yin and yang

It’s mid-April, which in Wisconsin means it’s 36 in the morning at 70 in the later afternoon. That’s April. Oh, and two weeks ago today I was snowshoeing in ten inches of fresh, heavy snow just to tire out Dog 4.0.

Not many people I know are in a position to get two new boats in a little over a month, let alone helping to build one of said boats. I fullt admit my privilege in owning a canoe shop. There has to be at least a few benefits, and I guess this is one of them.

One of Fifteen

This first is a Swift Dragonfly. I’ve wanted a Dragonfly since I first paddled one in 1989. They were out of the price range of a grad student, and I was more of a whitewater kayak guy then, but this canoe was special.

Several builders made them sporadically over the years, first Curtis, then Colden, and now Swift obtained the mold from Colden. I first saw it at Canoecopia on March 10. I recognized the shape from across the hall and had to find the story from Bill. Yes, he had the mold, and he was building 15 in a limited edition. I grabbed the first one. Only took me a third of a century.

I walked out into the water and set her down. I put one leg in, steadied myself with a paddle, and quickly slid my other foot under the seat and settled in quickly. It was like climbing on a headstrong horse: the first few seconds are the hardest, and once in, you get locked in.

This boat is special. It weighs literally half of the original Curtis-build boat, but new tech and materials has made these boats stronger and lighter. It is definitely a paddler’s boat: it’s roundish and rolls over to the gunwale easily. But that roundness (and a 26″ waterline) makes her fast; the fastest 14.5 footer I’ve ever paddled. Add a good bit of rocker and you have a great downriver boat.

After the initial jaunt around the lake, I took her to Badfish Creek, a log-strewn corkscrew that flows into the Lower Yahara, which runs into the Rock River. If I kept going I’d hit the Mississippi. If I wanted to paddle to New Orleans, I could start the trip a mile from my house.

She handled beautifully. Fast, maneuverable, and pleasantly rounded. I don’t like that feeling of paddling a dock. It takes a little more proprioception to paddle a boat like this, but it’s worth putting the time in.

So that one gets added to the quiver. She probably won’t be my every day boat (when you own a dozen or so canoes, that’s not a revelation), but I know a few rivers waiting for her.

The One Of A Kind

A few weeks ago I took a trip up to Northstar Canoes to spend some time with my friends who work there and to build a one-of-a-kind boat. I have this problem to solve.

Lucy is my best dog friend, and in the top ten of all my friends. I love paddling with her, but she doesn’t fit in any solo I own. The compromise isn’t a good one, since the wood canvas canoe I often use to paddle with her is 80 pounds. I can get it up on my shoulders and up on the truck consistently…except I am concerned that the one in 25 times I do it, my old back goes snick and I am laid up for three weeks on cyclobenzaprine and ice, and I am not allowed to take ibuprofen for two more years because it counteracts some of my heart meds. Not gonna chance it.

So the other solution is to build a custom canoe, so because I have special privileges and I asked nicely, Bear and Ted and Charlie allowed me to come up and turn a nice, small 16-foot tandem into a solo.

It wasn’t that hard: just built the hull, but when it gets to the time to place seats (well, seat) and yokes and thwarts, etc. Tony and I poked and prodded, and finally got Charlie’s structural blessing.

We ended up leaving a 5′ space in front of the yoke, and I moved the seat forward so that with Lucy in the boat, it would be balanced and trim.

I should same something about this boat. The Pearl is a sweet little 16 footer that was designed by Charlie to fit a performance profile we hammered out together. I won’t say I had a hand it its design, but I will admit to putting the spurs to Northstar to build it. It will normally be a tandem canoe with a decent capacity, or a solo that can carry 100 pounds of Newfie/Pyrenees muscle, bone, and fluff.

BUT you don’t have to have a giant fur factory to enjoy a Pearl. Good for just paddling around. Since it’s symmetrical you can paddle it backwards with a kid in the stern seat and it’ll trim perfectly. I would highly recommend one for a lightweight mess around or light tripper.

Oh yeah: Mine weighs 35.8 pounds. That will save my back until I pass it along to my son.

The hull is designed to paddle flat, but I can paddle it over to the side a little like the Canadians do. Because of that sweet little bubble of flair, she sits just so and doesn’t move.

I didn’t push it since the wind was pushing me around, but according to Photoshop’s angle indicator, she leaned over to ten degrees easily. My guess is I’ll probably run 12-14% heel.

All in all, I think it’s a huge win for Lucy and me. If I put it on the ground she jumps in and looks at me like I’m daft for having it on the grass.

Respectfully submitted,

Canoelover