The Pigging Canoes & Stupid Idea

[No Idea]

It was another lovely starry night and I couldnt get to the woods, so...

Hot chocolate getting cooked while Im in my hammock.

Er....

Perhaps that wasnt such a smart Idea as I was up all night letting it all back out again.

 

[No Idea]

Managed to convince Mother to go for a walk along the edge of the river at Wareham so I could get a look at the start of the summer adventure route for the kids.

Its definitely tidal and its got some 6 ft + of tide at this end.

Should be enough for them to move on smartly enough even if they dont paddle much.

Saw a couple of kayaks? going past.

Looks like this will be an easy paddle for my lot.

 

[No Idea]

A really nice girl gave me another orange kayak thing.

Its been lurking in the garden for a week or so.

Strapped it on the roof of the car and put the three ones the kids built on Little Ideas dinghy box trailer.

It looks unstable, but it towed ok.

Didnt take them long to get into the water..

Wifes boyfriend couldnt balance it well enough to get in..

Stepkid held it for him so he could get in.

They paddled along for a ways, then boyfriend got out and towed his canoe back.

Seems his feet cramped kneeling in it, so he came back so he could sit in it.

Er...

Not sure why he didnt just move positions and get on with it.

Struggling a bit with him. He sort of panics if he falls into water out of his depth..hes inexperienced with canoes and boats....His balance is er....

Im worried about him. Ive told him that if his swimming cant be improved in time, Im not letting him go.

Hated telling him that, but I would struggle if he came to any harm.

Dont really know how to help him with it.

 

[No Idea]

Waiting for them to return is always hard...

Hadnt had any breakfast, so its chicken soup, followed by hot chocolate.

Think I might need to revise the menu in my snugpac.

 

[No Idea]

They came back to tell me they were having a nice time...

Er....

Told them to head along the beach for a mile.

Obviously, with one struggling with his swimming and lack of balance, that him out near the moored boats.

I cant help wondering if I could batter some sense into the wifes boyfriend....

Hmm.. I suppose that would get me into trouble though.

 

[No Idea]

Decided that sitting there worrying wouldnt achieve anything.

Took me a while to find some suitable trees.

The grockles keep burning the place flat with their bbqs, which they chuck into the tinder dry scrub still alight when theyve finished.

I did have trouble keeping a look out for them as they came back.

Heavy eyelid syndrome.

 

[No Idea]

I didnt need to see them.

They all whisper at a dull roar, adn today they were LOUD.

The white ones were going along normally, but the orange one seemed to be going sideways.

They all decided they preffered the white ones as they are more stable and track better.

Happy with that!

I suppose I aught to get out of my hammock and trek back.

Looks like they will be there first.

 

[No Idea]

By the time they got back, they were all soaked.

Sent little one out to chest high water pushing a canoe

Hes only light, but trying to get in...

He swamped it.

He made it with the boat full of water.

QUESTION:- If they practice enough, will they learn how to do this?

 

[No Idea]

He paddled it back full of water.

Sent biggest out with it..

It went under again..

He didnt make it first go and had several...

Er....

 

[No Idea]

Eventually, he managed to get back on it.

Er....

Was surprised to find he actually went canoeing wearing flippers. Not sure why I was surprised, but I was.

He took them off and put them on his hands as he had no paddle with him.

Stepkid jumped in when Biggest got out.

It was still swamped.

 

[No Idea]

He struggled a bit steering it and balancing it and simply making it go along.

He was astonished at how easy my two make it look.

They have had a lot more practice though lol.

Sent Step out to try to get out and in, in chest high water..

He found this a real challenge as did the other two at chest height in dead calm water...

Not sure how they would cope in deep water with enough waves to tip them out in the first place...

Im worried.

Is this a problem for all canoests?

 

[Gibbo]

Not sure how they would cope in deep water with enough waves to tip them out in the first place...

Im worried.

Is this a problem for all canoests?

I'd suggest some bouyancy if you haven't already got some. There are techniques to getting back into a boat partially filled with water, check out youtube. My tip for getting back in is get yourself floating flat in the water by kicking your legs, grab the opposite gunwale at the same time as kicking your legs and pull yourself in. Don't stop kicking the legs until you're in the boat as this keeps you flat in the water, if you don't then your bottom half sinks and tends to pull the boat over and swamp it again. I've watched people struggle to the point where they get too exhausted to get back in, but it's really poor technique that gets them to this point.

Practice in the calm, then when it happens for real they'll be better prepared. Water logged boats are not too stable so best to get this water out by using a bailer (cut up plastic milk carton, the ones with the little handles, work well). I notice you've got flat bottomed boats which have good initial stability but poor secondary stability which in still water is no issue but in waves and white water is probably not the best but please don't let me put you off in any way.

Gibbo.

 

[No Idea]

Biggest kid cut out some buoyancy from a 4 inch thick sheet of polystyrene wall insulation. According to his calculations, the kids have 6 stone of buoyancy in each end. However, he didnt allow for the hulls to slope outwards, so its probably nearer 7 stone each end, making 14 stone per canoe of positive buoyancy.

I sort of thought that swimming over the side would be the easiest move. None of the kids actually tried it. Will get them to do so next time they are out.

Was also wondering about a floating sort of paltform they could lay on...

They are getting to have a good look at all the problems they might encounter.

Hoping to get the wifes boyfriend and the stepkid to finish making hobo stoves in th enext few day, ready for the meal trip on the way.

 

[No Idea]

Had a look at your boat blog, Gibbo. It looks really good. Have you finished it?

 

[No Idea]

The wifes boyfriend and the stepkid took the canoe back to the flats they live in.

They took the bolts out of it and pulled it in half.

It is a near perfect size to fit in the lift!

Seems the paint is still a bit fresh. Heard it stank the flat out overnight.

 

[Gibbo]

Had a look at your boat blog, Gibbo. It looks really good. Have you finished it?

Thanks Gary. Yep, the Selway Fisher was finished a few years ago and I've since sold it and bought a fibreglass hull from a company called Apache Canoes and fitted it out myself (also blogged if you can get through all the posts on my site) and that's what I use now.
Gibbo.

 

[No Idea]

Hi Gibbo

Had a good look but sort of managed to get lost.

Looks good though.

Looks like the canoes the kids have built may not be good enough for the trip they built them for.

I may have to find some plans for some 16 ft mre canadian looking canoes.

Seems they are too flat bottomed and should have more freeboard.

Looking at maybe increasing the freeboard with another panel,

Dont know how high it needs to be or the angle between it and the exisitng sides.

Struggling a bit with this.

 

[No Idea]

Visited the wife and discovered the boyfriend had gone walkabout with their canoe on his head.

Found him on the slipway.

It was a bit windy.

 

[No Idea]

Took him a while to sort out that if he sat too far forward, the waves came over the nose.

He sort of sank instantly any time he turned side to the waves.

It was really entertaining

Luckily, it was shallow enough each time he ended up getting tipped out or sinking it

The wife decided it was my fault when he got home and leaked salt water all over their flat lol.

 

[No Idea]

The kids took them out again.

Didnt take them long to get bored.

They are tyiing them together for a tug of war.

That kept them busy for a while until they ended up washed up on the beach.

Little Idea then dragged a resting Big Idea off round the bay...

Big Idea towed him back.

Fast.