canoe is somewhat fragile, and cedar is especially brittle, only gets it's toughness from the fiberglass coating. If I'd lived near the water boats would have been a big part of life and I'd be building many wood boats. Everything from canoes to classic steam boats. Even steam powered ski boats. Yah, there is such a thing. They use monotube boiler for high power in a light package and a modern V twin engine.
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