Techniques for Sticky Hydraulics

Skills

Photo: Ryan Creary — Tactics for sticky hydraulics

This techniques article featuring tips for escaping sticky hydraulics was originally published in Rapid magazine.

At some point in your paddling career you’ll find yourself stuck in a hole. Once there, you need to know how to get out, ideally while staying in your boat. If you’re upside down, start by using the re-circulating water to your advantage to roll upright. A small paddle motion and hip flick on your downstream side should be enough—a large and violent attempt is both unnecessary and undesirable.

Now that you can breathe, here’s how to escape the hole:

SURF IT SIDEWAYS

After rolling, tilt and brace downstream to keep the current from flipping you over again. Use a forward or reverse stroke with the brace and your body weight to move your boat forwards or backwards to the sides of the hole—often its weakest points. If you get to the side of the hole, reach for the water outside the hole with your paddle blade—this may help pull you out.

RODEO AWAY

If you can’t surf out the side of the hole, try using the subsurface water. Force one end of your boat underwater as deep as possible, ideally getting your boat into a vertical position. A vertical boat will often stick deep enough into the water to catch the downstream current and flush you out of the hole.

REACH FOR IT

If your boat doesn’t reach down deep enough, try to grab the downstream current with your paddle. Flip upside down in a tucked position and slowly reach a paddle blade towards the bottom of the river. Try to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible to protect yourself. The bigger the hole, the farther you’ll have to extend your arms. Once the downstream-flowing water grabs your blade, hang on and let it pull you and your boat out of the hole.

GET WET

Sometimes, the downstream current is too deep to reach. After all, your boat is designed to stay on the surface. If you’re still stuck, pull your skirt, allowing the boat to fill with water and sink below the surface. If you can, stay in your boat, catch the deep water flowing downstream and ride it out of the hole.

SWIM UNDER

If you do exit your boat and find yourself still in the hole, you’ll need to swim beneath the surface into the downstream-flowing current. As the hole pushes you underwater, tuck into a ball to go as deep as possible and let the water carry you out of the hole where you can resurface in relative safety.

Keep your wits about you and do your best to remain in your boat. Staying calm will help you think clearly and choose the right tactic to make your escape.

Bryant Burkhardt is an ACA Instructor Trainer in both whitewater and coastal kayaking for California Canoe & Kayak, based in Sacramento.

This article originally appeared in Rapid, Fall 2011. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Wenonah Canak Canoe Review

Photo: Wenonah Canoe — Wenonah Canak Canoe Review

A review of the Wenonah Canak from Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

The Canak is ideal for solo lake camping when the capacity and portability of a canoe are needed, and the touring ability of a kayak is desired. The unique bow and stern storage compartments are spacious and accessible for easy loading and unloading of canoe camping-sized packs. Slipover covers provide a dry ride no matter the weather conditions. Equipped with floor-mounted sliding seat and adjustable kayak-style foot braces.

Length: 16’6″

Width: 30″

Hull Material: Kevlar

Weight: 38 lbs

MSRP: $2,699

Optional removeable yoke: $125

www.wenonah.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2011. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Mad River Malecite Ultralite Canoe Review

Mad River Canoe and Jim Henry’s original and timeless design meets state-of-the-art composite materials. Its new lightweight Kevlar/foam core layup adds enhanced acceleration capabilities and paddling efficiency to the impressive responsiveness and seaworthiness of the original Malecite design. Paddle solo or tandem on flatwater with the ability to handle tight, twisty waterways with confidence and style.

Mad River Canoe Malecite Ultralite Specs

Length: 16’5″

Width: 34.5″

Materials: Kevlar/Foam core

Weight: 43 lbs

Max capacity: 850 lbs

MSRP: $2,889 USD

www.madrivercanoe.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Summer/Fall 2011. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

H20 Canoe Company Canadian 16/6 Canoe Review

Photo: H2O Composites — H20 Composites Canadian 16/6

A review of the H20 Canoe Company 16/6 from Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

The versatility of traditional canoes is captured with a symmetrical hull and recurved ends. To reduce wind resistance and maximize efficiency, a slightly longer length and narrower beam are combined with sharp entry and exit lines and a lower sheer. The Canadian’s shallow arch hull design provides a blend of performance and stability. An exceptional shoe keel design aids tracking and protects against grounding, while sacrificing little in the way of maneuverability.

H2O Canoe Company Canadian 16/6 specs

Length: 16’6″
Width: 35″
Material: Carbon/Kevlar Helium
Weight: 42 lbs
Max capacity: 800 lbs
MSRP: $3,095
www.h2ocanoe.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Summer/Fall 2011. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Trolling for Lake Trout

Skills

Photo: James Smedley — Trolling for Lake Trout

Whether you’re passing time on a rest day or scrounging for your next meal, fishing for lake trout is a fun activity on any canoe trip. The small, deep, remote lakes paddlers love are also home to some great wilderness fishing. Thirty-year veteran guide Gary Skrzek shares his canoe fishing methods.

Trolling in a Canoe

Begin with the bow person sitting facing backwards. While the stern person paddles, the bow person drops a line to the desired depth. Next, the bow person puts the fishing rod down and paddles backwards while the stern person drops a second line. Once both lines are at the desired depth only the stern person needs to paddle. Keep the canoe moving or the two lines will get tangled with one another or snagged on the bottom.

Some tips for successful trolling from a canoe:

Move the canoe just fast enough for the lure to work. Any faster and it will be hard to keep your lure at the proper depth.
On most reels, reeling backwards 50 cycles lets out around 53 feet of line. When fishing for summer lake trout, you want to stay in the 40- to 55-foot range.
Try to troll along drop-offs or around shoals and islands that are next to deep holes.
When a trout bites your lure, you need to set the hook hard.
Trout like small lures. Expect to catch 20-pounders on lures smaller than your thumb.

Tackle

The traditional method of trolling for lake trout uses steel wire and thick heavy rods, but these are best replaced with thin line and a light action rod for two reasons. First, this setup is much easier to bring on remote wilderness canoe trips. Second, it can be difficult to sense depth with steel wire so snags are common. When a snag can’t be freed, the line must be cut at the canoe leaving a 200-foot coil of steel wire in the lake. All too often loons, fish and mammals get caught in this tangled mess.

What You Need

All you need to catch lake trout from your canoe is a light action fishing rod, six-pound-test fishing line, a three-way swivel, a two-ounce weight and a lightweight trout spoon.

Building a three-way swivel rig:

Tie two lines to a three-way swivel, one about 20 inches long and the second 23 inches
Tie you sinker your to sinker to the 23-inch line. Feedin lake trout will stay in the 40- to 55-foot range during the summer so a two-ounce weight is adequate. The sinker line is a little longer so your lure stays off the bottom if you get a snag
Tie your lure to the shorter line. Small, feather-light sppons that are silver or silber mixed with blue, green or pink work best

This article on canoe fishing was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots magazine.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.

Renaissance Man

Stories

The online classified’s glorified details set my dreams in motion: a couple hundred bucks for a 15.5-foot, slender solo tripping canoe; 45 pounds of fiberglass adorned with ash trim. Just the ticket for independent trips on sprawling lakes and placid rivers. I mailed the seller a check sight-unseen and had a friend deliver the canoe to me a few weeks later.

“It’s a little rough,” my friend James reported, as we carefully lifted the canoe off the roof of his SUV. Only a skilled carpenter like James would so rashly understate the deplorable condition of my new canoe. Its weatherworn, desert tan hull was webbed with spidery cracks, the worst of which were coated in ugly, snot smears of epoxy. Rotted gunwales were spongy to the touch. After a few short outings where I observed steady streams of river water infiltrating the hull, the canoe—and my dreams—were shelved and almost forgotten.

But here’s the thing with a once-pretty canoe: It can’t help but catch your eye. A year later, when common sense still urged me to look the other way, the canoe spoke to me. Its sparsely upturned stem and stern screamed speed across open water, and its graceful tumblehome cried the promise of thousands of efficient, comfortable strokes. I caressed its fractured chines and conceived of a rehabilitation plan involving orbital sanders, fiberglass cloth, polyester resin and gelcoat. I would grind, glue and paint life into this aged spectre, and celebrate its rebirth with an autumn trip.

Putting my priorities in order, I thoroughly researched and planned a 70-kilometer lake circuit months before I set about rebuilding the canoe in which I would do it. When I finally chose a late-August heat wave to begin the restoration, it quickly became apparent that my old electric sander was no match for the canoe’s craggy skin, so I borrowed a friend’s stone-wheeled angle grinder. The grinder fervently tore into the job, creating clouds of caustic dust and ripping holes in the rotted fiberglass.

In 30 minutes of hot and dirty work I managed to obliterate most of the cracks. The result was a heinously holey, splotchy and morale- crushing canoe. I threatened to dump it in a landfill or, better yet, scuttle it with a final rock-bashing run down my local class III river.

Here’s the thing with a once-pretty canoe: it can’t help but catch your eye

Unwilling to accept defeat, I summoned visions of gliding across steaming lakes rimmed with fiery forest and silent stone. Intent on the objective, I laid strips of resin-saturated fiberglass cloth along the inside of the canoe wherever I had gored the exterior. Then I sealed the hull with gobs of milky gelcoat, and chopped out and replaced the punkiest pieces of gunwale.

Figuring it would be wise to travel in the company of a capacious tandem on my solo’s maiden voyage, I recruited my wife Kim and friend Brad to come along. Kim, who’d been privy to all the peaks and valleys of the reclamation debacle, expressed her doubts when sunlight shone through the clear-coated hull as we affixed it to my truck’s racks. “But think of how fast we’ll travel three to a canoe,” she teased.

Shoving off from a sand beach on Lake Wanapitei, kneeling amidships, I gradually heeled the gunwale closer and closer to the water, growing accustomed to the tender stability. Bow pierced morning mist, trees burned with color and, amazingly, the canoe remained dry. For the next five days, canoe and I followed a J stroke course across the lakes, rivers and streams of my dreams.

This article on a solo canoeist was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroot magazine.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.

Act Now To Save Gunwale Bobbing Before It’s Gone

Gunwale bobbing has been a staple for older generations playing on the water in canoes and is lamented by some as becoming a lost art with modern youth. This may sound a little melodramatic to those raised in a generation of careless, youthful pleasures (or those who question this generous assignment of the term “art”), but query a group of kids, teens or even outdoorsy 20-somethings about this classic canoe game and you’ll elicit a host of puzzled expressions.

“Is that, like, when you rock side-to-side and see how far you can dip the gunwales?” wondered one college outdoor adventure program student. “Is it like bobbing for apples?” guessed another.

Hey, at least give them credit for knowing what a gunwale is.

[ Paddling Buyer’s Guide: Find your perfect canoe for gunwale bobbing ]

It’s not the fault of the youth. In the late ‘90s, this cherished summertime tradition simply fell out of favor in camps and school programs across the country. “It’s not a written policy,” says YMCA Wanakita Camp Director Andy Gruppe. “Gunwale bobbing is one of many things camps are just not supposed to do anymore for insurance and liability reasons.”

Gruppe says no specific incident flagged gunwale bobbing’s demise. Rather, it was singled out for how dangerous it looks, not how dangerous it actually is. “More kids probably get hurt playing Capture the Flag in a given day than gunwale bobbing in an entire summer,” he says.

There’s still time to reverse this tragic loss.

Woman standing with sign that says "Act Now Save Gunwale Bobbing" — Grassroots activism at work. Corynne McCathy educates fellow students Tom Coker and Elly Squires. | Photo: Virginia Marshall

Now a new organization wants to bring gunwale bobbing back into the toe grasp of hordes of hyperactive campers. The 62-member National Gunwale Bobbing Association (NGBA) is gradually spreading the gospel of gunwale bobbing at waterfront parks, community pools and even on street corners.

At a recent Save Gunwale Bobbing on-water event, NGBA ambassadors reported over a dozen eager kids perched astride bobbing canoes, even as protectivist parents protested from the solar-, water- and sand-shielded safety of their SUVs. “We received a score of disapproving text messages,” reported one NGBA instructor.

Hand-wringing parents aren’t the NGBA’s only worry, however. A secretive organization led by a shadowy figure known only as Gunwale Bob has been raising awareness of gunwale bobbing’s plight with less-than-legal gusto.

Infiltrating camps and posing as canoe instructors. Posting incendiary notes and photos on kids’ Facebook walls. Even demanding that hapless paddlers pass the “gunwale bob test” before leaving the dock at rental outlets in Boundary Waters, Algonquin, the Adirondacks and dozens of other popular canoeing destinations across the continent.

Canoeroots couldn’t find Gunwale Bob for comment, but an undisclosed whistleblower at his organization states, “The time for passive promotion is past.”

Meanwhile, a shrinking minority of recreational canoeists and families who never heard that gunwale bobbing is too dangerous continue to enjoy this graceful and precarious dance. Some of canoeing’s best known advocates are ardent bobbers.

“Gunwale bobbing is a canoe game we played as children—and one we still play,” write Joanie and Gary McGuffin in Paddle Your Own Canoe. In fact, the McGuffins encourage bobbing as an exercise to develop balance in a canoe.

So, what is the uncertain future of gunwale bobbing? Will the enthusiastic efforts—public or subversive—of the NGBA and Gunwale Bob resurrect this classic canoe game at children’s camps? Or will over-protective zealotry deliver it the same fate as wooden playground structures, cliff jumping, bare feet and the other regrettably forgotten but unforgettably fun pleasures of previous, more risk tolerant generations?

[ Further reading: Top 6 Canoe Games To Play This Summer ]

Act now to save gunwale bobbing. Grab a partner or go alone. Straddle bow or stern, grip the gunwales between bare toes, feel leg muscles flex and extend rhythmically. Stand up, bob and be counted.

Get gunwale bobbing

Keep the tradition alive with these fun-for-all-ages games.

Gunwale Bob Races

Two or more players

Players line up canoes side-by-side, about a canoe’s length apart. Race to the finish by standing on the stern gunwales, facing the bow, and bobbing the canoes forward.

Gunwale Bob-Off

Two players

Players stand on the gunwales at either end of the canoe, facing each other. Alternate deep-knee squats to set the canoe bobbing. See how high you can bob your opponent. The goal is to send your opponent for a swim while maintaining your own balance. For an extra challenge, wiggle the canoe side-to-side as you bob.

Volley Bob

Four or more players

Pairs of players stand on the gunwales as above. The goal is to be the canoe that bobs the longest. Make sure each canoe has plenty of space and use a moderator to see that every canoe bobs with equal vigor.

This article was first published in Canoeroots & Family Camping‘s Spring 2011 issue. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here , or browse the archives here.

Up, down. Gunwale bobbing is an allegory for life. | Feature photo: Virginia Marshall

Butt End: Fool on the Hill

Stories

Photo: Kevin Callan — Butt End: Fool on the Hill

“Get that canoe off the pavement,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer bellowed from the window of his patrol car.

Panic set in. The camera crew about to film my triumphant portage across the grassy lawn of Ottawa’s Parliament Hill froze mid-step. We had no filming permit. We didn’t even ask permission prior to the shooting.

It was just a silly, spontaneous stunt—my Canadian flag-emblazoned canoe beneath the copper-spired towers of democracy and sovereignty; patriotism afoot—while we waited for better lighting to film an Ontario Tourism segment at the Rideau Canal.

The adrenaline that jolted through our bodies—urging us to fight or, more likely, flee to the inviolable freedom of the swift-flowing Ottawa River below—dissipated when we heard the officer chuckle. He suggested we put the canoe on the grass so it wouldn’t get scratched.

“So, is it okay if we film this scene?” the producer asked.

“Can’t see why not—it’s your grass,” came the good-natured reply.

The camera began to roll. A second and third officer appeared to wish us well with our project. A small crowd of tourists gathered, camera shutters clicking in the bright sunshine. Kids playing Frisbee on the grass and a gaggle of middle-aged women gathering for an early morning yoga class moved aside to give us more space.

Then a fourth officer—a supervisor— rolled up in a shiny cruiser. He demanded we remove ourselves from the area immediately. We apologized for filming without a permit, grovelling for forgiveness from this pillar of the law. The officer clarified, “You can stay and film all you want, but you can’t portage across Parliament Hill.”

Panic and pleading derailed into dumb founded silence. A shocked bystander yelled, “Democracy is dead!”

The film crew and I retreated behind the wrought iron gates of Parliament with the canoe slung low, open, non-threatening between us, its red and white hull turned to the ground. The Frisbee game resumed over the Centennial Flame and lululemon-clad figures resumed downward dog on the front steps of the Peace Tower.

We managed to film the segment before getting kicked out, but in capturing a light-hearted homage to cultural identity and national pride, we got more than just our shot that morning. We got an unpleasant reminder of how the Canadian government has disconnected itself from its people, its idea of fundamental freedom and, most of all, its nation’s iconic symbol—the canoe.

This article on portaging across parliament hill was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots magazine This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.

Are We There Yet?

Stories

Photo: Virginia Marshall — Are We There Yet?

Road tripping is a state of mind. Just ask Jack Kerouac. Don’t let an unwieldy and rebellious payload of kids, gear, boats and pets dampen your spirit. Even though road trips frequently require as many hours in the car as you’ll spend at the destination, highway miles provide an excellent opportunity to share some memorable time together. Enjoy the journey with these stress-saving strategies.

Navigation

North America’s classic road trip routes boast some serious mileage. The famous Route 66 stretches for 2,451 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles and the TransCanada Highway connects the Pacific and Atlantic coasts over 8,030 kilometers of roadways.

Reviewing online directions and road maps before you head out is a no-brainer. Folks that are familiar with your destination can also provide valuable info on the condition and location of elusive back roads and shuttle routes—details even a good map can’t provide.

En route, a GPS makes life easier. There is road map software available for many handhelds out there that allows your device to do double-duty, helping you navigate both the front and backcountry.

Teach your kids how to read a map and give them their own copy with your driving route and trip highlights marked. This is a great way to learn map-reading skills and will help minimize backseat boredom.

Pit Stops

Modern rest stops offer a wide variety of amenities but are seriously lacking in culture. Stopping away from the fast food and concrete of commercial pull-offs lets road trippers enjoy the local way of life.

Despite bypasses on modern interstates and major highways, the fun roadside attractions from the heydays of Route 66 are still out there.

Why not stop at the massive mosquito in Komarno, MB, the life-sized Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN, or the world’s largest buffalo in Jametown, ND? Drivers can take a deserved break and kids can burn off energy, making the next leg of the journey safer and more comfortable for everyone.

Letting children take charge of an inexpensive digital camera allows them to join in the fun of recording your family experience on the road and at roadside stops.

Hazelmail.com offers a wonderful service that turns your photos into postcards, then prints, stamps and mails them for you. Find a place to stop with wireless Internet connection—plan ahead with listings at Wififreespot. com—and you can easily send a custom postcard from the road.

Tummy Check

Nothing kills the road trip spirit like motion sickness. Passengers prone to car sickness should avoid reading the latest issue of their favorite canoeing magazine—or anything for that matter—while on the road…save it for the campsite.

Focusing on a point in the distance outside of the vehicle helps the brain settle the stomach—a good reason to leave video games and portable DVD players at home. Rotating passengers to make it easier to see out the front windshield also aids in alleviating motion sickness. Who doesn’t love riding shotgun?

Pack ginger snaps, peppermints and saltines—all are proven to help with upset stomachs. And remember, while it may slow you down, it’s in everyone’s best interest to stop the care before you hear these for words: “Mom, I’m gonna barf.”

Hauling Your Stuff

Did you know that it’s illegal to tie a dog to the roof of your car in Alaska? Or that Massachusetts law states that you’ll get pulled over if you have a gorilla in your backseat? With these exceptions, it’s easy to ensure a safe, secure and legal load.

Don’t cheap out—a good roof rack is worth its weight in gold. Getting an aerodynamic, durable system makes hauling canoes and gear safer and easier. Many quality systems outlive today’s cars and can be adapted to different vehicles when it’s time for a switch.

Most aftermarket roof rack manufacturers offer lock systems that allow you to secure your gear to your rack and your rack to your car for peace of mind while you’re feasting at Bonanza. A long, steel cable bike lock also works for many applications.

Rooftop bag systems are a versatile, affffordable and easier to store alternative to pricey hard-shell rooftop boxes. Bag systems that attach to the rear od many vehicles free up roof space for bikes or boats.

Entertainment

The first commercially successful car radio rocked dashboards in 1929. Onboard sing-a-longs to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody can be traced back to 1975. Since these milestones, most family auto excursions have been made with musics.

The best way to share the time with your passengers rather than losing them to their headphones is to listen to something together. Before you depart, gather an equal selection of every family member’s music and make one big playlist or multiple CD mixes. On the road, set the player on random. Hey, at least it’s shared suffering.

Local radio can give road trippers a taste of the region they’re vis- iting as well as local weather and road condition updates.

If trying to agree on music threatens Windstar warfare, listen to an audio book. It’s amazing how quickly a good story passes the time on a long trip. Thousands of titles are now available online.

Podcasts are another option. Download Road Trip USA, NPR’s This American Life or CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café for family oriented, road worthy entertainment.

This article on tips for family road trips was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots magazine.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.

Story Time

Stories

Whitewater isn’t the only thing young paddlers are good at reading. When it’s too cold to paddle or spring showers are falling, snuggling up with a good book about canoes is almost as fun as getting out on the water. We’ve picked four great books to get your paddling library started.

One Dog Canoe

Story by Mary Casanova. Pictures by Ard Hoyt • Published by Melanie Kroupa Books, 2003 • Ages 2–7

A light-hearted story of how a young girl’s paddle with her faithful dog, “a trip for two, just me and you” turns into a multi-animal pile-up. Fun poetry and great pictures are found on every page. A dog, a beaver, a loon, a wolf, a bear and a moose all jump into the little red canoe that sinks lower with each new animal.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Go Near That Canoe

Story by Julie Lawson. Pictures by Werner Zimmermann • Published by North Winds Press, 1996 • Ages 4–9

Captain Kelsey McKee warns two children and their stuffed kangaroo to stay away from a magical canoe. Unable to resist, the kids hop aboard and soon find themselves swept up “through fast racing currents, through slow moving tides, far into the fading light” and right into a pirate adventure with Big Bart, gin- ger beer and gleaming doubloons.

Shin-chi’s Canoe

Story by Nicola I. Campbell. Pictures by Kim LaFave • Published by Groundwood Books, 2008 • Ages 6 and up

This story is about two children, Shin-chi and his big sister Shi-shi-etko, who are taken to residential school. It’s Shi-shi-etko’s second year, so she tells her brother what to expect—“My english name is Mary. Your english name is David. And don’t forget, we aren’t allowed to talk to each other until June.” She also tells him to comfort himself with memories of their home. At school, Shin-chi holds tight to the little cedar canoe his father gave him and dreams of the dugout canoe that he and his sister will paddle when they finally return home.

The Red Sash

Story by Jean N. Pendziwol. Pictures by Nicolas Debon • Published by Groundwood Books, 2005 • Ages 6–9

A young Métis boy waits for his voyageur father to return to the busy trading post north of superior, where there is to be a rendezvous. A rabbit hunt on a nearby island becomes more of an adventure than the boy, his sister and her suitor intended when a sudden storm hits. at the end of the story, the boy’s courage is rewarded when his father hands him his very own red sash, like a true voyageur.

This article on books for kids was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots magazine.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.