C-Forum

I put a nice dent in the stem of my Royalex Old Town Penobscot when I hit a rock a couple of weekends ago. Luckily, there does not appear to any hole. I've been using heat to push the dent out, and I'm planning on fairing out the dent with G/flex. However, I think the area probably ought to have som...

My daughter and I are involved in whitewater racing. She has finally outgrown her 36" straight-shaft paddle, and I'd like to get a bent-shaft to replace it. It looks like FoxWorx has a bent-shaft that goes down 38". It has a palm rather than a T-grip, and it may still be too long, but beggars can't ...

I was thinking about picking up this video. I'm an intermediate paddler doing Class III or less. At this point, I run rivers rather than play in them, and correspondingly I paddle a big open boat rather than a playboat. Would I still find it useful? How about the companion book, Catch Every Eddy Sur...

I used 2" strips of whatever they had in the hardware store. It was labeled Industrial Strength so it must be good! It seems pretty solid in the boat, but it came off one pad almost immediately. I used contact cement on it, and it seems to be on the pad pretty solidly now. We'll see what happens in ...

Well, here it is for anyone who is interested. I took out the wooden thwarts, and replaced them with 1" aluminum tubing (1/16" wall). I didn't crimp the tubing, but I got cork bottle stoppers for the ends; the screws pass through the tubing and the cork, and the cork molds itself nicely to the hull....

I'm going to try some leftover plexiglass I got from my local hardware store; I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Does anyone know what paint to us (or not to use) on mini-cell foam? My daughter would like to personalize her saddle.

I'm moving forward with a system like that posted by Ice-Breaker. As part of the process, I'm planning to make my own semi-rigid thigh and knee straps, following the instructions at http://www.open-canoe.de/open/canoes/fitting/fitting_thigh.html I have the tubular webbing, but I can't for the life o...

There are some great responses here, thanks! Northwater especially has some nice (if pricey) outfitting accessories; that looks like a great setup. Made me think about going whole hog and replacing the seats in the Penobscot with thwarts. I have thought about installing a sliding bucket seat and foo...

I have an OT Penobscot that I use in downriver races. Sometimes I race solo, sometimes tandem with a center flotation bag. I'd like to keep the boat flexible, since this is recreational racing. In the past, when I've raced solo I've paddled the boat kneeling - no saddle, no kneepads, nothing. I reco...

Kaz,
Is there a particular type of river/rapid the Swamp Hen is best used on (or not used on)? I'm thinking specifically of some of the narrower rockier races in the NECKRA circuit, like the Scantic, Hockanum, or Otter Brook . . . or on the other end of the spectrum Zoar Gap.

-Eric

I've been using a Penobscot 16' (mostly) solo for the NECKRA downriver races, and at least two of the veterans in the circuit also paddle that boat. Of course, downriver racing is a little different than playboating or even trying to descend a river with finesse. But my experience is that it is grea...

Does anyone have any experience with FoxWorx paddles? http://www.foxworxpaddle.com/

I have an OT Penobscot 16 and one Mohawk Canoe's 60" bags. I'm using the canoe to "compete" in downriver races, many of which include portages. Mostly I'm paddling solo. If I put the bag in the center, it obstructs the carrying yoke in addition to keeping me out of the center of the canoe. What's th...

This is a belated thank you to everyone for your advice. The project went well. If you are interested, you can get a quick glimpse of the outcome at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERtwP8czdE4. It's not a great video when it comes to describing the process, but I find it endearing. The cinematography...

Some of the races include portages (short ones). Would I omit the center bag for those races, or do people carry the boat other than on their shoulders in those circumstances.

Thanks for all the advice; this board is great!