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Backpacker Magazine – May 2008
Canoes: All Aboard!
Some of the country's best wilderness is accessible only by boat. To help you get there, our testers picked the top canoes in six key categories.
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Tags:
- Gear |
- Paddling |
- Kayaks |
- Gear Guide |
All-Purpose Bargain | Solo | Expedition | High-Performance Cruiser | Portable | River Runner | Bargain Boats | Canoes, Deconstructed
CANOES, DECONSTRUCTED
To get the right craft, bone up on how boat design affects performance.
Flotation chamber Air-filled bladders in the bow and stern increase general buoyancy. A definite plus for whitewater paddling.
Freeboard The amount of hull above water when the boat is loaded. Too little, and you're prone to swamping.
Gunwale The solid rim–usually wood, vinyl, or aluminum–that caps the top edge of the hull and adds structural support.
Rockered hull A slight "banana-shaped" curve from bow to stern. The more radical the curve, the more easily a canoe will pivot–but it also decreases stability.
Shallow vee hull This hull shape has a pronounced mid line down the center. Much like a traditional keel, it improves a boat's ability to track straight and resist getting blown off course.
Tumblehome An inward bend in the upper section of the hull. This increases comfort by minimizing the distance you have to reach to plant a paddle vertically in the water.
All-Purpose Bargain | Solo | Expedition | High-Performance Cruiser | Portable | River Runner | Bargain Boats | Canoes, Deconstructed
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READERS COMMENTS
Recently, I returned from an 80 day, 1300 mile canoe trip from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay. The Wenonah Champlain was the perfect canoe for the trip! The boat tracked like a dream across Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg and was agile and maneuverable in the white water on the Hayes and God's Rivers in Northern Manitoba! Keep making a great boats, Wenonah!
Recently, I returned from an 80 day, 1300 mile canoe trip from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay. The Wenonah Champlain was the perfect canoe for the trip! The boat tracked like a dream across Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg and was agile and maneuverable in the white water on the Hayes and God's Rivers in Northern Manitoba! Keep making a great boats, Wenonah!
All the canoes reviewed are fine boats for their class, but what about a backpacking boat. Several friends and I go up to the Adirondacks a couple of times a year for some backpacking and trout fishing. The ponds we head to are miles from the trailhead and carrying a 50 lb canoe on top of a 40 pound pack is unbearable (especially for some of the older guys in our group). The solution is a lightweight solo canoe that can be packed into the woods, like a Hornbeck canoe (among others). Their bestseller only weighs 14-16 lbs and can carry up to 300 lbs.
Check them out here:
http://www.hornbeckboats.com/
Albert
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