Very 1st Canadian canoe outing on Derwent Water
- Thread starter rancid badger
- Start date
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This could not have arrived at a better (or worse) time. I have literally this Monday started looking at buying a canoe.
I recon if I sell one of my mountain bikes, probably my Cannondale Gemini, I could have about a grand to spend on a canoe and all the gear.
So I think first would definitely be a trip to Platty + and have a test drive lesson for me and the wife.
So if you are organising a group trip I would be interested.
Its like you say though, you sell kit to buy new kit then want your old kit back to go with your new kit, but I suppose I wont be tempted to load a mountain bike into a canoe or would I?
I recon if I sell one of my mountain bikes, probably my Cannondale Gemini, I could have about a grand to spend on a canoe and all the gear.
So I think first would definitely be a trip to Platty + and have a test drive lesson for me and the wife.
So if you are organising a group trip I would be interested.
Its like you say though, you sell kit to buy new kit then want your old kit back to go with your new kit, but I suppose I wont be tempted to load a mountain bike into a canoe or would I?
This could not have arrived at a better (or worse) time. I have literally this Monday started looking at buying a canoe.
I recon if I sell one of my mountain bikes, probably my Cannondale Gemini, I could have about a grand to spend on a canoe and all the gear.
So I think first would definitely be a trip to Platty + and have a test drive lesson for me and the wife.
So if you are organising a group trip I would be interested.
Its like you say though, you sell kit to buy new kit then want your old kit back to go with your new kit, but I suppose I wont be tempted to load a mountain bike into a canoe or would I?
Don't hang around waiting for us to organise anything, it might never come off! get yourself booked up and give it a whizz.
I really should have done this 30 odd years ago!
R.B.
RB, have a look on ebay for a boat, (if you're not already) there's a couple of venture/pyranha/mobile adventure rangers on there for about the 300 squid mark right now and IMHO they're a slightly better boat than the pelican. Quite often you get paddles and PFDs etc thrown in too. There's a bit of an overhead in buying a spanking new boat so if you can live with 2nd hand I'd recommend it.
Cheers,
Alan
Cheers,
Alan
Have you thought about making your own plywood stitch and tape canoe?
My first real canoe was made this way - a mate of mine did the skilled work (he owed me money and was skint - I am carp with tools of any sort) I did the grunt work.
We used the Alan Bridges Malamut patterns and my canoe is still alive after many seasons abuse and still gets the odd trip out on the river.
I have lost Alans address but try on POP - someone might still have it.
Alan is a top canoe designer, lives near me and is a bloke I know reasonably well but I only see him now and again. If I see him soon I will try to get his address for anyone interested in a home build!
You get full sized paper patterns - not scale drawings - and the whole job can be done on a garage with minimal tools, costs aprox £150 to do (depending on the quality of 4mm ply you chose etc etc) and takes a couple of weeks labour. You can customise details as you go to get that personalised look and the boats paddle well - I have taken mine out to sea, on grade 3 rivers (scary! my first grade 3 drop - Mill falls on the Usk was done in my one...) and customised it to sail as well. The canoes are so light you can pick them up one handed!
Affordable yet excellent canoes - if you dont mine the effort of DIY!
My first real canoe was made this way - a mate of mine did the skilled work (he owed me money and was skint - I am carp with tools of any sort) I did the grunt work.
We used the Alan Bridges Malamut patterns and my canoe is still alive after many seasons abuse and still gets the odd trip out on the river.
I have lost Alans address but try on POP - someone might still have it.
Alan is a top canoe designer, lives near me and is a bloke I know reasonably well but I only see him now and again. If I see him soon I will try to get his address for anyone interested in a home build!
You get full sized paper patterns - not scale drawings - and the whole job can be done on a garage with minimal tools, costs aprox £150 to do (depending on the quality of 4mm ply you chose etc etc) and takes a couple of weeks labour. You can customise details as you go to get that personalised look and the boats paddle well - I have taken mine out to sea, on grade 3 rivers (scary! my first grade 3 drop - Mill falls on the Usk was done in my one...) and customised it to sail as well. The canoes are so light you can pick them up one handed!
Affordable yet excellent canoes - if you dont mine the effort of DIY!
I thought about making one but it would have to be stored outside, and well, I'm not that good with that sort of stuff. Nice thought though John.
I'm working on aquiring a better boat atm but We'll just have to wait and see how things pan out.
Got the roof bars today anyway, so even if a boat doesn't turn up, I can now carry bundles of hazel/willow/grandma's rocking chair on the roof!
Cheers
And I'll let you all know how I get on.
R.B.
I'm working on aquiring a better boat atm but We'll just have to wait and see how things pan out.
Got the roof bars today anyway, so even if a boat doesn't turn up, I can now carry bundles of hazel/willow/grandma's rocking chair on the roof!
Cheers
And I'll let you all know how I get on.
R.B.
All my boats live outside and do OK - go on try it!
If you can make a crooked knife as well as the one you gave me you can make a canoe!
If you can make a crooked knife as well as the one you gave me you can make a canoe!
Well I might one day
...............But until then,........I'll just have to put up with the Old Town discovery 158 I'm picking up on saturday!
It's going to mean a bit of a jumble sale of kit I no longer use ( but will want when it's gone!!) to make up the shortfall in funds but I'm fairly sure I'm getting a good boat to kick off with.
So..anyone know where to get the least expensive flotation bags/wedges for the bow and stern? ( see...sailor speak already
)Regards
R.B.
The 158 is a great boat - I used to have 2 in my fleet!
They are roomy, tough and handle well, even on grade 3 water.
As to cheap bouyancy.......get a big tough bag that you can lash into the bow and another for the stern....go to your local white goods shop and beg for polystyrene blocks that protect the goods in transit...break up the blocks into fist size pieces...stuff it into the bags and close tight...lash bags into boat.....job done!
These will look naff but do the job.
Do you have a fivers worth of stuff you want to trade for a e-copy of my booklet "A Basic Guide to making your own Open Canoe Accessories"?
Lots of patterns from tarps to storage bags, drybags to kneeling mats plus step by step instructions - 50kb size.
They are roomy, tough and handle well, even on grade 3 water.
As to cheap bouyancy.......get a big tough bag that you can lash into the bow and another for the stern....go to your local white goods shop and beg for polystyrene blocks that protect the goods in transit...break up the blocks into fist size pieces...stuff it into the bags and close tight...lash bags into boat.....job done!
These will look naff but do the job.
Do you have a fivers worth of stuff you want to trade for a e-copy of my booklet "A Basic Guide to making your own Open Canoe Accessories"?
Lots of patterns from tarps to storage bags, drybags to kneeling mats plus step by step instructions - 50kb size.
Eric_Methven
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
