Thank you, love always.

I have finally finished outfitting my Sportspal Canoe for testing. These designs are new and will not be available for sale until testing is completed.

I am heading to the lake to test the canoe with a minkota endura 50 lbs trolling motor, a Honda BF 2.3 hp long shaft gas motor, and a bicycle tow hitch with our ultralight Portage system.

If testing is successful i will be attempting a trip that involves traveling 20+ miles towing my loaded canoe behind the bicycle. Then i will paddle, motor, and portage 40 miles of rivers/lakes followed by more canoe biking to a friends place for pickup.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to tune in for these epic tests and challenges that are creating the FUTURE OF CANOE ACCESSORIES.

I took a class at, Sheer Craft, in St Paul MN, on skin on frame canoe building. I was able to purchase the final product and have been enjoying it on the city lakes in Minneapolis.

You asked for details:
The boat is 15 feet long and weighs 32 pounds. The ribs and stringers are made from green ash, 1/2x3/8”. The gunwale is white pine. The inwale, keel, and rub rails are cedar. The skin is ballistic nylon, and the dope is a floor urethane that stays rubbery and is abrasion resistant.

The instructors rough cut all the materials before class. On the first class we assembled the gunwale to establish the sheer line. We steam bent half the ribs around a few molds. Second class we placed the key ribs (sticks running side to side) onto the gunwale, along with the stem and stern, and the stringers (sticks running front to back). These got lashed together with waxed twine. On the third class we steam bent and lashed the remaining ribs (no molds necessary, the boat was now strong enough to be the form). The fourth class we finished all the lashing and tung oiled the carcass. On the fifth class we sewed and applied the skin. On the sixth class we added rub rails and doped the skin.

The nylon skin is sewn so that it is 6” smaller than the boat. The skin is then soaked in water for 30 minutes which causes it to relax. We then pulled it onto the frame and stretched it by sewing the loose edges over the gunwale. The next day we screwed the rub rails over the skin to hold it in place. Then trimmed the excess skin off along the rub rails.

As many of you will know, the silent stroke requires that the paddle never comes out of the water. This video is the first use of my 563 paddle. I call it this because it’s made from a spruce 2 ×4 that cost me $5.63 CDN. It’s a little over 60 inches long and weighs 15.1 oz. The blade is very narrow and goes quite high on the shaft to allow better slicing action during the forward movement. It will take me a few more outings to get truly comfortable with what the efficient and comfortable stroke is. My canoe (Pheather2) is just over 11 pounds which makes it easy to move. I painted a bit of one side of the shaft red and the other side yellow to highlight the fact that the grip is rotated on each stroke. It’s been a fun (and economical) project.

I see the YOW canoe and I raise the YQT birch bark canoe hanging by arrivals

I tried to help but they weren’t having it 🤷‍♂️

Picked up this Prospector 17 from the Nova Craft factory a few years ago. The colours are pretty close and I think it looks good on the car!

Worth a visit

Canoe with ultralight foldable wings to hover over the water

Colours are starting to change on the river… Happy Paddling!