Finally got the new canoe outfitted and ready for action. After the briefest of test paddles a couple days ago I decided that it was just a squeak outside of the size that I would like to use sitting low with a kayak paddle so I decided to set this up as a solo single blade instead.
I didn’t have any of the curved, webbed seats I usually use here, so I dredged up this old flat cane seat, which led to a whole creative storm of realizing that I could set this up above or below the gunwales at this size, because it’s such a shallow canoe. Then I thought to myself because it’s a symmetrical canoe I could put a second set of blocks forward and then when I’m sitting on the bottom sailing the boat I could have the canoe seat in front of me as a convenient little table.
Ordinarily I thread the bolts down through the gunnels and straight into T nuts mounted in the seat but because this is going to be an over under set up I’m experimenting with star knobs instead. More than anything I just like to make things really easy to take apart so I can switch the configuration on the water.
The 4 inch solid pool noodle flotation is just kind of my standard set up with a ridge rest pad on the bottom for comfort and to protect the ribs. This makes the canoe self dumping if you swamp it which makes rescues a little bit easier.
I added two different types of Delrin rub strips to either end, mostly just because I needed to teach it both ways during the course re-filming push. In keeping with my full-time job as a professional mistake maker I learned a couple things not to do with the Delrin. Instructions for that are now in the course along with using HDPE and brass.
The sail was scavenged off of a much larger canoe I built last year so that should be exciting. I love the weight of the carbon fiber mast even if the price is a bit hard to swallow.
Total weight for everything you see here is 32 pounds. Launch soon.
___
This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.
See the original post and discussion here.
