“It’s a Star Trek Convention for canoeists.” – Kevin Callan, he was asked what Canoecopia was by a border guard when crossing from Canada into the US.

This was the third year that I’ve attended the Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddle sport expo, and this year was the first that I could fully enjoy the show. The last two years, my old employer, a large retail chain, sent me to get ideas and spy on the competition, so this year, I went on my own. I drove 10 hours down to Madison, WI, camped out at Blue Mounds State Park, and attended two days of the show before driving back home. I’ll list my impressions, first starting with my overall impressions of this years show, and following that with reviews of the speakers I saw.

Impressions of Canoecopia 2005

My overall impressions of this years show, compared to the previous two years, were a mixed bag. The sales floor didn’t seem to be as crowded this year as in the last two years. I’m not sure why this would be, but it seemed like there may have been less vendors. I spent very little time working the show, but spent a couple hours on the floor walking around and talking to vendors.

Bell Canoe Works

The biggest addition to the show this year was the introduction of Bell Canoe Works. While I’ve always thought Rutabaga had a fine selection of canoes, they didn’t carry many that I would have actually purchased. With the introduction of Bell to their line up, they now have a ton of canoes I would buy. Bell’s booth, just like at the OR trade shows, is a large hoop that that holds all their models running from the ground to overhead. The whole crew was there including Ted Bell and their main designer David Yost. These guys are a blast and fun to be around, they love canoeing and seem to love their jobs. One sad note is that Craig Johnson, who is the national sales manager, is leaving Bell and moving to Colorado. I wish him best.

Valley and Impex Kayaks

The next couple of interesting vendors for me were Valley and Impex Kayaks. Impex had their new Outer Island kayak there. For those who don’t know, this kayak was originally built and sold as cedar strip kayak plans. It is designed by Jay Babina, and I believe still available in plans form. It made my short list of kayaks to build when I first decided to build a skin-on-frame. This kayak is absolutely beautiful. My old favorite commercially produced kayak had been the Necky Chatham, but now this one takes the cake. I’m going to build or buy one of these. Valley had their new Quarajaq there and I have to say that if I didn’t like the Outer Island so much, this would be number one. It had nice lines, and looked to be fun to paddle. I want to get this one on the water.

Ostrom Outdoors

I’m not sure if Rutabaga’s carried this brand before, but wow. As you walked into the hall, Ostrom’s booth stood big and tall. I’ve never wanted a barrel before, but now I want one.

Bourquin Boats

These cedar and canvas canoes were outstanding. They also offer classes in boat building.

Kelty

Kelty had a nice display of tents, and had the Mantra 7 set-up. This has to be one of the best family big tents on the market. If you want luxury, then you should buy one of these tents.

Newfound Woodworks

These guys make some nice cedar strip canoes. I noticed on the inside of their canoes they used a semi-gloss or satin flat finish in the varnish. I will do this in my next canoe. It looked great.

Gary & Joanie McGuffin

These two photographers had a display of their photography that looked like a wave. All the shots were horizontals but all were beautiful, and gave me inspiration to get out at sunrise and sunset on the lake more often. For those that don’t know, I’m a photographer and you can see my stuff at Bryan Hansel Photography.

The Biggest News

There was a rumor floating around the hall that there was a big buyout going to happen in the paddle sports business. I’m not going to say whom, but there may be a huge shake-up in the next few months. If this happens, it will put the control of some of the biggest names in the paddle sports business under the umbrella of one big company. I hope that it doesn’t happen, because, in my opinion, less competition will result in less designs and innovation. It’s good that smaller companies, like Bell and Impex continue to produce high quality designs, because if this happens, I think the big guys will be stagnant.

The Speakers

There weren’t as many speakers this year that I wanted to go and see, which was a little disappointing for me, because I went to this show to see the speakers. I didn’t actually buy anything. There were a couple of hours where I just picked the lesser of two evils and went to that show. One note that I do need to mention is that if you are going to give a slide show, make sure that you tell the show as a journey or something other than “This is a picture of water”¦” It doesn’t mater if you make the best photos in the world if you give a slide show like this. It will be a boring presentation. Also, get excited! One speaker just mumbled on, and acted like he didn’t want to be there. Boring.

Cliff Jacobson

Cliff is a mandatory see. He has such a great pubic speaking personality, that all his presentations will be a good hour spent. I went to his Canoeing in Canada show and was impressed. Although, he started the show showing off some of the newest products that he had used in the last year. I’ve never been that big into the latest and greatest unless it makes the paddling experience simpler and lighter and more fun, but sometimes the stuff he recommends just seems to be extra stuff to drag along.

Jerry Karbon

Jerry spoke about Building and Repairing Wood and Canvas Canoes. I’ve read all the books, but never had seen one built. He had a good slide show that was fun to sit through. I learned a lot, but I think the best tip was to color the filler to the final color you will paint the canoe, so that if scratched the scratch won’t be white.

Kirk Wipper

Kirk Wipper is a legend. He is the founder of the Canadian Canoe Museum, and he gave a slightly slow slide show often going off on interesting and fun tangents. This guy has been around the world, and has probably forgotten more about canoeing than I’ll ever know.

Gary & Joanie McGuffin

Nice pictures in their slide show.

John Bauman

John is an Alaskan who likes to explore the Arctic. This slide show about the Rivers and the Artic Coast was enjoyable. I could see going on a trip with this guy, because he likes to do trips that to normal people would look crazy, like canoeing down a river and instead of finishing the river, portaging up over into the next drainage.

Tim Smith

Tim spoke about Wilderness Survival for Canoe Trippers. He is a guide from Maine and his philosophy seemed very close to that of this site and mine. The biggest thing that I took away from him was that “Shelter + Water = Survival.” And that you really need to go out use and practice skills. Reading books is fine, but knowing in your head how to start a fire in the rain means nothing when it is raining and you are cold.

Hap Wilson

This slide show was my favorite of the whole show. Hap talked about the Spiritual Sites of the Canadian Shield. He related stories of weird things that happened to him or others at pictograph sites and other spiritual sites throughout Canada. I’ve only been to one pictograph site in the Boundary Water, but I’ll have to say that I felt something there. Make sure you leave a tobacco offering at these sites.

Annie Aggens

Annie gave a presentation about paddling rivers in the Northwest Territories, and she was very inspirational for going up there. She had an unbelievable amount of energy, and gave great tips, including a top ten list.

Dr. Wendy Watson

Dr. Watson talked about Wilderness Medicine, and I went to this, because my mom told me that I should. I started to feel stick in the middle of this presentation and had to leave. I’m not sure why, but I almost fainted and had to run to the bathroom. I don’t think it was the slides, but maybe it was. It would have been ironically fun had I fainted during this.

Kevin Callan

How to be a “Happy Camper.” This was like watching the Red Green show live. It was so funny. I wish it had lasted two hours.

Bill Rogers

I’m a professional photographer, but I always am looking for ways to improve my photos. Bill gave a lecture on 10 Tips to improve your Nature Photos. I’m sure that it was great for most of the people in the room, but it was a little slow for me. Bill also does workshops, but so do I, and I go into the Boundary Waters with you and camp with you too. (Shameless self-plug over.)

Summary

Overall, this was a fun show. The speakers were top notch, and I suggest that you see Cliff Jacobson and Kevin Callan anytime that you get a chance. I will go again next year, even if I have to drive 20 hours round trip again.

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

by Robert N Pruden

First marking on map: Start Saturday, June 01, 2002, 1000h. Elevation 1424 m, location N 51 degrees 59.023 minutes H 116 degrees 47.799 minutes.

I am taking this reading just before I launch myself onto another page of my own history. I am excited, thrilled and nervous. I feel like a voyageur keeping careful track of an adventure into the exciting unknown. At 41 years of age, standing 5′ 10″ and very fit despite neck and back injuries from a car accident, this will be the first time I have ever gone off anywhere alone and for so long. This is supposed to be three weeks of external exploration and inner personal discovery while sea kayaking the length of the North Saskatchewan River. My campsites will be wherever I find myself one hour before sunset.

The weather is fine at 10 C, cloudy skies but otherwise dry and clear. I scouted out an alternative put-in point Friday, May 31 shortly after arriving at The Crossing Resort. The alternate put-in point is about 2-3 kilometers north of the Glacier Lake hiking trail, which is one km north of The Crossing Resort and about five kilometers upstream of the put-in location I had originally chose using a map. Access to the river is a gravel road about one hundred meters in length from the highway. A hanging steel cable off blocks the access road to prevent people from driving right up to the river. The open area right beside the river is sheltered by tall evergreens that create a darkness that generates a sense of foreboding whenever I look deep into their midst. That feeling arises from the fact that there have been many bear sightings since arriving, both black and grizzly. I am not worried though, the river moves so swiftly that I will move quickly past any bears I see.

I packed my gear into the kayak to keep an equal weight distribution from bow to stern. I pack and unpack my gear a couple of times as I remember things I need to do but forgot because of the excitement I feel. Once everything was packed and safety equipment in place, I prepare to launch. My wife, Judy and her brother Jerry, are there to see me off and photograph the event. The kayak is very heavy so Jerry helps me lower it down the three-foot embankment into the water. I eased the bow onto a submerged log and let the stern rest on the thin shelf of mud at the bottom of the embankment. This arrangement helps to create a perfect berth for the kayak despite the fast flow of the river current.

After carefully boarding the kayak and tying the spray skirt in place, I used stomach wrenching rocking motions to launch the kayak into the water. The heavy kayak slowly slipped into the current, which immediately wrenched me downstream into the center of the river. I twisted my torso and craned my neck to look back at Judy and Jerry. They were quickly shrinking in size as the river hastily put distance between them and me. I waved back at them, showing them the biggest grin I’ve had in years. They were now going to speed off to the bridge that crosses the river on Highway 93 to watch me pass under it on the way to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. They were there to spot me and make sure I got to the original put-in without incident. That was where I would end this first leg of two or three on my quest to paddle all the way to Hudson Bay. This is exciting! This is living! Woo Hoo!

As I sped along my river route I saw the high mountains that were brilliantly covered with last winters snows, while the alpine forest was bursting with the new color of greening sprigs of new growth. The mountain air is fresh, filled of the scents of freshly flowing evergreen resin and the sap of poplars and brush. There are birds flying from tree to tree. On the drive in I saw elk, mountain goats and countless deer. I know there are four black bears in the immediate area as reported by a man who saw them just last night. I also know there are three grizzlies within a few kilometers at Thompson’s Creek: a mother and two cubs, I took their picture. I am surrounded by life taken from the sparse offerings of mountain terrain. I feel so free and alive, much more so that I have in the many years of living in the center of the now sprawling city of Edmonton.

I soon had to turn my attention to navigation. The river current was fast and increasingly required all of my attention to scan ahead for boulders above and below the water surface. As I passed around the first curve I saw white water in the center of the current flow. I paddled hard left to avoid submerged boulders. As I watched the boulders go by I immediately had to paddle hard right so that I could pass through small standing waves. I whupped up a loud yahoo and smiled to myself thinking how wonderful it was to be able to go where few people are willing to risk. It was then that I felt a whump under the kayak as it slid over a rock. I laughed aloud, thinking that you can pass some but you can’t always get around the others. As with life, bumps are impossible to avoid. I wasn’t worried about the structural integrity of the kayak; the bottom has graphite powder mixed into the epoxy so she can take quite a scraping without serious damage. At this point the gravelly plain that was on the right side of the river when I started the trip gave way to heavy moss-carpeted forest. The shore was now composed of more solid but level rock.

The second curve in the river offered me a choice of channels. The right channel was a wide sweep of shallow water with visible gravel, so I took the left. The river was doglegging to the right and the current was flowing very hard and fast against the bank, now a low rock wall. I paddled with a combination of forward left strokes and right braces to steer for the center. I relaxed once I was clear of the curve and watched ahead to scout out my next path. Ahead was a short straight choppy run that ended with a slight curve to the left. I ran through several very cold two-foot standing waves and got a good soaking. The waves left me breathing hard and fast from the sudden shock of cold on my chest. The heavy-laden kayak flew steady and true through the waves, making them all the more fun to cut through. This was some of the excitement I had hoped for. More big smiles!

I stayed in the center of the current and concentrated on scouting for more submerged boulders and whitewater. At this point I was not very focused on how the terrain was changing. The initial excitement of kayaking in the mountains was still too fresh on my mind for me to think I could be entering difficulty so early in the journey. I breathed the pure, cool and crisp air that stirred so refreshingly above the swirling water. The graveled banks were giving way to stony banks that became low rock walls that were growing rapidly in height. I barely noticed that I was entering a gorge! Apparently there was a neon orange sign attached to a post somewhere ashore at this point. It warns paddlers to stop, get out and portage to the other end of the gorge. I did not see this warning sign. Not only was this sign small but installed at the point of no return and at a section of the river where there are three very large standing waves. I saw the waves before I saw the sign so I never saw the sign. It was at this point that my misadventure began.

The rock walls had risen to as high as a three-story building immediately after the sign. Within seconds of rounding the corner that occurs just past the sign, I began to hear the echoing sounds of thunderous water flow. I had no concerns about submerged boulders at this point because the water flow become very deep and turbulent with those standing waves I mentioned. They were about three feet high but navigable. I couldn’t paddle around the waves; the current was picking up speed. The troubled waves wash over the deck, slapped my chest and washed over my face as I rammed through them. They quickly became the least of my worries. I sensed that the water flow was accelerating faster. I am now very concerned and instinctively began to back paddle with uncertainty clouding my thoughts. I stopped smiling.

The skin-numbing water of the glacier-fed river was dripping off of my face as I peered through my water-smeared glasses, my vision distorted by the rivulets of water streaming down the lenses from the splashing of the waves. I arched my neck to see ahead but saw only more uncertainty. I could see the surface of the river but something was missing past a certain point. The water is flowing so very fast that I have little time to entertain any cohesive thoughts about what is happening. I am now thinking instinctively; my thoughts guided by the previous experience of a landlubber. It is with grim realization followed by brief but intense panic that I realize why I am feeling so much uncertainty. The damn river has disappeared ahead. I can’t see past that certain point because it just isn’t there. My ears suddenly focus on a roaring thunder that I have heard many times before from the safety of the catwalks at both Johnston’s Canyon and Athabasca Falls. Falls! Oh, shit, there are falls ahead! Oh my God! Falls!

With heavy panic set in, I frantically back paddled with ineffectual strokes. The current had a magnetic hold on me that I just could not overcome. This cannot be real, it isn’t happening to me. I’ve lived a tepid life so far with not a lot of danger involved. Nothing happens like this to Canadians like me; this happens only to other people, adventure seekers. God, I feel stupid, embarrassed and more afraid than I have ever been because I have time to let uncertainties and imagined fates whip my fears to their worst conclusion.

I forced myself to switch mental gears as I see the top of the fall. I know panic will do me no good, that it will probably kill me. If I want to have a chance at survival I have to take on the fall as if I meant to run it in the first place. I swore to the gods through grit teeth that come life or death I would fight all the way through this peril. I was not betting on life at this point. I felt as if I had stupidly surrendered all control of my life unto the rush of freezing water and uncaring rocks ahead. What the hell am I here for? Why didn’t I scout out this part of the river better? I didn’t want this! The uplifted rocky outcropping that divides the river in the center appears ahead and I am barreling straight towards.

High rock walls on both sides, which rose at least three stories each, guarded this section of the river. I could see two seething foam edged chutes just twenty or so meters ahead separated by the wet, black and very forbidding looking rocky projection. The chute to the right was narrow and appeared to carve forcefully against the sidewall of the gorge. That one would smash my little expedition into the rock wall. The chute to the left had a wider sweep and heavy flow through the middle; that was my chosen route. I did not know where it would take me but it was all I had.

My heart was in my throat but I shoved it down into my arms, hands and guts and paddled as hard to the left as I could with my eyes burning into the center of that chute. The heavy kayak responded too slowly and in that speeding current, I just didn’t t have the time for evasive maneuvers. The bow barely began to swing left when it was suddenly swept to the right by side spill coming off of the rock. With a jarring thud I hit the rocky outcrop squarely in the middle, the keel grinding the kayak to a halt in the cockpit section. The boat was balanced briefly on top of the rock then suddenly rotated laterally to the right. As I flipped upside down in the kayak, the inverted bow landed onto lower rock shelf. The stern was guided by the current and jerked onto an unseen rock behind me. That rock was probably the steep angled ledge on the right bank. My world hung for a precious second above the water before the structural integrity of the inverted deck and coaming gave in to forces they were not designed to repel. I bodily fell towards the white frothing brew below and was summarily dumped headlong into a small but very deep, forcefully churning whirlpool.

When I hit the water in the whirlpool I remember hearing that wet airy submerged sound that you hear when diving into a pool of water. I did not hear the thunder of the falls any more, I felt it with my whole body. I remember being tossed around like a rag doll in a washing machine. I came up for air twice and got sucked back down each time. I felt nothing but the physical struggle, not the numbing water or emotional turmoil. I was in a totally instinctive state of being whereby my body was doing what it needed to do to survive. My shoes, glasses and hat had been torn from my body upon impact with the water; anything that wasn’t tied or zipped to my body was torn away by the raging tortured water.

Each time I went down I opened my eyes and could see the water. I could see a hazy halo of light up above with a blur of millions of frantic bubbles insanely swirling within that halo. I could see individual bubbles swarm around my face within that vicious chaotic madness. They appeared gray, then green and yellow. I tried to swim hard for the light but the water wouldn’t let me go. I could go up only when the whirlpool let me go up. An insensitive and miserable force was now directing my life and I knew that it could care less if I lived or died.

Twice I felt I had not enough air to keep up my struggle for life. Death seemed not to notice that I was wearing a pfd and struggling with all my might; it dunked me with ease. I remember my most poignant thoughts during this gargantuan struggle for breath. They came to me during my second and final trip to the bottom of the whirlpool. They were images of my children and my wife living their lives without me. I experienced such a profound sense of loss at the thought that I was energized with just enough energy for one final attempt to get out and save myself. I knew that I had so much yet to live for. I could choose death here and now if I wanted. All I had to do was breathe in the water and let it suffocate the life out of me; my body wanted me to. I was a split second from making that choice but for those haunting images of my fatherless family. Deep down inside my blackening brain that was slowly giving in to oxygen starvation, my soul could not make peace with the idea of dying this day: I chose life!

At this point a bizarre coincidence occurred, one that I will never forget and always depend upon when in a life-threatening situation: I remembered something I had read; it came to me without forethought, instinctively and in good time. That something was a story I had read online about a paddler who wrote about how to escape the death grip of a whirlpool. The author explained that I should not struggle against the current until I felt it ease up. At this point I should then swim perpendicular to the flow. I immediately gave into the incredible forces tossing me around and let the water take me where it would. I was on my last dribble of consciousness when I felt the pull of the whirlpool lessen. I swam hard without sight and do not know when I broke the surface of the water. I only know that I found myself on my back speeding feet first through yet another chute.

I floated on my back with my legs forward, arms spread out to help me keep my head above water. I needed to rest my tired limbs. All I could see was a blur of white foam, rock and forest, as I struggled to regain my perspective. Something suddenly grabbed my left knee, whipped me around and plunged me back down underwater. My tossing body felt like a rag doll again. The force impacted my left leg near the quadriceps. I struggled back to the surface and found myself looking upstream facing a large rock. I instantly realized that I was in its protective eddy but slipping backwards away from it. I swam toward the rock and reached it with relative ease. I grabbed for any handhold I could find and clung to it as if it was my first-born child. I felt shocked relief at this point in time. I knew I had more struggles to go through to get out of the river but I was relieved to be able to catch my breath and begin to think things through. I was stunned and fighting against the idea that this was real and not just a nightmare. I could not see anything clearly because my glasses were lost; my prescription is strong. Fatigue washed through my arms and my leg began to hurt. I rested my face against the rock and closed my eyes.

When I felt ready to rested and better able to take action to rescue myself, I looked around to take stock of my situation. I found that I was about four feet from a rocky shelf that tilted into the water. It was spotted with brown moss, slimy and black looking where it was wet; rough where it was dry. I looked downstream over my left shoulder and saw that I had a length of roughly six to eight feet of this shelf to try for if I was going to jump for it. I didn’t know what kind of water and rapid was waiting for me downstream if I missed this jump but I couldn’t hang on this rock much longer. The cold would eventually bring on hypothermia and that would present its own problems. I was willing to take the risk.

With a small pause to bunch up muscle and courage, I leapt for the ledge and grabbed for the slanting rock. I do not recall how I was able to pull myself up this steeply tilted surface with wet gloves and waterlogged body. It was entirely possible that there was an extra hand helping to pull me up. Who knows? I don’t! If there was an extra hand helping out, it would have to have been present while I was deep in the whirlpool evaluating my chances mentally while my body was voting to quit.
After I crawled carefully to the top of that ledge, I rested. I was shivering and I couldn’t feel my feet; they were waterlogged and numb with cold but without scratches. I couldn’t see any obvious signs of blood anywhere on my body. I had no headache so I decided that I had no head injury. This is the amazing part since I was not wearing a helmet. I never expected to be so inundated with trouble so I never planned on wearing a helmet. I did consider the idea of a helmet but I planned on portaging around rapids so I felt a helmet was unnecessary. I thought to take off my pfd to start warming up but changed my mind just as quickly. I realized that if I slipped back in I would need the pfd again. I knew then that I was thinking straight so I trusted myself to figure a way out of this mess.
I sat on the ledge for a few minutes and looked around; I was awed at the sight. The fall I went down was roughly a ten-foot drop at the time, with tremendous volume water passing through its tight confines. There was that gripping whirlpool and one huge hole just below the rock that stopped me. Both are topped with thick white foam. As I sat there, I could not at this point, believe I had just been in there fighting for my life. I saw in the whirlpool what appeared to be the stern half of my kayak. It appeared to be stirring the whirlpool like a ladle in a boiling witch’s brew. I also saw one of my paddles and my Platypus water bottle with sip tube swirling in the whirlpool. I watched them go round and round and dumbly thought to myself that my trip was over.

My trip was over and I almost died because I was ignorant of the river conditions. It took me four months and all of my spare time to build the kayak and the river broke her back in seconds. Planning the trip took more months and plenty of money. It was over after only 10 minutes of paddling. Suddenly I straightened my back and thought with a terrible realization: Judy and Jerry would be waiting for me at the bridge. I could imagine the horror on their faces and the panic that would beset their hearts if they saw pieces of my kayak and equipment float by and no sign of me in sight.
I stood up and searched for a way off of the ledge I was trapped on. I saw no easy way out. A high wall of broken slab slate encrusted with lichens all shrouded by tall dark evergreen forest up above caged me in on all sides except for the river. I shared the panic that Judy and Jerry would feel not knowing if I was alive or drowned. I had told them I would be twenty minutes before I passed under the bridge. At least twenty minutes had to have passed by now. There was nothing I could do for that now; I was hurt. I could feel pain beginning to throb in my left knee and I was shivering with cold: I needed to warm up. I would have to let them suffer their thought s until I could collect wits and warmth enough to get out of my predicament.

I watched my broken kayak and loose equipment swirl in the whirlpool. Every once in a while they would take turns backwashing into this vee-shaped niche to the right of the whirlpool where it would bobble for a brief while then be sucked back into the dizzying swirl. I stood up and went to the other side of the rock ledge, slipping a little with terrifying ease because of my cold, numb and wet uncertain barefoot steps. When I got to the furthest end of the shelf beside the whirlpool, I eased myself down to the edge of the water. There I waited until something washed close. My paddle came first so I grabbed it and pulled it up onto the ledge. I broke it, used it for a crutch and took it up to the top of the ledge. My knee was really starting to throb but I blocked out the pain, I had more work to do if I was going to improve my chances of survival.

I eased back down to the watery niche and waited. The water bottle bobbed in close but I cared not to take the risk retrieving it. The river was an excellent source of water so the bottle was a redundant piece of equipment. The stern of the kayak wallowed in the center of the whirlpool in an upraised position, then fell flat and moved in close. I grabbed it by the rope handhold and tried to pull it up out of the water. It was full of water, it’s storage compartment flooded and heavy; I stumbled and slipped down towards the whirlpool. I let go of the stern as I slipped back into the water – bared feet first. My heart was skipping beats while my eyes and hands searched for a handhold as I slid down back towards certain misery. I slid into the water up to my chest before the fingers of my right hand latched onto the last bit of the jutting edge of the rock shelf. I could feel the force of the whirlpool tug at my legs.

I used all of my strength to hang on to the edge of rock while I used rapid panicked movements to find another handhold with my left hand. I kicked my feet madly to gain greater momentum back towards the rocky ledge. I couldn’t find a handhold for my left hand so I pulled myself up as carefully and smoothly as I could with the right hand while pushing up against the rock shelf with the left. I could not afford to lose my grip. I would be swallowed by the whirlpool and didn’t know if I had the strength to fight it again.

I inched my way back up the rock ledge on my belly with worried, careful hand grasps on the edges of the large crack that my right hand had found. When my legs were free of the water and I was on dry rock, I rolled onto my back laid there, breathing hard. When my breath slowed down I crawled up to a kneel and turned to regard the stern that had been sucked back into the watery maelstrom. I wanted desperately to get that stern out of the water for no more reason than to reclaim what was once mine and demonstrate to myself that I had some control of my situation.

When I regained my strength and some measure of confidence, I eased myself back down the rock shelf towards the stern, which had now been thrown back into the corner. This time I maintained as firm a grip as I could on the rock edge with my right hand. I carefully reached out, grabbed the rope handhold at the end of the stern and slowly eased the kayak remains out of the edges of the whirlpool. I worked it slowly up unto the ledge a little at a time, allowing the water that flooded the cargo hold to drain out. I felt like I was in a strange place, pulling only half of my kayak out of the water. This felt so very wrong.

I moved the stern up the ledge one foot at a time until I had the kayak near the top where the ledge leveled off and a few thin evergreens had taken root. I gathered some semblance of confidence at this small victory and let fly a few swear words to relieve some of the stresses. I opened the storage hatch and found that the water had soaked everything in the compartment. Inside, I found my daypack, which, besides a quart of water, held the day’s food rations. It also held one-hundred dollars in cash that I carried for emergencies (like a burger from MacDonald’s in Rocky Mountain House); my dictionary and thesaurus (still dry in a Ziploc freezer baggie); and a few other odds and ends necessary for daily hygiene. I also found two dry bags, which held food rations and all of my camping gear including my tent, sleeping bag, water purifying pump and dragonfly cook stove. I felt immense comfort and relief that I would be able to eat and even camp if I had to stay where I was. I also found extra bear banger cartridges and rescue flares floating free in the water still pooling inside the compartment. I grabbed the bear bangers and stuffed them inside the zippered pocket on the front of my pfd; I may need them before the day was over. I remembered the four bears and three grizzlies seen in the immediate area just yesterday. I wanted some measure of defense against the bears after everything that had passed. I threw the flares aside on the moss. I’d decide what to do with them later.

I studied the rock walls to find a way off of the shelf I was stuck on. I noticed that there was an opening below a rocky overhang at the south end of my rocky niche. I would have to climb around the rock wall and lean toward the rushing water to reach another rock ledge if I attempted that escape route. If I fell I would be back in the rushing water. The water at that point was relatively flat and unexciting but my last experience at falling into it taught me to be afraid of it. I kept looking at the water flowing swiftly past at its dizzying speed. I could not call up the courage to try the climb. I balked! I stared back at the rapids, looked back toward the new challenge. I thought about how hard the struggle was to get to the shelf I was standing on and how tired and sore I was feeling. I didn’t want to do it but I had to. There was no one to help me here, only me. That was the way I wanted it in the first place and now I had to face this choice.

My desperation contained my fears and forced me to take the risk of falling back into the river. After packing my pfd pockets with all the emergency items I could carry and tossing my recovered paddle to the safe side of the rock face, I began my climb around the rock wall. I had to blindly feel my way around the curving rock face with anxious fingers. I had to lean backwards as if doing the limbo with the rushing milky blue water underneath me as the penalty for failure. I had to lead with my left leg, which was now throbbing with pain and buckling whenever I rotated my hips over it. It would not support my weight. One wrong move with it and it would irrevocably fail me. I reached up with my left leg and used it only to balance my body while my hands and arms bore the brunt of my weight. I pushed off with my right foot, lifted myself and gingerly brought my right foot onto a wildly tilting slab of rock. My left knee throbbed sharply with pain. As quickly as I could I twisted my body toward the other side of the rock wall and pulled up with my hands, forcing my body onto the safety of the next wider and safer rock shelf and enough open terrain to get me home safely. I paused on the other side and looked back towards the falls again. I felt no respect for these falls, only fear and relief that I survived the ordeal. I also knew that I would be back some other day to begin my trip again but with more care given to personal safety.

It was with severely fatigued relief that I limped back toward the Crossing Resort. I knew that if I followed the river I would eventually meet up with the highway at my original put-in point. I did not bother to think about looking for any equipment that may have been swept downstream. I prayed that I got to Judy and Jerry before any stray pieces of kayak or equipment did. I discovered a pony bridge at the Glacier Lake hiking trail that led to the other side of the river. It was an immense relief to know I would not have to walk the other two kilometers of rocky riverbank to get to the highway. My knee was really starting to hurt and I was limping badly, leaning heavily onto the half of paddle I now used for a crutch. I crossed the bridge and met up with the trail, which led me about one kilometer to the parking lot at the trailhead. I kept a worried eye and a loaded bear banger out for bears while I followed the highway south to The Crossing Resort. That was another one-kilometer hike. I tried to hitch a ride from passing tourists but the odd circumstances of my condition seemed to arouse enough suspicion that none of the vehicles that passed stopped long enough to enquire if I required any help. That frustrated me but I knew I didn’t have far to go to get back to the Crossing Resort so I tossed aside my feelings and soldiered on.

Upon arrival to the Crossing resort, I limped to the main office and got a room until I could arrange a ride home. The personnel there graciously let me in early and set me up with some Tylenol. They knew something was up when I walked in crutched up with a half a paddle, squinting like a half-blind goomba and all wet in tights and a paddling vest. They asked me if there was anything further they could do to help me. I assured them that all I needed now was a long warm shower and lots of sleep under a heavy blanket. Jerry and Judy had already left for home before I got there. I don’t remember how I learned that but I phoned home and left a message with my youngest son, Benjamin, for them to come and get me. Ben thought I was joking when I explained my situation. It didn’t take much to convince him that I wasn’t kidding him about anything. I then phoned the Rocky Mountain House detachment of the RCMP. I asked them to keep an eye out for Judy and Jerry to try to head them off at the pass. I also called the Park Ranger’s office to report the accident and let them know I was ok. I didn’t want someone to find my lost equipment and think there was an injured paddler in the area in need of help. The ranger asked me if there was anything they could do to help. I thanked him and told him there wasn’t much since I was safe at the resort and waiting for my ride home. I spent the rest of my evening alternating between watching movies, rolling around on the bed in agony trying to sleep, and pacing to relieve muscular the stiffness that was setting in. I showered several times to try to get warm. I think it took four long soaks in the shower before I was feeling comfortably warm again. The heat didn’t do my knee any good but I desperately wanted to relieve that chilled feeling. I’d deal with the knee later.

When Jerry and Judy got back in the evening I related my tale of stupidity to them. Jerry and I eventually went back down to the river the next morning and recovered the equipment that was stowed in the stern section of the kayak. We lashed ropes to it and dragged it over the rough-forested terrain back to car in the parking lot. I don’t know how I did it but my knee held out for the whole way. Later that afternoon, Jerry and I walked back along the river to the site of the crash. Along the way Jerry found the hand pump and Platypus water bottle. Jerry had been down to the river earlier and spotted the bow snagged by a deck line in the water. We managed to loosen it watched it float downstream through another class 6 rapid. It went through the rapid intact so we were able to chase along the riverbank, now part of a flat graveled plain, and recover all equipment within its intact storage compartment.

In all, I lost my brand new Grey Owl Sirocco spare paddle; my rescue rope; my Filsen Hat; the Asian sun hat a friend gave me as a gift for this trip; my 35 mm SLR camera and a water tight container. That container contained spare batteries, four rolls of film and Jerry’s HP 120 digital camera. I think I just might have lost a little pride as well but I’m not so sure about that, I still have attitude.

Just before we planned on leaving we stopped at the pub for a drink and some food. The bartender eventually came forward to inform me that a park ranger was waiting outside to speak with me. It must be a small neighborhood up here in the mountains because I didn’t tell anyone that I would be in the pub. I went out to speak with the ranger. He introduced himself as John. John is a tall man standing closer to seven feet tall with shoulders broad enough to block the sunshine off the top of my head. He had gone down to the river earlier and collected the bow and all broken pieces he could find that I had opted to leave for posterity. We talked for a short while about the river. This was when I learned there was a warning sign to get out and portage before the rapid. I suggested that the sign should be painted neon orange because I didn’t see it: he said it is. We both figured I was a little too focused on the water during the time I was approaching it. He also said I was lucky to get out of that rapid alive and relatively unscathed: didn’t I know it! I suggested that he install a larger sign further upstream to warn paddlers that they would soon need to disembark and portage. I thanked him for bringing the bow up, which I lashed to the roof of my car along with the stern. He invited me to stop over for a coffee if I ever make it back this way. I promised him that I would be back as soon as I could recover from my injuries, then we’d talk some more.

I returned to the Crossing two months later in August. By that time the water level of the river was considerably higher. I stopped to speak with John who was still at the Ranger’s Station. We talked about what happened to me back in June and how it could have happened. He related a story about a young family that came to him in July, one month after my disaster. There was a father, a mother and two children under the age of five years. The father was informing John of his intent to paddle the North Saskatchewan River “above” the point where I started my fateful journey. John said he tried hard to dissuade the man but he was determined to do the paddle on that stretch of river. John resorted to telling the father about my incident and how it nearly killed me. Eventually the couple was convinced to find a lake to paddle on. John says I saved that family by telling my own story.

Well, I walked over to the rapids along the trail at the top of that gorge to go have a final look at what I went through. I was absolutely stunned at the changes I saw in the configuration of the rapids that now appeared there. The fall was hidden under water flowing even faster than it had been when I went through that area. The whirlpool was gone and in its place nothing but madly foaming water. The hole that used to be below the drop was now the source of something like six or seven weirdly shifting haystacks, huge things that rose and fell like boiling tar. The stacks popped up as suddenly as they fell. No boat was ever going to make it through there without capsizing, the stacks rose up with too much force. There was also this strange surf-like wave that was moving upstream, or seeming so. The second set of rapids was gone, hidden under the haystacks. The thunder arising from the increased water flow was deafening, much more so that it was before. I stepped back from the ledge I was standing on because I felt nauseated by the thought that the young family could have gone through this spot had it not been for my disaster. They would have died, that appeared certain.

I left the area with a sense of relief that I made my scouting error in June while the glacial melt was at a low. The headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River originate at the foot of the Saskatchewan Glacier, high in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. The water is freezing cold when it flows in the summer and raises the level of the river considerably during the warm summer months. I left also knowing that I’d return to restart my trip and finish it the way it should have been finished, with a great story to tell.

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

By Bill Collett, Bettendorf, Iowa

August 3, 2004

Pre trip plans hardly exist. I intend to solo paddle the designated National Scenic River Way of the Namekagon River. It is uncertain if I will paddle beyond that or not. All I know is that my wife and daughter are visiting relatives and friends in Duluth for a week and they can drop me off on the Namekagon. The option exists for them to pick me up on the way home, or if I am feeling good, they are to go home and I will continue to paddle.

I’m operating under the axiom, when packing for a solo trip, weird and wonderful adventures can be achieved through haphazard planning and spur-of-the-moment preparation. When organizing for group travel, it is quite another matter.

As a precaution, I throw in my entire collection river maps. The food barrel is already half full of assorted leftovers from a dozen other trips. In addition to the usual cooking gear, I add a kayak paddle and five one-gallon containers for water.

8:15 pm Dam Trail Head – Looking for the “Dam Road” at Lake Namekagon – Our turn to Lake Namekagon is on the same highway as Telemark Ski Lodge, except further east and north of the highway.

At the dam, it is still daylight and there is a large parking area on the upper lakeside of the dam (must be for a boat ramp, although I don’t remember seeing one). On the lower side of the dam is a small picnic area with a separate little parking area. The few visitors here are actually checking out the dam, which is really just a spillway. It is a fancy one that has step-up walls with river boulders cemented in the surface. Although there are no cabins in sight, you get the feeling the road continues on to resorts or cabins on the far side of the lake.

The sign says “No Camping” it is just about dark and Ann and Amber have to head on to Duluth. We pile my gear onto a picnic table. We say goodbye, and I want to double check the van one more time to make sure I have not forgetting anything. As I move a blanket, I uncover Amber’s brand new kayak paddle! Why she is hiding it, I don’t know. I’m assuming she wants to show Peter.

I plan to hang out until dark and set up the tent. It is twilight and as I come out of the plastic outhouse, I notice a car by the dam. A young man is doing a ragged dance across the stones and singing at the top of his lungs. He thinks he is alone and to protect whatever dignity he has left, I detour out of site around the pines back to the picnic area.

Red raspberries are abundant. Just before leaving I ate a ton of black berries from our woods at home. Amber and I attempted to spread the seeds in our backyard woods by chewing on the berries and spewing the seeds from our mouths. It occurs to me that I may be reseeding the Namekagon the next few days.

9:30 pm Sitting at the edge of the dam. Several stars break out which is a good sign. We drove though some rain on the way up. Fifty or more bats are circling above my head.

The water gauge at the dam reads 1.27. According to the website that is not good news. The water levels are low and at this level it is rated difficult in maneuvering around rocks and boulders. I’m up for the challenge. To make it even more interesting I’m paddling my hand made wooden solo canoe.

August 4, 2004

6:43 am Floating in the pool below the dam. The moon is a waning C-shape at ¾ full. It will be getting smaller as the trip progresses, no moonlight paddles. With the solo canoe I actually sit on the bottom. I’m testing a padded seat called a Happy Bottom; so far I think they are right. I can also see the padded backrest and knee rests I made are going to pay bigger dividends. I’m a big fan of the traditional wooden beaver tail paddle. However, for this trip I also brought along a touring kayak paddle to experiment with my solo canoe.
GPS Reading for the starting location name”¦000 N46 13.468 W 91 08.866

8:10 Have been paddling in an isolated spruce/pine forest and have come up to the wooden walk bridge marked on the map. The cabin here looks like a ski hut. Sign that says ???? six miles. Paddling may be an exaggeration; much of my time is spent walking in the stream. It is not easy and it is slippery. I’m bent over holding on to the back of the canoe to for balance. I no sooner get into the canoe and have to get out. I’m bumping and scraping hidden rocks much more so than expected. My canoe was built in the old days of Polyester resin, and the rocks make it sound like a zipper undoing the fiber cloth. (I had already made plans to refurbish the canoe with epoxy resin this winter. Thus going into the trip, I was not overly concerned about wood meeting rock)

10:50 County M Highway, which means I heading into Birke country. Home of the American Birkiebeiner 55km North America’s largest cross-country ski race. I’ve finished this race 25 times. For the next 35 miles, I will get a new perspective on this countryside that I’ve known so well from the snowy hilltops.

The view opens up some at this location. Back in the dense woods and rocks I put a crack in the bottom of the canoe. Water slowly seeps in. It is sunny with just a few clouds. Cedar Waxlings (or very similar bird) dominate the area; from the branches they fly over the stream to catch insects.

11:09 Cap Creek Landing – Paddling note: once I tried using the kayak paddle I could not switch back to the beaver tail. The solo canoe with its tumblehome sides make it perfect for this faster style of paddling. Also, in shallow water, the blades stay near the surface with out loosing power.

See a family of otter.

Phillipi Bridge Landing At the picnic area having cheese and a long break. I’m debating weather to walk into Cable to get some duct tape.

1:47 Passing under the old railroad bridge.

2:26 Due to bridge construction on Highway 63 there are big signs to portage around the bridge. I look and cannot see any obstructions on the water. They just can’t risk concrete or tools dropping on the canoeists. It turns out not to be a simple carry over. Once on the highway you have to walk ¼ mile to the cable wayside rest area. It takes three trips mainly because I elected to carry five one-gallon containers of water.

4:04 Pacwawong Dam “¦”¦..Broke out into a wide-open marsh area and the stream snakes through the tall grasses. Cranes are in shallows (male red on the top of the head-sand hill crane). Upon reaching the western hillside, the stream comes to another spillway. The campsite is too good to pass up. Plenty of room to spread out, few bugs and a table. Explore a walking path that ends up on a county road a little more than a ¼ away. Supper is a great pizza. I needed a big meal. Since the outback oven is out, I start baking muffins for tomorrow’s breakfast. 7:15 Enjoying the scenery and a hot drink. At the last moment, I threw in a folding canvas chair and it is a luxury! So much so, I forget all about the muffins and burn them. (This campsite is so good, it should not be passed up!) GPS 001 N46 08.891 W91 20.799

August 5, 2004

7:16 am Sunny I’m leaving the campsite. Osprey diving into the water.

8:50 passing a marked campsite cut out of the bush on the right side of the river, not as scenic as the one I used.

9:00 Larsen Bridge Landing no bathrooms no camping”¦”¦sunny blue skies.

10:30 Phipps Landing — Loaded up with drinking water.

11:15 Phipps dam spillway. A healthy straight downward vee is flowing through the spillway. It appears to be an easy canoe run. As I’m checking it out, I see an unusual occurrence, a squirrel walks out on a small branch overhanging the fast water. It leaps into the white water! There is no question about it now, I’m running the shoot, it’s a rescue mission. A simple brace and I’m through. Eddy out to the left, but I cannot any squirrel dog paddling in the water. I hope he/she made it.

1:55 In a muddy lily field behind a large building on Lake Hayward. For a mile or so earlier, the banks of the river became a series of houses. It was easy to see I was getting near Hayward. The canoe still leaks, but the sponge easily keeps up every 15 to 20 minutes. The wood must be swelling, because the leak slows down in the afternoon. Hayward is a must stop for duct tape. I look for the all-familiar Birke ski trail. Under a bridge are two boys fishing. I paddle down the center of Lake Hayward. I’ve skied across this lake many times to finish the Birkebeiner ski races. The water tower has a bald eagle roosting on a support beam.

It appears another canoe group is taking a break on the south shore. I work west into a small shallow inlet. I can barely push the canoe close enough to firm ground. The canoe and gear is well hidden. After fighting some brush, I pop up into a cement drive way. I’m behind a huge new grocery store! I come out with two rolls of duct tape, two huge apples, and peach juice drink.

2:15 going under the Hwy 27 road. Stopped at the local park with beach on the lake. Good bathrooms did not need water. Passing the giant walleye fish monument.

Hayward Dam Portage”¦.the Hayward Dam is a larger 20 to 30 foot cement structure. I meet the other canoe group here that consists of six people from the Peoria, IL area. Greg is kind enough to help me carry my canoe over. 2:53 pm.

5:00 West River Landing”¦..couple of Black labs fetching sticks in the water.

6:40 pm campsite”¦.(marked just above Tranus Creek on the map) stair steps up the right bank to a nice small spot. Wanted to camp a few miles back but the sites were taken. Back into heavy woods and enjoyable rapids.

August 6, 2004

7:30 am Loaded and ready to go.

11:05 Earl Park and Campground do not stop because I have a lot of water. Was going to stop to stretch and walk, but there too many idiots around fireworks, loud music.

12:15 Passing the Namekagon Visitor Center. I do not stop, because I know it is closed for remodeling.

Trego Lake and Trego Dam: Passing under the Highway and by commercial campgrounds. Lake Trego is shallow and with water grass and the pontoon boats have pathways into the lake. The lake is lined with housing and a floatplane is parked in a backyard. Big snails are dead and floating on the surface. Is this a sign of a polluted lake? I make the mistake of picking one up and it leaves a horrendous smell on my fingers. The lake narrows and opens up again and turns to the right. I’m looking for the dam and a family swimming confirms I’m going in the right direction.

The dam is larger than expected. It is an easy carry around on the green lawn. On the shoreline wall I leave the Peoria group a note and e-mail address. I’m curious about Greg’s royalex canoe that works well for a solo and rocky river.

5:05 Whispering Pines – The campsite after that was occupied…paddle to 6:00pm to a campsite. (site just before Howell Landing)

August 7, 2004

11:30 am Was not feeling well early this morning, headache, tired. Because it was raining I almost elected to stay here today. But now it is overcast and I’m feeling better. Drinking a lot of water. Breakfast is on the river; plan to take it easy today. Actually want to take advantage of a sunless day. I had too much sun!

1:00 pm McDowell landing”¦.have filled up with water. Using two plastic kayaks and a canoe, three fishermen have set up a plywood platform with chairs. They are armed with bows and arrows with attached fishing line. They plan to float down a shoot rough fish.

River is wider and deeper and feels like I’m making good time. It is Saturday and I run into several large day paddling groups.

Confluence of the St. Croix small house on the SE corner. Heavy overcast, rain. The river opens up but a few rapids keep you alert because you do not feel close to shore.

Entering the St. Croix at 3:30 pm. I should say the Namekagon flings you out and on to the St. Croix. This river is broader and at the moment the campsites don’t seem to match up well with the map. More of them? Anyway, they are all occupied. On and off rain today and it is now constant and steady. I’m wet and cold and cannot pass up the group site at Riverside.

Van in the Parking lot: www.wildernessinspire.com

4:30 Riverside Landing the main campground is under construction. They are allowing camping at the canoe landing. I am cold and wet. Don’t like being next to the road. There is a big tent up on the prime spot and no one is home. But the big hesitation is a group of 12 young girls who are also stopping to set up camp. I wait until they set up. I find a good spot under a pine between the youth group and the big tent. In the steady rain, the kids hold up a tarp and a tent is set under it. They move around until all tents are set up. Well organized and they are quiet. I cook by reaching out of my tent. The big tent neighbors return home by canoe. A father (with Jurgs like beard) is with an older son attempting to fish.

August 8, 2004

7:00 start overcast

*future note: just beyond Riverside landing is a primitive campsite marked on an island looks to be a good one and it is next to some rapids.

9:05 just passing under the Sioux Line Railroad bridge.

10:00 stopped at a marked campsite to stretch. The site was used last night and is trashy. A huge log still smoking over the fire grate. I try to clean up the place a little.

10:25 Thayers Landing

11:28 About 30 minutes ago I pass two young native teens thrashing about with their paddles. They are not very good, but they are working hard. Several fish are dragging behind on a stringer. They are talking native, and if I had to guess they are harangued because I’m gliding by with easy paddle strokes. I asked about the fish and they hold them up and I say good job!

As I round the next corner I see why the boys are vigorously paddling. They are trying to catch up with the rest of their group. There is a large group of Native Americans of all ages. They are having a lot of fun and just as I approach the 10 or more canoes, they jump in the water and pull up to a sandy beach. Obviously this is the group that trashed out the last campsite. Around a few bends and I’m back to the solitude of the river.

1:50 Sand Creek Landing

5:00 Camp site—(first camp site before Soderbeck Landing) mosquitoes are more of a factor at this location. I’m also motivated to set up because it is raining. All day it would be sunny and then rainy. As soon as I get the raincoat on, I have to take it off. This site is a big site with two tables and two fire rings. Small nats about my face. Thunder is now to the south, blue sky to the north.

8:30 pm Heavy Thunder moving into the area. A lot of rain last night and you can only go so long before all your gear just feels damp.

August 9, 2004

7:10 Pushing off from shore, sky is heavy overcast. It is cool, but I like the cloudy weather over sun. While packing up this morning I found a webbing strap with a plastic buckle. It’s a perfect belt and I’ve needed one.

8:30 Just now passing under the Interstate 70 bridge. To the west the sky is clear blue. The St. Croix is very large at this point. My trip started out with twist and turns every several minutes. Now my visual landmarks take hours to reach.

9:00 Raspberry landing nice beach area bathroom break and stretch. Steady breeze in the face is killing any assist I may get from the current. It’s a blue-collar workday.

9:17 in the islands beyond Raspberry is the unmistakable call of cranes.

10:30 Old Railroad crossing area- started raining- use the shelter of a silver maple to dig out my raingear.

1:00 Goose Creek landing – bathroom break, experiencing Boundary Waters like weather with sun, clouds, then rain and sun again.

1:17 Sunrise Ferry Landing

A huge fish sticks its head up out of the water in front of me. The irrational description is that it looks just like a small shark. I was looking at its mouth and its head about a foot wide and had the shark shape. Logically I convince myself it is a sturgeon or a paddlefish, surfacing to get a better look at me.

A lot of Bald eagles today. I’ve seen many eagles everyday. How long will this last?

4:00 Spanglers landing – wind now at my back, heavy cloud cover, some rain. When is does rain I can leave my coat unzipped and with my hood up I’m well protected and ventilated. I looking for a series of 4 campsites on the Minnesota side of the river above Taylor Falls. The plan is to get as close as possible for an early start for the portage around the falls and city. However, a Wisconsin campsite looks good and is out on a point and the clincher,,,,,it has a clothesline! I really need to dry out my gear. I sacrifice a few miles to take the breezy side of the river to dry out and keep mosquitoes away. It is working. The tent is upside down and the sleeping bag is hanging on a giant oak branch, and the clothesline is sagging with pants and shirts. I’m hungry, it is pizza night.

7:50 Overcast, the breeze has died. My gear must be 85 percent dry, which is a tremendous help. Meanwhile, I’m cutting up nylon rope and tying up canoe paddles and linking water jugs. All are preparations for the carry around Taylor Falls. My goal is to do this in two carries. I plan to dump my five gallons of water.

I relax in the chair and enjoy the break. Today the river really widened out. At one point the valley flattened out and I could see a farm house, cattle, and on the far hill side a ski resort. The nighthawks are swooping above the river. Geese are flying in vee formation. Two barred owls are behind my tent in an oak forest.

I can see, I’ve made a wise choice by camping on the Wisconsin side. The road on the Minnesota side is heavily traveled and is close to the campsites.

August 10, 2004

I’m up and out early. When approaching the falls, I expect to see signs clearly marking the portage trail. Thus far everything has been well marked for the paddlers. It is not to be at this critical juncture. I spend about 40 minutes checking about for a portage trail. I stay to the right side of the river as indicated on the map. That leads me into a bay surrounded by a cement retaining wall. I check out a tree-covered point to the left of the wall but can’t see any definite trail. To the right of the wall is what looks like a private landing. After going by it twice, I stop by the old shack and can see it easily leads up to the county highway. No one is around and it must be the way to go. I plan to leave the canoe and take the heavy pack first because it will be easier to scout. Plus, if I find a real portage trail further down, I can come back and paddle to it.

Upon starting, the left side of the highway is the same cement retaining wall on the river and the right side of the highway borders a wetland marsh. Of all things, I meet a deer walking the other way. With nowhere to go, I take the left side of the road and the deer takes the right. The county highway ends on the Main Street, which is the major highway. I take a left. Now I’m not sure at all this is the best way to go. I can’t imagine coming back and carrying a canoe down Main Street. There is a man on a porch reading a book. On the street is an RV with a canoe on top. I figure, what the heck, this must be the person to ask.

“Excuse me can you tell me if I’m on the portage trail around Taylor Falls?” He immediately invites me up to the porch and runs in to fetch coffee. The chair is comfortable and I notice the book is a big fat local history book. He knows nothing about the portage trail. He and his wife (a history teacher) are from Oshkosh and are visiting teacher friends here in town. All who would know seem to be gone. After some more coffee and adventure sharing, he offers to fire up his friend’s old truck and haul me around. It’s an offer too good to refuse. I throw my pack in the truck bed and we drive up to pick up my canoe. In no time we are in the lower park next to a canoe rental area. With a thanks, he is on his way back. I take advantage of the bathrooms.

9:20 on the river below the falls. I paddle upstream to check out the falls. Unfortunately the highway bridge is built above the falls. Hard quartzite like dark red/purple rock dominates the area. Vertical rock of 70 feet maybe, and bluffs 150 feet..? Below the bridge is a parking area with several parked riverboats. The sky is overcast but nice. The current among the rocky area is less than expected and it is easy to paddle about to check things out. Turkey vultures are above. A woodchuck scrambles away in the rock pile.

11:10 Osceola Bridge”¦in the distance is rain.

11:18 leaving the Osceola landing on the right side of the river. The bluffs here are familiar. This is the landing my daughter Amber and I went swimming with friends we helped to do a bird count several years ago. This is an important stop for water. I’m sure most groups will dump their water to portage around Taylor Falls. This is an opportunity to fill up with water.

1:05 Log House landing.

1:45 O’brien State Park area”¦they have a big dumpster and I unload trash. Fee area zone, so I move on.

2:00 Somerset landing.

3:00 Apparently I’m on a side channel in State Forest zone. A neat area to explore the islands and marshland. In the distance I see one phone tower. Sure enough my connect-challenged Nextel phone works! It a good thing too, its my anniversary. I’m able to call my wife to wish her a happy anniversary; well at least I get some credit for calling.

3:30 I’m passing under an impressive railroad bridge. It has huge spanning arches. Breeze is at my back!

4:45 As I approach Stillwater there is an island with a long camping beach. Several houseboats are parked. Only one seems to have anyone at home. I pick out a good spot with a table and set up camp. The older couple from the houseboat walk by and say hello. In one hand they carry a glass of wine. They confirm my map location. Overcast and cool, I put on any and all dry clothing I have. A hot chocolate tops my meal of scalloped potatoes with a pouch of diced ham.

August 11, 2004

7:00 am Leave camp “¦I go directly across the river to check out a bluff area that looks to have a cave. Above the bluff is a roadside rest stop. Beyond the walk bridge are good bathrooms and garbage cans. The cave was not natural, it seem to be carved into the soft rock.

7:20 Back on the river. Conditions still overcast.

Stillwater looks like an interesting old town. It has a lot of stone buildings, with six or seven church steeples. The bridge here has a section that lifts straight up. A walking and bike trail is along the river. It is a five-riverboat town. Sawmill building and smoke stack all refurbished. The town attempts to keep up its old town mode. Was temped to get out and explore the town but never did. It would be worth coming back to check this town out sometime. Interesting abandon old barn is south of town.

10:00 Passing under the interstate bridge. I have my raincoat on most of the time. It is a misty light wet day. Lake St. Croix is quite large. I have the place to myself! The wind is to my back and I may think about a sail!

Afton cruise boat is circling about with its loud speaker expounding about the natural area. I have to work around a sand point to catch good wind again.

1:45 the lake begins to narrow down. I rig up a sail with a stick and my tent rain fly and enjoy some sailing.

2:00 Kinnickinnic State Park Signs seem to say boats and camp here, but no tent camping is allowed.

The clouds are low and as I near Prescott, airliners drop from the clouds and sail to the west towards St. Paul/Minneapolis. Looking towards Prescott there is an odd looking metal structure ahead, which makes me think there may be a dam. There is also a gray cement tower with glass windows overhanging high above the water. Similar to what you may see in a prison. There is no dam and I slide through the Zebra Mussel watch zone.

The public dock makes for an easy stop. I am wet, cold, and hungry. As I walk downtown I look for a place that might allow a wet smelly old dog in. I walk into a Subway. I order a hot sub and ask for any hot drink. The young girls offer a thermos of coffee from breakfast. They cannot guarantee it is hot but give it to me for free. It is very warm and I drink it all. It is also the first time I can listen to some news. This area is experiencing record low temperatures.

Before this trip, I read a book by a young author from this town. I ask the staff if they know Byron Curtis. They say yes, his wife is a counselor at the high school and he seems to hang around there a lot.

4:43 An Osprey is here to greet me as I enter the Mississippi. It has stopped raining and the sky has lightened up. Warmed by food and wired by all the coffee I buzz right into the Mississippi River.

www.diamondbluff.com

8:08 pm Since I had supper in Prescott, I paddled late. Planned and made it to an island at mile marker 802. Camped on the North Lake side (my notes say channel side, but that does not seem right) of the island. Stopped at the first interesting sand landing. Upon stepping up to the forest level, I could see a large fire ring, log seats and plywood tables. A can crusher was mounted on a tree above a five-gallon bucket.

I follow a wide trail headed downstream only to find a bigger campsite. Firewood is under plastic, and about are wheelbarrows, more tables, pink flamingos, and bamboo torches. I sneak around more trails thinking I am behind someone’s house on a private island. I’m not; someone is just exploiting public domain property.

I set up camp at the first spot and enjoy the use of a flat table to cook on. Dark sky to the south, and pink sunset to the north. Quiet river today, two boats and one barge. Minnesota is setting record Low “Highs” and expect the temps to be 47.

August 12, 2004

Started est. 5 miles above Lock and Dam #3. Despite the fact that I lived between Lock and Dam 14 and 15 most all my life, I have never been through a lock before. I parked the canoe in the large rock and walked up the long green lawn to the fence facilities. A man filling his gator truck with fuel stopped and walked over to the fence to answer my question about the best portage route. He assured me it was no problem to lock through, “We let canoes through all the time. Look for the cord on the wall and pull.” Part way down the tall lock wall is a cord with a speaker above. With a tug an alarm tone rings over the whole facility. A head appears from above and an arm waves. The gates open, the green light signals the go ahead. This lock drops six feet. That was easy!

Redwing”¦stopped for a snack at the large metal pole tee-pee. (Bathroom building in this area, and probably water. Unfortunately I did need either.) The town is named after a chief with red dyed feathers. At a landing further down there is a monument for the Grand Excursion. No water at this location. A very nice town, except for two large industrial businesses located in the down town area. Bluffs are above the south end of town.

I have the current and the wind! Before heading out onto lake Pepin I stop and tie up a maple mast about 6 feet tall. My rain fly is tied to the top and the plan is to roll up bottom part of the fly with my spare paddle making a nice triangle.

To get the best angle on the wind I paddle east along the north side of the lake. This allows me to glide with the wind and I can head straight down the center of the lake. I pop the sail and fly 100 feet and skid to a stop on a sand bar. What a blast! However, I need three arms with this setup. I finally maneuver the kayak paddle to act as a brace and rudder. Sailing is just outright fun. My feet are now holding the lower sail into the bottom of the boat and ruddering is easier.

Apparently I was having too much fun because the great steady sailing breeze lasts only 20 minutes. The water is immense and the barge I see to the far southwest is not parked but is moving slow but sure up the west bank.

The sail is still up, but 90 percent of the forward motion is from the kayak paddle. The wind will occasionally give me a burst of speed. I’m traveling along side a large sailboat to my right. I’m faster! The sailboat turns to Lake City and I turn to a point on the east shore at about mile marker 771.3. Some sun today, 70 percent clouds.

The first 8 feet of the shore is loaded with zebra mussels and I clear a path so I can walk barefoot. A flat sandy area is found among the down bark less dead trees and driftwood. A deer appears on the beach behind me. She can’t figure me out, and comes very close.

Cooking beans and rice. Lake City is across the way and I managed to get some distance from the train tracks. The gulls have taken over a sandy shallow near by. I walk out into the water and bathe and wash clothing. The dead tree branches become a handy clothesline. Relaxing in my canvas chair, I see my second barge at 6:50. I wonder how long it will take to clear out of sight? 7:29 it disappears. 7:30 there are now four deer on the beach grazing in the shallows.

Must have seen a thousand white pelicans today. I’m in river life mode now, today was fun and hard, and I’m content to be at home on this crusty beach.

August 13, 2004

7:30 Relaxed start, breakfast of muffins and a hot drink.

9:30 Mile mark 764.5 Note left point good for camping. Because of yesterday’s winds this end of the lake is soupy. ¼ inch green algae filaments and larva cover the water. A lot of fish surface about the boat. Many small boats are fishing here. I need to get the toilet paper out!

Just as I get back into what starts to look like river again, a voice from behind me says, “That cheating using a kayak paddle in a canoe.” Wes Kisting and Bryan Hansel zoom up in handmade kayaks. Three handmade crafts meeting on the river! Both men are originally from Dubuque, Iowa. However, they met at Scheel’s Sporting Goods in Iowa City. They stayed in Lake City last night. I am almost sure I purchased my kayak paddle from Bryan in Iowa City.

Water stop at campground”¦.Wabasha???? We stop in the town of Alma and find a small restaurant and have a big cheeseburger. This is only the second time I’ve actually stopped to eat in a town. I have not talked to anyone for so long it feels like I’m rattling on a little too much. Back on the water, the kayaks really take off. Wes has a paddling pace that is way too fast to copy. I find myself racing to catch up to the open locks at Dam #4. After the clearing the lock the kayaks take off down the channel markers. I break through the islands and down the Buffalo City side. I end up approaching the lock down the center of Spring Lake. Wes and Brian are held up waiting for the lock to open. Wes is chatting away on a cell phone. Brian and I float about looking at the rock bluffs above.
Note: Kayak Epoxy at www.raka.com

7:10 All three of us camp just below Lock and Dam #5 on the left shore. (Note: would not camp here again due to heavy train noise. Must have been close to a crossing, due to all the train whistle blowing last night.) The beach is sandy and comfortable. The kayak duo appears to cook independently. Wes is working on a stove malfunction and Brian is photographing the campsite and gear with a new camera.

August 14, 2004

We all sleep in, but manage to leave at 7:00 am. The boys take off. The morning fog grows heavy. This section of the river is full of islands and soughs. However, even in the heavy fog, I know if I stay in contact with land on the left I can’t go wrong. Pass many sandy beach campers sleeping in parked houseboats. Like ghosts, fishermen in flatboats would appear to be standing in the water. By Fountain City, a canoe and kayak are pushed into the brush. The kayak has Slovenia printed on the side. I wonder if they are traveling the river? The fog quickly burns off and it’s a nice day.

Rather than go through the lock above Winona (Lock 5a), I paddle Lake Polander to the Minnesota side. I do a short up and over portage, next to the cement spillway dam. A large campground is located here. This allows me to paddle along the backwaters above Winona City until I met the main channel downtown. I suppose in a way I was hoping the kayaks would have to wait an hour or more to go through the lock. It would have been a fun surprise to have them come up upon me again. Not to be, and I patently stick to the basic plan of avoiding the channel when feasible.

Winona”¦.I’m tempted to stop when I see the ice cream place. No easy place to stop. South of town a big Hucks rental houseboat with a dome tent on top pulls out of the marina as I pass. Later, I pass several mini barges being used as a home. A small station wagon is on one.

It’s a weekend and the speedboat traffic is picking up. I have only a 10-minute wait for Lock and Dam #6. Further, is a large sand mound with a plastic runway for sliding. The Huck boat is here. Also, the Corps of Engineers have a huge dredging operation going on. On a shady sandy shore I take a break and fall asleep for and hour.

5:30 Camp early, low ambition. On a good island spot, need to recharge and get out of the sun and away from the weekend recreation boats. Poison Ivy now prevalent on the shorelines.

August 15, 2004

5:15 Good sleep! On the water the white pelicans are putting on a show. I count 91 on just on side of their flying Vee formation. Passing the small town of Dakota. A bright red store, want to stop, but realize at 6:50 am Sunday, no one would be there. There is morning fog in the valleys, the peaks show above the mist on the river.

8:30 Lock and Dam 7 at the 1200 foot marker on the shore I can’t see the lock in the fog. I’m the only one in the lock and as I leave the wind hits me hard in the face. I would be setting up a sailing rig if this wind were at my back. 8:50 I-90 bridge.

10:00 the fog is gone.

10:30 ? La Crosse Downtown is not dock friendly. Four riverboats and a lot of people are on the park way near the tall wooden Indian. There is one small spot of sand to land. A young man with pierced ears is reading the newspaper on the park bench. By this time I am out of snicker bars and oatmeal. I ask if a grocery store is close by. He gives me directions, but the stores are too far away. I fill my water jug and paddle past an old man playing the fiddle on the parkway.

I take a maze of channels to get away from the Sunday traffic and wind. The wind finds me. It would have been faster to stick to the main channel, however, I cut over to the Wisconsin side to visit Stoddard. I figure in a small town it would be easy to find a store with out having to walk far from the canoe. The open water on the map is not so open! Push through a lot of lily fields and water grass. Fishermen recommend pulling into the second dock. The docks are marked private. I pull into a duckweed inlet to the right. I think I’m at a public landing. An older man comes down with fishing gear and talks excitedly about the redwood strip canoes he made at one time. He lost the heat in the garage after putting resin on the hull. It never cured and dripped off onto the floor.

I ask about a store and he gives me directions. He explains that the dock is his, and I’m welcome to tie up. He offers artesian water and takes off in his boat to catch supper. Never walk into a Quickmart to resupply after 12 days of paddling. I needed lunch and breakfast stuff. I walked out with 5 large candy bars, a dozen donuts, a dozen cookies, and a cheeseburger from under a warming light.

5:50 Lock and Dam 8 Beautiful Bluff above Genoa. Only four recreation boats in the lock together. While the water was dropping, a young girl stood up and did an outstanding rendition of the Star Spangle Banner. It was amazing, reverberations inside the cement walls. The lockmaster peered over the rail and said, “I’ve seen and heard a lot of things in the locks, but that’s never happen before.”

7:30 Camp on Gillette Island only a mile from the Iowa border (675 mile marker). Good spot and I’m glad I resisted the run for the state line. That would have put me back near the railroad tracks and noise. Quiet and peaceful on the folding chair a small barge lights up the area as it speeds by.

August 16, 2004

Good start in the morning at about mile marker 670.4 there is a nice park/landing that would most likely have water. Considered the crossover to Big Lake, but it is a quiet morning and I stick with the speed of the main channel. It is Monday and it is nice to have the river all to myself again.

9:15 Lansing, Iowa”¦.the channel sweeps from the east to the west almost directly into Lansing. Big Lake I’m fighting the wind.

1:15 to 1:45 Lock and Dam 9 About a mile before the lock I encounter wind and rain. I’m alone in the lock and the young lockmaster asks where I’m from. He looks at the canoe and says, “You’re going it that?” After the lock the sky is overcast with on and off rain. Rain at Marquette but not at McGregor. Marquette ties into the bridge across from Prairie Du Chien. As a result, the Isle Capri has taken over the river front with a big gambling boat. Along the shore a young boy with his father catches a fish just as I pass by!

McGregor seems to be a more reasonable place to stop. I tie up under the walk bridge to the docks. I walk part way into town and although it is interesting, it serves no purpose to visit any shops. (Perhaps with Jack and Cindy it would be worth exploring interesting river towns.)

From the Quickmart, I buy a bratwurst, chip, and coke and eat at the riverfront park.

7:45 (paddle late) Made the Wisconsin River my goal. Wanted to camp here due to historic reasons. Marquette and Joliet were the first Europeans to see Iowa as they entered from the Wisconsin River. Across the river on the Iowa side is Pikes Peak the highest point along the Mississippi River.

An island on the Wisconsin River splits the channel into two mouths feeding the Mississippi. I paddle up the north channel and around the island and camp on the sand in the south channel. There, my push around the island assures my path over laps the early explorers. It is a big sand bar and although I’m not a fan of sand camping, I am running out of daylight.

8:50 Lighting and hear rain coming. This may not be a great place for heavy rain. I go out and mark the shoreline with a stick to keep tabs on the water level. It is hard to describe the totally grubby feeling of being wet with damp gear inside and out and camping on sand. As my feet slide into the sleeping bag sand clings to the nylon sides.

August 17, 2004

6:00 Confluence campsite, breakfast consists of three sandy donuts. Earlier, the Great Horned Owls were having a convention.

Clayton, IA from the river looks like a small berg hidden in the hills. The river is big and open. From the water this looks like the perfect community to shoot Iowa’s version of Hitchcock’s film the Birds.

11:15 Guttenberg Dam”¦..Before the dam, I pass by an Island that is populated with houses. After being on the river for a while, I can see the attraction of living here. It is away from the railroad tracks and many homes have private docks.

As I pull up to the lock, a man from the levee is flagging me down. From a distance he resembles my Dad. As I close in, I can see he is looking for someone else, a retired teacher who likes to paddle the river. I mention that I’m a teacher but not retired. We discover we are both from the Quad City area and that he was my high school Guidance Counselor! Mr. Means is still a counselor at West High School. (Apparently, he has a vacation house on Guttenberg Island.)

After locking through, I stop to walk through downtown Guttenberg. Another interesting town to explore someday. I get an ice-cream cone, and use the clean public bathroom.

Cassville, Wisconsin”¦Has a public dock, bathroom, and SHOWER! A Free hot shower!! I go in with my clothes on and soap them up. Take a layer off and soap up again, I keep doing this until I down to just skin. It feels great! On future road trips, I will go out of my way to support the economy of Cassville.

200-mile marker“¦a DNR patrol boat stops and asks to see my life jacket. I hold it up and he says, “Have a nice day,” and takes off. I want to camp before map #43 because there are virtually no islands in the stretch beyond. It’s getting late and I pass up a marked campsite. I seemed a little weedy, a big mistake. The next two small islands are swamp and mud. Along the Iowa shore, I find a small spit and make a forced camp in the tall weeds. Not bad once the tent is up and I have a trail established to a cooking spot on the rocky shore. The canoe is parked three feet off the ground on dead tree branches. At least there are no bugs.

It is easy to see that I can make Dubuque tomorrow. In the past I have paddled the river from Dubuque to the Quad Cities. All I can think of is the poison ivy covered islands on that stretch of the river. Of all things, my phone can pick up a tower. I call home and arrange for a 2 pm pick up at Ice Harbor in Dubuque tomorrow.

August 18, 2004

Fight the wind to get across Mud Lake. Make a short stop at a DNR campsite.

10:30 Lock and Dam – short wait. Getting around Dubuque is a hard go into the wind. I go inland north of City Island. (If a person had too, a makeshift camp could be made near the first several sand beaches on the north side of City Island.) Have passed the Wisconsin border and have now paddled four states.

12:00 noon Arrive at the Dubuque Public Landing at the mouth of the Ice Harbor. It has a nice new round shelter over looking the river. I move my gear up to a bench behind the shelter next to the floodwall. I feel a little too grubby to enter any establishments to get anything to eat.

1:10 A large group of foreign students arrive at the shelter for a lunch catered by Hy-vee. They are students attending Northern Iowa and have been on the boat cruise to Julian Dubuque’s gravesite.

Dennis Hendrickson the coordinator of the program is kind enough to offer this derelict river bum several left over catered sack lunches. It is greatly appreciated.

2:00 Both Amber and Ann show up to pick me up. They apparently have been in town since noon killing time waiting until 2pm to come get me. In just a little over an hour we cover two days worth of paddling and arrive in Bettendorf. The sky is dark with menacing thunderstorms, I’m happy to be home.

• Namekagon River 98 miles
• St. Croix River 133 miles
• Mississippi River 232 miles
• Total 463

• Campsite GPS Readings:
• August 3 N 46 13.468 W 91 08.866 Start of trip Namekagon Lake Dam
• August 4 N 46 08.891 W 91 20.799 Pacwawong Dam
• August 5 *N 45 59.072 W 91 38.942 *(unsure if these readings are
• August 6 *N 46 01.374 W 92 00.629 the correct dates”¦must be August 7 campsites?)
• August 8 N 45 50.643 W 92 44.521
• August 9 N 45 27.496 W 92 39.543
• August 10 N 45 04.982 W 92 47.004
• August 11 N 44 39.698 W 92 39.576
• August 12 N 44 27.351 W 92 13.090
• August 13 N 44 09.491 W 91 48.037
• August 14 N 43 56.643 W 91 22.216
• August 15 N 43 30.870 W 91 13.471
• August 16 N 42 59.418 W 91 09.151
• August 17 N 42 38.804 W 90 45.617
• August 18 N 42 29.704 W 90 39.428 Dubuque

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

September 19th, Sunday

Portaged into the Boundary Waters today using the 320-rod Skipper/Portage Lake entry point. Because I double portaged it, total 15,390 feet of hiking. Now that’s a long portage.

The leaves on the portage were turning colors as most of them were younger bushes and trees; the tallest pines and birch were all blown down and charred from a burn. The trail itself was being closed in by a tremendous amount of growth energized by an open canopy that allowed the sun to beat down. About a third of the way across I passed moose tracks, and about half of the way across I crossed an old road.

The wind is blowing hard tonight, but its sound in comforting. I felt some dread coming into the BWCAW today, and I’m not sure why. I guess I was just anxious to get into the woods. The plan is that I’ll canoe solo until Ilena can meet me on Friday for the weekend.

The campsite is nice but full of blow down, the grill overlooks the lake and sits on a large slab of Canadian Shield. Viens of harder rock rise from the surface of the rock and flow into the water. The trees are turning yellow and red on the way to the privy. I found a freshly downed birch tree and cut some bark off of it to save as a fire starter or to turn into a mini birch bark canoe.

September 20th, Monday

Boot sucking swamp

sucked my boots off;

canoe overhead

The portages are what made today stand out. Each one was over 100 rods and each ended in a narrow east-west lake. Palisades of fractured granite surrounded Rose Lake, the most beautiful of them all, and trees in red and yellow fall color hung on and toped the palisades. Some of the cliffs rose sixty to seventy feet overhead.

Much like yesterdays portage, todays took me through blow down areas. Looking to the north or south would present a view of trees torn from the ground and laid one on top of an other in no real pattern. The few trees, sporting only crowns, left standing contrasted with the sky. I’d say out of every 100 trees, one still stood. They looked naked with only a crown and then below only stubs of branches remained on the trunks. A few standing trees were just trunks standing dead.

In all this destruction, new brush tangled the ground and encroached on the trail. This new brush- future trees was full with the vibrant read and yellows of fall. Life rebounds after destruction.

September 21st, Tuesday

cold fall rain,

defiant under a tarp,

listening to Ani DiFranco

The rain started in the middle of the night and has continued all day. It took a lot of energy to get up and put up a tarp, but at 10:30, I managed to get up and do it. Now, I’m sitting under my gray tarp under a gray sky, watching the rain pit the surface of the gray lake – Long Island Lake.

It is in the 60s and I’m slightly chilled, but have no desire to get into my sleeping bag in my tent. I brought a radio with me on this trip and now at 1:00 find myself listening to Ani DiFranco playing songs live, cuts from her songs, and an interview.

Soon, I’m going to have to duck out of the tarp, walk to the water’s edge, sit on a rock, and pump water.

The radio says it should stop raining tonight, but if it doesn’t, I have to paddle tomorrow anyway to meet up with Ilena on Friday.

September 22nd, Wednesday

sitting eating dinner

an otter runs by

stinky fish head in its mouth.

This morning the sun made a less than gallant effort to breach the clouds, but then gave up at the same time I put my boat into the water. It tried again later, but the clouds won out.

Another gray and dreary day, but with no rain so far, except for a small bout. Because I don’t really have far to go to meet up with Ilena on Friday, I took a campsite on South Temperance Lake. It’s the one, I’d wanted to have last fall. As a mater of fact, my route today followed two trips I’d taken in the past.

I started on Long Island Lake and portaged over to Gordon and down into Cherokee, which is backwards of a route that I took with Ilena, Steve and Dan in 2002. I passed the portage where Dan fell in. His canoe’s stern stem hung up on top of a rock as he was getting in and over he went. I also passed two of our campsites going to Cherokee.

Then I passed my first campsite from my solo trip last fall and have portaged from Cherokee to South Temperance along the same route as last fall.

It’s hard to believe that I’m up here again by myself – this is my 3rd solo trip to the BWCAW in two years. It almost seems routine now to be up here by myself & but I can’t wait for Friday when I finally get to see Ilena and spend a couple of days with her up here.

This lake feels like a high mountain lake, because when you look either way you see islands spotting the lake in front of hills. The hills all end 100 feet at the highest and you can’t see past them. With the Brule to the east, it also looks like you are viewing the end of the lake and down a slope of the mountain. The lake is lapping the rocks on shore over and over; relaxing.

wrapped up sitting still

next to lapping water;

the wind walks towards me.

September 23rd, Thursday

in a hammock

wind

a yellow leaf falls

The camp is set, and all my food and cook gear is laid out by the fire grill, behind me, my tent is tautly pitched on a small landing and behind that is my hammock hung between two stout trees. The sun is still high in the sky this afternoon; its rays are reaching through the trees, lighting up the campsite. A slight breeze airs out my sleeping bag hung neatly over the branches of a tree next to the grill.

From the grill forward is a rock of grey granite, which slopes from the grill dropping and entering the water. This lake is Vern Lake, and is a brown sort of color. Hopefully, it will add flavor to tonight’s stew.

Today, started with a slight fog over the S. Temp, which slowly disappeared but when the wind picked up it blew a thick fog from the Brule over to the S. Temp. Until about 9:30, when the fog disappeared there was very limited visibility, and forced me to navigate by compass. For the most part, though, the sun blazed all day.

From S. Temp. I portaged into the Brule, which is a big lake several miles long and wide. It is spotted with several big islands and surrounded by big hills. This is the lake that you think of when you want a cabin to retire in.

Then I swung around Jock Mock point and portage over into Juno. The second I saw Juno, I saw two moose feeding on the edge of the water. when they saw me, they waltzed slowly into the water and swam across the lake. Only their head and racks were visible as they swam across the lake.

Juno and Vern Lakes were hit hard by the straight-line winds that devastated much of the BWCAW. The Forest Service has burned here and you feel like you’re walking through a burned area out west. Granite outcropping are visible, branchless burnt trunks jot the hills and thick underbrush is attempting to reclaim the land. Right now, the leaves are changing and all the hills follow a pattern from water to top. The pattern of trees is evergreens, then a red colored brush, then yellow, and finally a translucent yellow-green. It really is stunning.

On the portages as you top the hills there are views down the lakes. They invoke a feeling of awe and wonderment. And you can’t wait to get on the next one. This area is full of rebirth, like a circle they have passed from birth, growth, falling, and death, to birth again. It’s a good place to be.

And a hammock makes it even better! This has been a slow relaxing trip, which was much needed after my 15 day, 560-mile Mississippi River trip that I took in August. It’s funny how different similar trips can be. Both on the river and here, I was paddling, but here, I’m going much slower, smelling the coffee, and taking time for myself to center and fighting off the need to go further and harder. Another good solo trip in the BWCAW.

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

Richard Hayes

Considering how restricted the seating actually is in the average cruising kayak, it’d better be comfortable. Hours of being jammed in an uncomfortable cockpit is no one’s idea of fun – cramped muscles, hard-spot aches, and that pins-and-needles feeling in the legs just purely takes the fun out of a day on the water.

For better or for worse, commercial kayaks come with one sort of seat or another, but those of us who build our own have to come up with some alternative that’s comfortable. If you’re up for it, you can certainly carve yourself a fine mini-cell seat, and there’s lots of nice carved mini-cell and/or gel seats for sale out there, for a price. Then there’s the ever-popular, but ever-so-uncomfortable thin foam camping pad, which has the advantage of being cheap, period.

When I built my first VOLKSKAYAK with designer Gerry Gladwin, he showed me a simple, relatively inexpensive seating solution that’s worked just fine for us ever since. The heart of it is a self-inflating camping pad – in our case, a 3’6″ x 21″ (113 cm x 52 cm) Thermarest Classic series 3/4 Standard.
Buy one from REI. Nessmuking gains a small commission on this sale.

Here’s how we rig ours.

The VK has a big cockpit, so we pad the sides of the cockpit to get a tighter hip fit

The pad is laid out and allowed to inflate. We use the 3/4 model because it folds more neatly in the cockpit.

Looking aft, the seat is anchored just under the rear cockpit coaming.

The inflated pad, with the valve closed, is shoved as far aft as you can get it. We allow a slight bit to curl up the rear bulkhead, as this seems to help keep the pad in place. The hip pads are cut with about an inch of open space at the bottom, so the edges of the pad can be tucked under them to avoid the pad bunching up too much on the sides.

The backrest is installed – as it happens, this old PFD wedges tightly beneath the deck, and pins the pad in place. You can use anything that’ll do two things – support your lower back, and hold the pad from slipping. We’ve also used blue styrofoam, glued-together flat swim pool floats, etc. If you want to do a proper backrest with minicell, that’s fine, but do the prototypes in the cheaper stuff :->))

Now just fold the pad back over itself, so that you have two layers beneath you, one up your back. Position the pad so that the inflation valve is at the top corner, where you can easily reach it. Sit in, and barely crack the valve open. You’ll hear a slight hiss, and feel yourself sinking; when you’ve barely touched the hull, close the valve. In less than a minute, you’ll have gone from bare boat to armchair comfort – well, close to it, anyway.

And there you have it – a nice, simple comfortable seat, soft and warm and supportive. Since it has no hard edges, there’s nothing to create the pressure points on nerves and blood vessels that lead to numbness or tingling. Once you sit in, your butt displaces air forward, forming an air-filled bulge that nicely supports the back of the thighs . If you want a quick, comfortable solution to your seating woes that takes less than a minute to install, this system is worth a try. And if all comes to the worst and you can’t stand it, you’ll still got a very nice sleeping pad to show for your pains.

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In the Fall of 2007, I set out to build a new kayak to serve several goals:

1. Build a kayak that fits Ilena, my significant other, better than my Romany.
2. Build a kayak that would be a Greenland style hard chined boat that is as easy or easier to roll than my Romany.
3. Try several ideas for a kayak build that I haven’t tried yet. Glass hatch recesses. Glass fitting recesses. Dyeing the wood. And a few other.
4. Generally to improve my building and glassing abilities during a quick build.
5. Reproduce a historic kayak in cedar strip construction.
6. Build another day boat with a different feel than my Romany and lighter than the Romany.

Three kayaks came to mind for this project:

1. Pilgrim Monument Museum kayak in Mark Starr’s Building a Greenland Kayak on page 115.
2. Ken Taylors’ Igdlorssuit kayak.
3. Southwestern Greenland kayak, 1883, Figure 206 from Adney & Chapelle on page 210.

After weighing my needs, polling opinions on the Internet I narrowed my choice from three historic kayaks to replicate down to one – a boat that’s fascinated me for a number of years. Some of the great comments I received follow:

Advice on Traditional Kayaks

Michael Silvius – If I remember correctly a few years ago (6?) someone showed up at the Newfound Rendezvous with a S&G reproduction of the Pilgrim museum kayak which I tried and liked a lot though I had some trouble fitting in due to the fixed bulkhead built to suit its owner. On several occasions I have paddled the famed Zipper boat which is as faithful a reproduction of Duncan Winning’s drawing as anyone on has seen around these parts. It is a S&G with a soft deck and drysuit zippers for hatches and has to be my favorite kayak of all. An Anas without the bad traits. Tracks well, is fast and is yet very nimble. Photos of it can bee seen in the QUSA photo albums for the Vermont madness meet (Opens in new window.) over the past few years. Could not go wrong with that one either. Dont know if anyone has ever built the Adney and Chapelle one but you likely would not go wrong with that either. build all 3??

Dennis M – I built the Igdlorssuit last fall as a hybrid (S+G hull, strip deck)(Opens in new window.). It has been my most frequent ride this year as I find it fun to paddle. It is a bit slow, but bops around nicely in waves and surf. At a group conversational pace, the speed is fine. When you try to push the speed, the bow wants to rise and pushes a wave up. It is fairly neutral in wind, turns easily, tracks when you want to. It is more comfortable with the drop down skeg in quartering/following seas. I put in a recessed coaming to assist layback. While not a rolling boat, it does pretty well in this category. I’ve taken this boat in various conditions in Fla, NC, Nova Scotia and LI Sound and have always been happy in it.

Éric Gloutnay – As for the Pilgrim Museum qajaq, the MacMillan… one word.. stable! Well, I’ll add more, it does turn on a dime, rolls without really trying and has such great volume balance that it performs with ease in pretty much any condition. The first time I sat in it I faced 3 foot waves and it just climbed over without a peep. The flat section at the paddler’s position really makes it rock solid, yet the rapid upsweep of the chine makes it extremely responsive in a lean. It carves really well. And.. well.. it looks extremely sharp! Éric’s MacMillan Kayak (Opens in a new window.)

Mike Hanks – Is the Southwestern Greenland kayak, 1883, Figure 206 from Adney & Chapelle on page 210 the one that Skene drew up in 1923. If so, it is the kayak that the Putz Walrus was derived from. I went back to Skene’s dimensions for my Skinny Walrus. I also made my folder based on the Igdlorssuit dimensions. They are very different kayaks. The primary stability on the Skene, is so good, it is easy to stand up in. The Igdlorssuit has low initial stability, but strong secondary. They both respond well to edging, but the Skene is a better tracker, and the Igdlorssuit is more nimble. The Igdlorssuit is a wetter ride, while the Skene’s high ends ride over most waves. The Igdlorssuit rolls easier, but the Skene’s sheerline makes it less stable upside down. The Skene is significantly higher volume. I personally like the Igdlorssuit better now, but for a while the Skene was my favorite kayak. (Bryan’s Note: figure 206 isn’t the Skene boat, but these comments were very relevant to my decision.) Mike’s Iggy Folder(Opens in a new window.)

After receiving these great comments, sorting through reviews for a commercially designed kayak based on the same lines, viewing kayaks already built, I decided to build Ken Taylor’s Igdlorssuit kayak. The history behind the kayak is what eventually drew me in.

Kenneth Taylor’s Igdlorssuit Kayak History

The year was 1959. The place was Igdlorssuit (Illorsuit is the new spelling)(Opens in a new window.). University student Kenneth Taylor was sent by his professor to study the kayak and Inuit culture. While there Emanuele Korneiliussen built Ken a skin-on-frame kayak. In 1964, Duncan Winning surveyed the kayak, and he passed along the information to Geoff Blackford, who modified the size. Geoff built a boat from plywood based on these modifications and named the kayak the Anas Acuta. In 1972, Frank Goodman started to commercially produce the boat. (source: Paul Caffyn, The Long Journey Home for a Greenland Kayak, originally published in The Sea Canoeist) Valley Sea Kayaks still produces the Anas Acuta (Opens in a new window.).

The Anas Acuta spawned a wave of British kayaks, and according to a family tree compiled by Duncan Winning those include: Nordkapp, Skerray, Aquanaut, Pintail, Avocet, Q-Boat, Island Kayaks’ Expediton, Newt, Qaarsut(an exact replica of the hull in fiberglass with a modern deck), and Qaarsut 550. I’ve also heard that the Romany was based on the AA/Pintail, which would mean a number of other kayaks like the Meridian, Zephyr, Explorer, Alaw, Alaw Bach, Xcite, Xplore also descend from this kayak.

Duncan Winning’s family tree also lists 18 other kayaks that descend from the Taylor kayak. In addition, recently it’s been built by a number of different builders in plywood, cedar strip, skin-on-frame, aluminum folding frame with PVC skin, and as I write this it is being built in skin-on-frame by, at least, one builder (kellyt’s skin-on-frame(Opens in a new window.)) and cedar strip by another (Gennie’s website(Opens in a new window.)). Or in other words, can so many people be wrong?

Builder’s Log Goals

During this builder’s log, I will describe, often in detail, the steps I’ve taken to build this kayak. I’ll include tips that I receive online or otherwise, and skills I learn during the process. This building log will include photos, drawings, and other assorted items. I’ll update as I pass what I consider the end of one step and the beginning of the next. Also, I’ll probably digress and muse during the process when I don’t feel like building and need a distraction.

Kayak building is as much about breathing life into a new sea creature as it is about sharpening a chisel, so it is important to maintain perspective outside the workshop by enjoying the sport of sea kayaking. Even tonight, despite my heavy desire to work on the boat, I forced myself to suit up, head down to Lake Superior for a quick paddle before the Thunderstorm, and I paddled for 45 minutes and rolled (attracted a crowd) in the 45 degree Fahrenheit water for around 10 minutes. My goal for this building log is to provide an outline and plans for builders wanting to build their own Iggy. I hope you enjoy.

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Gathering Supplies (2:30 Hours)

The biggest show stopper for most new kayak and canoe builders is the gathering supply step. Having to decide exactly what materials to buy, where to find the best deal, and how to get everything together in the same location at the right time is complicated.

For this kayak, I’m using left over glass from RAKA. I’m using 6 ounce E-glass on the outside and 5 ounce tight-weave E-glass on the inside. The open weave 6 ounce will wet-out more clearly than the tight weave.

The epoxy is from US Composites.

The dye is from Solar-Lux via Woodcraft.com. It is Blood Red.

I’m using KajakSport hatches, which come from Newfound Woodworks and from Seda. The Valley deck fittings are also from Seda ($1.50/ fitting with all hardware).

I gathered the rest of the supplies locally.

These books are a must should be purchased:

• The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build
• Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction
• Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip Construction

Drawing the Plans (4:00 Hours)

For this kayak, I modeled the craft in DelftShip Pro. Exported the 2D Polylines and 2D Linesplan to a dxf file (AutoCAD), then I imported them to Qcad and had them printed at the local copy shop. Because the local copy shop can only print 11×17, I printed only the station plans off and not individual stations. I then used carbon paper to transfer the lines onto the particle board. I also subtracted the thickness of my strips from the stations. I’m using 3/16″ strips, so I subtracted 3/16″ all around, because the model in DelftShip is to the outside of the skin. After which I cut them out. (The station plans that can be printed and glued account for a 3/16″ thickness.)

Making Strips (3:30 Hours)

Making cedar strips with a circular saw is simple, fast, and easy. Use a thin kerf saw in a Skil saw, and walk off the strips from one end of the board to the other. To set the width of the strip, use a plastic edge guide that was designed for the saw. I cut my cedar strips to 3/16″ which is lighter and about as strong as 1/4″ strips are.

When cutting the strips, put a full length 2x under the 1x that is being cut and screw the 1x down to the 2x. Then just cut on top of that set-up. This keeps the boards from bending. Make sure that you don’t set the saw too deep or you’ll be cutting deep grooves into the board below. Make sure that the screw holding the 1x down is on the very edge and end of the board, so that very little wood is wasted.

Cutting Forms and the Strongback (5:00 Hours)

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To cut the particle board a jigsaw is used. I cut right to the line. After which I trim it up slightly with a block plane.

For this kayak, I built the strongback from scratch using four pieces 12 foot 2x8s screwed together to form two 16′ 2x8s. These I screwed together at the ends and then spread using a 16 inch 2×4 to hold them apart. I quickly leveled this strongback on top of two sawhorses using shims. There are many types of strongbacks and I’ve found this one to work as nicely as others.

After the leveling of the strongback is finished run a stringline down the center and then at every foot nail a 1×1 board perpendicular to the stringline onto the strongback. They always sit on the far side of the 1 foot mark to the mid point of the kayak. The particle board stations are nailed to the other side of the foot mark.

When nailing the stations on, make sure their centerline is lined up with the stringline and then plumbed vertical. Having a stringline below and above is helpful at this point in making sure everything is lined up.

After the stations are lined up, it’s time to start stripping the hull.

Stripping the Hull (7:30 Hours)

Stripping the hull for this kayak is simple. No bead and cove strips are needed and very few running bevels are required. The easiest way for this kayak is to start at the chine, strip to the sheerline, and then strip from the chine to the centerline of the kayak. If you’re going to dye the kayak, don’t worry a bit about using staples, the dye will hide them to all but the most discerning viewers. Because this hull is hard chine, you will find that very few strips need a bevel. One of the chine strips will need to be beveled and at the ends a few others will need a short bevel at the turn of the bilge.

To save some time, when stripping from the chine to the sheer, the strips can be run past the sheer marks on the forms and trimmed back in the next step.

Trim Sheer (1:30 Hours)

For this kayak, I ran the strips past the sheerline and trimmed back to the sheer marks on the forms after stripping was finished. To do this, measure from the end of the strip to the sheer mark on the forms and then transfer that measurement to the outside of the hull. Then staple a cedar strip onto the hull following the curve created by the marks that were transferred.

Cut the sheer with whatever tool is most comfortable. I used a jigsaw and then planed and sanded to the line.

Stems (1 Hour)

While stripping the hull, the strips can be run out past the stems and later trimmed flush with the edge of the stem form. A thin piece of ash can them be glued onto the stems and rounded over to the roundness of a pencil. This round over of the stems will allow the fiberglass to sit securely against the stem.

Pull Staples (:30 Hour)

Pulling the staples is a boring half-hour job. Some builders with staple into carpet tape and then just pull the carpet tape. This greatly speeds up this dull job.

Block Plane (1:30 Hours)

The next step is to block plane the high edges of the strips off so that they even up from strip edge to the next strip’s edge that it’s touching. With a flat hull like this one, the block plane isn’t as easy as just sanding the hull with 40 grit to work off the high edges.

Sand (2:30 Hours)

Sand the hull starting with a fairing board, which is a flexible piece of plywood to which two handles are attached at the end. Sand paper is glued to the plywood. This board is worked across the hull at a 45 degree angle and will help fair the flat strips into a rounded hull. I use 60 grit on my fairing board.

After fairing, sand with 80 grit and then 120 grit.

Wet-Out (:15 Hours)

After sanding, wet-out the entire hull to raise the grain. After the hull is dry. Use 120 grit sandpaper to smooth the fuzz that appeared from the water. Also, you can use the water to find areas that will need more sanding. Mark these lightly with a pencil, so you can find them later after the hull is dry and ready to sand.

Dye (2:00 Hours)

Before dying, make sure that you are completely satisfied with your sanding job, because it will be impossible to sand after the kayak is dyed. If the hull is sanded, trying to match the dye will be near impossible. The hull will use about a half of a pint of dye mixed with the Solar-Lux retarder. I found that by using an 80/20 dye/retarder mix, I was able to keep a wet edge. At the end, the dye looked like it was applied by hand, but the epoxy during fiberglassing moved the dye around and helped to even the coat.

Dying is tricky, but it’s worth the trouble, because the results can be beautiful. Here are a few responses I received when asking questions about dying on the Kayak Building BBS.

From Nick Schade: “I’ve always just use a rag. I usually do two coats to help even things out. One time I wiped the whole thing down with a rag soaked in reducer. This also did a good job of getting the color even.”

From Acors: “Retarder helps with blotchy spots (and with grain raising in some dyes) same as working in a cool place to slow down the solvents evaporation … Remember that dyes do look more blotchy when wet, when they dry the richer part gets more absorbed and lighten.

…other ways to even out the color are more coats (this darkens the overall tone so thats to take in account), color washing: going on the dye with its own solvent (reducer for solar-lux) and practically washing off the color, then reapplying and so on, going after the dye with a compatible pigment stain: it evens out things adding in some cases an interesting “depth” effect (nice on maple), you can sort of obtain a similar thing dyeing the epoxy if you pre-coat before laminating, the last way i know of (and the best one for me so far) is to saturate the wood with the dye solvent before applying the dye, the concept is that since blotchyness its due to different absorption the pre-saturation of pure solvent helps leveling the differences.

If you want darker colors try to avoid using black, its really a matter of small quantities and can reduce the vibrancy of the original color, if it can make more sense: it adds to the greysh tones dulling the others. If you can use multiple coats or mix (or overcoat) with a darker shade of the color you are using.

If you use black then my suggestion its to prepare a batch with black and your original tone, then use that mix to fine tune more gradually the tone of a new batch of dye that you’ll actually use. keep in mind the quantities because its easy to end with more than you need, although if you get into dyes you’ll find yourself with 20 different tones that you’ll routinely mix and match, so they are never wasted.

There is another way to get a darker tone that with some woods gives a real cool effect and consists in using a black dye(or dark mix) on bare wood then sand it off until only the grain keeps it and then going on with the tone choice dye. Thats even the way to obtain shadings if you cant spray. ”

Glass Hull (3:30 Hours)

This is an involved process through described in several books. It’s nice to have a helper, but I didn’t have one, so it took me longer than it does when I have help.

Remove the Hull (:30 Hours)

The hull on my kayak ended up stuck in a few places, so I unscrewed the forms, flipped the kayak and knocked out the forms that didn’t want to come out. Don’t be afraid to use a hammer. The hull is pretty strong at this point.

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Fair Inside (4 Hours)

After the kayak is lifted off the forms, it’s time to fair the inside. This kayak is mainly flat on the inside, so fair is easily accomplished using a block plane, hobbyist plane, and a flat surform tool. A Convex surform can be used on the concave sections of the hull. The key point to watch for while using these tools, is use them only to take of the high edges of the strips. After the edges are taken off, change over to sand paper. A rough grit like 40 or 60 will quickly smooth the surface. This can be finished off up to 80 grit before fiberglassing. The inside doesn’t need to be smoothed to 120 before glassing.

Glass Inside (2 Hours)

To glass the inside, I like to lay-up the glass in strips that run perpendicular to the centerline of the kayak. I use a full width of glass strip and overlap the edges by three or four inches. Doing this also helps to create a rib structure.

For this kayak, I used 5 ounce tight weave glass for the inside. The tight weave soaks up less epoxy and gives a higher glass/resin ratio. This generally leaves a stronger lay-up for the same weight of glass.

Inside Forms (2 Hours)

Using the same forms from the hull, now cut out the deck shape and glue these into the kayak using hot glue. The Ken Taylor kayak has pinch in the end, so the hull will need to be securely fixed to the forms or the pinch will slowly pull away. There are two ways to do this depending on how much force the hull is exerting. The first is to simply staple the forms into the hull at the sheer. If the force is greater than that, screwing the hull to the forms may also work. In some places, the hull my want to bulge out between the forms resulting in an unfair gunwale line. If this is the case, use packing tape between the forms to pull the gunwales inward.

After the forms are attached to the hull, use masking tape to cover the edges of the forms and also cover the entire sheerline with masking tape. The masking tape will prevent glue and epoxy from sticking the hull to the deck prematurely.

Strip Deck (7 Hours)

Stripping the deck is relatively straight forward. One of the difficult parts for this kayak is if the deck is stripped parallel to the keel of the kayak. If striped this way, the knee bump-outs will create problems. To solve this problem use a butt joint on the station at the knee bump outs.

I actually recommend stripping this hull by starting at a sheer strip that follows the sheer and working inward with the ends of each strip joining flush with the sides of the strip on the opposite side, but any pattern can be made to work with the only real difficulty at the knee bumps.

A second difficulty may occur at the stern. The Stern stem rises quickly from a flat rear deck. The strips may possibly have to be steamed to make this turn. I was able to force the turn and hold it using two finish nails pounded into the center of each of the two strips and then into the form below. I set these in deep, filled above them, and glassed over them. They will be removed before the inside deck is sanded.

Coaming Recess (4 Hours)

Coaming recesses made from cedar strips can be very time consuming, and this one definitely followed that pattern. I wanted this recess to drop the rear coaming height down to, at least, 7.5″, which is about even with the rear deck in the same location. To do this, I cut out a recess based on a pattern derived from the style of cockpit opening that I like. These templates are included in the plans. To use both of these template, glue the cockpit opening template to a piece of particle board and cut it out. Then cut an opening in the deck using the recess template. Mount the cockpit form into the boat so the rear of the form is as low as you need it. Around 6 or 6.5″ is low enough for a 7.5″ rear coaming. The front of the cockpit form sits just below the lip of the front deck.

After the form is set up, strip from the recess cut-out to the cockpit form. It’s slow going and fiddly, but the result is worthwhile.

The cockpit and recess is based around the boats center of buoyancy. A good location to put the back of the cockpit is 14″ back from the center of buoyancy. You can vary this slightly, but the deck is designed for a 14″ difference.

Block Plane (1 Hour), Sand Deck (2 Hours), Raise Grain (:30 Hour), Dye (1 Hour), Glass (2:45 Hours)

These steps are exactly the same as for the hull. Before glassing it is helpful to tape an apron of plastic along both sides of the kayak to help prevent drips of epoxy from the deck from dripping down the hull.

Sand Deck Inside (1.5 Hours), Glass Inside (2 Hours)

The inside of the deck is slightly harder than the outside to sand and glass. Use a convex surform to quickly knock down the edges of the strips, then sand with 40 grit to quickly shape the strips and make the surface smooth. You can go to 80 grit if desired, but the glass will quickly cover the surface and no one will ever see the imperfect sanding job.

Glassing the inside is accomplished the same as glassing the hull’s inside. An additional layer of 6 ounce glass in front of the cockpit adds additional strength to the kayak for performing rescues. Some rescues will require this strength, especially if a kayak has to be repaired on the water using a deck as a working platform.

Sand Hull (1.5 Hours), Glass Football (1.5 Hours), Fill Coat (0.5 Hour)

At this point, if you didn’t add an extra layer of glass to the bottom of the kayak to act as an abrasion patch, it can be done now. Quickly sand the outside of the hull, and fiberglass a layer between the chines and over the keel.

Composite Hatch Recesses (7 Hours)

Installing commercially designed rubber hatches is a commitment in building, but the rewards are worthwhile. Commercial hatches, if installed correctly, are watertight, easy to put on and take off, and just look great contrasting the wood.

For this boat, two large round 9.5″ (24) KajakSport hatches and one 8″ (20) KajakSport hatch are used. This can be purchased from The Newfound Woodworks or from Seda. I bought the 24s from Newfound, and because they were out of the 20, I bought that from Seda along with some fittings for the decklines.

The first step of this process is to print out the circle template for hatches and glue this to a piece of particle board and cut out the larger radius circle first. Level this in the location that you want to place the hatch openings. After it is leveled, draw plumb down from the sides onto the deck of the kayak the outline from the template. With a curved deck it is especially important to make sure the pen is plumb or the circle will end up distorted and make fitting the foam hatch plugs more difficult.

After the two larger holes have been cut, use the template to cut out foam plugs the same size as the template. The same type of foam that is used to insulate houses is the best value for ease of working and cost. Then cut the smaller template out and use this to cut the opening for the day hatch. On my kayak, I overlapped this cut-out with the coaming recess. This allows a deeper recess while still allowing the hatch cover to be easily removed. Plus it get the hatch cover closer to the paddler, so it is easier to open on the water. A smaller foam plug can be now drawn on the foam and cut out.

Note: A forth hatch may be built into the hull in front of the paddler. This will opening into a knee tube that will need to be fabricated.

Dry fit the foam plugs into the holes in the deck of the kayak to make sure the fit is perfect. Now is the time to correct any fit problems. During this process, transfer the height of the hatch cover to the foam plug. By doing this, you’ll be able to see how deep you want the recess to be. The day hatch and the front hatch can be set almost even with the deck and still be able to be accessed because of curvature in the decks. The rear hatch will have to be set slightly higher to allow fingers to reach the cover for removal.

When you’re happy with the fit of the foam plugs, sand them smooth and sand a slight radius about the size of a pen into the bottom of the plug, then cover the plug with a layer of packing tape, which will act as a mold release. If you’re feeling motivated, you could paste wax and PVA the plugs. This would provide you with a better surface and less sanding time later in the project.

Insert the taped plugs into the holes and affix them in the location you want them with tape on the outside of the deck. Rough up the glass on the inside, and start glassing over the plugs. I used 3 layers of 6 ounce glass, and 1 layer of 5.7 ounce carbonfiber, and 3 layers of 5 ounce tight weave. First, I laid in a full sheet of 6 ounce and worked it smooth around the foam plug and the deck making sure that all air bubbles were out, then pieces of carbon fiber where laid on, then one layer of 6 ounce glass. And 5 layers of 5 ounce. All these layers of glass were wet out on a table covered with plastic and then applied to the plug and hull wet. This was done to avoid knocking the foam plugs out of position. A final layer of 6 ounce is added after the plug is pulled. This covers the exposed wood and builds depth to help make the carbonfiber look sharp.

Allow the layup to harden and then draw a opening of the hatch rim to set down into. Rough up the glass recess, the plastic hatch rim, and then glue the rim to the recess using thickened epoxy.

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Cockpit Coaming (8 Hours)

There are many methods of building a cockpit coaming and making a carbon fiber coaming is certainly one of the hardest, but it is an achievable project for the home builder. I like to build mine in four steps.

The first step is to make the foam mold that will be used to produce the coaming. Make sure that your opening is sanded smoothly and looks fair. Check this fairing with the cockpit cutout template used to make the recess. Any type of foam can be used to form a coaming, but I used expanding spray foam, because it was what I could get in town. I sprayed a bead of foam around the cutout and waited for it to set-up and dry. Once dry, I roughed it into shape with a pull saw, and then roughed it closer with a flat and curved surform. The final surface was shaped with 40 grit sandpaper. After the sanding cover the foam with clear packing tape. The tape acts as a mold release. If you want a perfect mold, spray the foam with sanding compound, sand, shape, cover with four or five layers of wax, and the PVA mold release.

After shaping the foam, turn the deck over, rough up the area around the cockpit opening with 60 grit sandpaper so the fiberglass will bond with the deck. Next lay-up a couple of layers of glass running from the inside of the deck to the coaming rise. At this point, don’t worry about forming the coaming lip. I like to dye the epoxy black at this step. This results in a rich black color under the coaming lip. I use 2 layers of 5 ounce tight weave to form this initial lip. After this has set-up, trim this riser even with the top of the foam.

The third step is the hardest. This step is laying up the rest of the riser and the coaming lip. For those skilled in glassing, you can also glass in a drop at this point to hold the straps for the backrest. I passed on doing this, and will try something slightly different. Make sure the surface is clean and that the packing tape is holding and then start wetting-out 2.5″ pieces of glass about 10 inches long. Wet these piece out on a flat surface covered with plastic. These should all be pre-cut or you should have an assistant there cutting the pieces as you go. These strips wrap from the coaming lip on top of the foam down around the bend to the fiberglass riser formed in the last step. Many of these will start to peel up as you continue the project, don’t worry about this yet. Just try to get everything to lay correctly. I use a lay-up of 4 layers of 5 ounce tight weave, 1 layer of epoxy mat, 1 layer of 5 ounce tight weave, 1 layer of 5 ounce carbon fiber, and finally, 1 layer of 6 ounce.

stay there while they harden. To do this, put pieces of peel-ply over the coaming. I use strips 4″ wide by 5″ long. While applying the peel-ply rub the pieces smooth and make sure that they are fully in contact with the surface of the glass. Any air bubbles under the peel-ply will create extra work for you later. Around the tighter bends of the cockpit, some bubbles are almost unavoidable. After the coaming is covered with peel-ply, it’s time to tape. Wrap the entire coaming lip with masking tape, making sure that the glass is pushed down to the foam mold and the fiberglass riser. Pull the tape tight and work out any bubbles you see in the peel-ply. After this is finished, allow the coaming to dry.

The next day, remove the tape and peel-ply, measure a one inch coaming lip around the cockpit opening, and cut to the outside of this line. Use sand paper to dull the sharp edge and bring the coaming to the line.

The surface is now ready for final sanding. Work on sanding out any bubbles or creases created by the tape and peel-ply.

Wooden Recessed Deck Fittings (Optional)

To build recessed deck fittings, you’ll need a router, template guides, and you’ll need to build a router template. For my router template (see the pdf file), I cut the template out of 3/4″ plywood 7/16″ beyond the outside dimension of the final fitting opening. This allowed me to use a 5/16″ template guide with a 1/4″ bit to cut the lip of the fitting that came up through the deck, and it allowed me to use a 1/2″ cove box bit with an 1 5/8″ template guide to cut the recess itself.

There are numerous ways to do this, but I screwed the template to the wood (3/4″ cedar) I was using and cut out the required routes. It helps to have two routers during this operation.

The template I designed snuggly fits 1 1/8″ wide Valley fittings. You can substitute stainless steel rods for these fittings.

After making a couple fittings, I changed my mind and decided to to leave the lip off the fitting and just fit the recess under the deck. This allows you lay a layer of carbon fiber into each fitting for appearances and have it end flush with the deck.

Once the fitting blanks are cut, use a power sander to round the bottom of the fitting to a nice smooth shape.

To attach the fittings to the hull, first cut holes into the deck using the proper size template guide and the template used for cutting the fittings, and then use thickened epoxy, colored purple or black to match the dyed kayak or the carbon fiber, respectively. Then lay a layer or two of glass over the backside of the fitting. When the glass is cured enough to drill, drill a hole for the Valley fitting, coat the hole with epoxy, insert the fitting and cover the nut with thickened epoxy to make sure there is a good seal.

Then lay up the carbon fiber on the outside of the fitting.

Glass and Carbon Recessed Deck Fittings (5 hours for 18 fittings)

After building the wooden recesses for my kayak, I decided to change plans and go with a fully glass recess. Building these requires much less work. First cut the holes in the deck for your recess, round the cuts with a file and sandpaper. Dye the exposed surface.

After the holes are cut, a mold must be built for each recess. This is easily accomplished using chunks of green foam that is used for floral arrangements. Cut a block of foam that is about 1/2″ larger than the hole for the recess, and about 1.5″ deep. From the outside of the deck, push the foam through the hole you cut. Keep pushing until the foam has come through the opening 1/4″ deep. You’ll find that pushing the foam through the hole is extremely easy and it perfectly matches the required shape.

When the foam has been pushed 1/4″ deep, tape it in place, and use your fingers to round the corners of the foam. Then use your gloved finger to apply some PVA mold release to the foam. It’s best to use, at least, two coatings, because the foam may absorb the first and second layers completely. As soon as you have a coated surface, the fittings are ready for glassing.

Mix up a batch of thicken epoxy. A mix of fumed silica and mircoballons will ensure a light and no sag mixture. Gently spread the mixture over the PVA coated foam making sure not to tear the PVA. The key point here is to spread enough of the mixture to allow the fiberglass that you’ll lay up next to easily curve from the mostly flat deck around the curved fitting. The joint between the deck and the foam is the most important location to think about. You can have this mixture be a final outside surface, but it’s best to use purple micro balloons, which will blend in with the blood red dye or use black epoxy pigment to make the mixture black.

Next cut out 6 4″ by 4″ patches of six ounce glass for each deck fitting. Wet these out on a plastic coated surface and then lay them over the foam mold trying to avoid air bubbles and moving the thicken mixture around a bit to arrive at a smooth surface. Cutting all the patches at ounce is easiest and allows the thicken epoxy to set-up slightly, which makes it easier to work with.

Once cured, dig as much of the foam out of the recess as you can. Then use cold water from a hose to remove the rest of the foam and the PVA. Acetone can also dissolve the foam, but make sure your epoxy is completely cured before trying this, because acetone can weaken uncured epoxy.

Next is to mask using masking tape around each fitting, make another batch of thicken epoxy and fill in any imperfections that you may encounter. Then lay a layer of wet 6 ounce carbon fiber into the fitting from the outside of the hull. Once the carbon fiber cloth has had hardened enough to cut with a razor. Cut into it removing any excess that rises over the masking tape and above the deck.

Drill a hole, attach a Valley fitting, and use thicken epoxy to cover the nut on the inside of the hull.

This method would also work using just a stainless rod instead of a Valley fitting. For this layup, you’d have to either settle on the finish provided by the thickened epoxy, or lay a layer of carbon fiber directly against the foam mold and make sure no bubbles are formed. For this method, after PVA has been applied push the stainless rod through the foam, making sure it is directly against the deck. Then lay the glass and thickened epoxy over the foam and steel rod. To make sure the rod doesn’t spin, bend the end of one side 90 degrees before pushing it through the foam.

Notes: Jay Babina suggested using ping pong balls cut in half for round recesses. The balls stay in and are painted black after glassed and gooped into place. Brian Nystorm writes, “Molding deck fitting in ice-cube trays. I’ve seen them in various cavity shapes and some trays are polyethylene, which epoxy won’t bond to. It would seem like an easy way to easily make consistent deck fittings.”

Skeg Box and Blade (5 Hours)

The skeg box and blade for this kayak is built completely from fiberglass. To do this, a mold must first be constructed. A good material for the project is two pieces of 1/4″ luan plywood sandwiched together to become a half inch mold.

First, shape the skeg box mold to the desired outcome, account for the thickness of the hull in your desired depth, and then leave enough wood on the bottom of the mold to make for easy extraction after you’ve finished the lamination step. Sand the edges of the skeg box mold to the radius of a number two pencil. Wrap this with packing tape, trying to get the tape to lay down as tightly as possible over the edges of the skeg box.

Next, cut out the skeg box opening in the bottom of the hull. For this kayak, it makes sense to offset the skeg box, so the built-in skeg isn’t distorted from the new skeg. I offset the skeg box from the center one inch. Make sure that this is even or you could run into problems with performance.

Once satisfied with the skeg box cut-out, apply a layer of paste wax. Allow it to dry and apply a second layer.

While the paste wax is drying, lay a layer of glass through the opening that you just cut. To make it lay right and wrap nicely, tape dry glass to the outside of the hull, run it through the hole and then lay it down on the inside. Wet this glass out.

When the skeg box mold is dry, insert it into the hull from the bottom. Make sure the depth is correct, and then tape it into place. I used saran wrap covered with tape, and then taped the mold vertically with several pieces of tape. Coat the bottom inch with a layer of thickened epoxy (microballons and silica). Pull the fiberglass piece from the bottom onto the thickened epoxy and force some thickened epoxy into the space between the glass and the open wood for your cut through the hull, then lay a couple of layers of six ounce around the skeg box mold and into the hull of the kayak. The thickened epoxy will help hold this glass in place and it will provide a nice radius for the glass to curve around. Work this area so that you have nice smooth curves.

Now, you can go off and cut out the remaining glass for the rest of the skeg box while you wait for this first layup to harden enough to support the skeg box mold vertically.

The lay-up schedule that I use for the skegs is two layers of 6 ounce glass, 1 layer of epoxy mat, followed by three layers of 6 ounce glass, and one piece of 6 ounce 2 inch tape for a final layer over the top of the box. You’ll need to cut enough glass to cover this lay-up. Keep in mind that smaller narrower pieces bend around the top easier.

When the first layers of glass are set-up, mix up a batch of thickened epoxy and apply it smoothly over the rest of the skeg box mold. Then lay a layer of plastic on your work bench and wet-out all the pieces of glass you’ll use for the skeg. Then start laying up the skeg box. Make sure that all the layers are tight to each other to avoid air bubbles. When done, lay a layer of glass tape over the top and and, optionally, cover the whole box with microballlon thickened epoxy for easy sanding after the box is curred. Cover this with pieces of peel ply. Peel ply doesn’t like to bend in several directions, so make sure to use small narrow pieces for the boxes top edge.

After the glass has cured, peel off the peel ply and you should have a nice surface which will need only a little sanding to finish.

While you’re waiting for the box to cure, you can build the skeg blade. I use three layers of mat and four layers of 6 ounce glass to make mine. This will end up with around a 1/4″ thick blade. Making this is easy. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface, lay up the fiberglass, then lay a glass window covered with plastic over all the fiberglass and weigh this down. I colored my blade black by using an epoxy dye.

Installing the cable, blade, and control box will be covered in the next installment.

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Control Box – 1 Hours

The control box for the skeg is built much the same way as the deck fittings. A four and a half inch slot is cut into the hull. It’s located near the center of the coaming. A foam mold is inserted into the slot and covered with paste wax and mold release. Then thickened epoxy is used to round the corners and 5 layers of 3.2 ounce tight weave glass is used to lay-up the control box.

After the box is finished, drill a hole to insert the tubing. I covered the hull around the skeg control box with packing tape, so I would be able to remove the fiberglass part and drill the hole. I also trimmed up the box before installing.

After, the box is epoxied into place, lay carbonfiber into it the same way as the deck fittings were finished or just paint it black using tinted epoxy.

Inside Seams – 5 Hours

Hot glue is your friend for the inside seams! Essentially, this step is completed the same way that Jay Babina (Outer Island Kayak Design) does his seams. First sand and prepare the inside of the hull and deck so that the surface is smooth and the sheerline is fair. Then, hot glue 2″ seam tape 1″ into the hull. You can also use spray adhesive designed for holding fiberglass in place. Next carefully set the deck onto the hull making sure that everything lines up and that the seam tape isn’t trapped.

Use packing tape to hold the deck and hull together. Make sure to run packing tape the full length of the kayak to prevent epoxy from leaking out.

Raise one end of the boat, turn it on edge, and mix some epoxy. Pour the epoxy at an easy to reach location inside the kayak and use a stick with a brush taped to the end to push the epoxy into the ends and to wet-out the glass. Make sure to use enough epoxy and to force the epoxy into the seams. If you leave air bubbles between the seam of the hull and deck, it can result in water moving up and down the kayak.

80 grit Final Sand – 3.5 Hours

Before moving on to the outside seams, peel the tape from the seams, wash everything down and proceed to sanding the outside of the boat smooth with 80 grit paper. I use a random orbital sander with some care, but hand sanding will work also. On a hard chined kayak like this one, it’s very easy to sand through the glass using a power tool at this step, so, you should be careful near the keel, and chines.

Some the seam even and fair. For this part, you may have to sand into the wood, but don’t worry, because the 1″ outside seam tape will cover it.

Outside Seams and Keel Strip – 5 Hours

The outside seams and keel strips require a bit of preparation to make everything come out fair. First, run a 1″ piece of masking tape down the center of the keel and each seam. On each side on this tape, run another piece of 1″ masking tape. Peel the tape out of the center. This is where the keel and seam tape will attach. Make sure by rubbing that the remain strips of tape are firmly sticking to the boat.

Mix up a batch of black tinted epoxy, paint the seam, lay the 1″ fiberglass tape into the epoxy and then paint the tape with epoxy. After one seam is finished, spend some time making sure that it is even and looks fair along its entire length. The black tape really shows off any unevenness or jogs.

It’s best to do one seam at a time and wait for the seam to dry before moving on to the next seam. I did the keel first as a test run, then each seam, one at a time, with the boat tilted on its side. In places the seam tape didn’t want to stay down, so I used peel ply and tape to hold it in place until it cured.

I think a better way to do the seams is follow these instructions and then run peel ply or a very wide piece of packing tape along the whole length of the seam.

Watch for drips for the first 30 minutes after finishing the seam and then check back every 30 to make sure that everything is working out as planned.

After the outside seams cure, sand down the rough edges, and do a fill coat. The fill coat is tricky, because it will want to sag and run, so, you could mix in black tint and silica. Or lay a large piece of packing tape over the second coat of epoxy and peel off after the fill coat sets-up.

Bulkheads – 3 Hours

First, print out the forms where you plan on putting bulkheads and then cut out an oversized piece of 1.5 epoxy mat for each bulkhead. In addition for each bulkhead, cut out a 5 ounce tight weave or 6 ounce piece of fiberglass in exactly the same shape. Wet out both pieces for each bulkhead on a flat surface on top of plastic. Wait a half hour and come back and squeege out excess epoxy, then lay a piece of plastic over each of the now wet bulkheads. Place some plywood or other flat boards over the bulkheads and weigh them down. This will help squeeze out extra epoxy.

Let sit overnight and in the morning come back and peel the blanks out of the plastic. Cut the blanks down to the size of the forms. Then test fit them in the kayak. Trim until you are happy with the fit and then fiberglass into place using 2″ seam tape. Before you apply the seam tape using a filet of silica mixed with epoxy around the bulkhead and use the mix to wet out the surface the tape will eventually sit on. This will help keep the tape in place while you paint the tape with epoxy using a cheap brush.

Each bulkhead will weigh around 4 ounces, which is pretty light compared to a full cedar strip or plywood bulkhead.

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Wetting the kayak in the crystal clear water of Lake Superior was the best reward for almost a year of building. Ilena and I launched the Iggy with little fanfare. John Amren, owner of Superior Coastal Sports in Grand Marais was the only other attendee, and he was there because we choose the beach behind his shop as our point of departure for a tour around the Grand Marais harbor.

The Iggy is a semi-replica of the 1959 Ken Taylor kayak that spawned the Anas Acuta and spurred modern British recreational kayaking. The original Iggy was built as a skin-on-frame in Igdlorssuit (Illorsuit is the new spelling) by Emanuele Korneiliussen. Since then it has been built a number of times in different materials. The materials used in this build were 3/16″ cedar strips dyed blood red, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and plastic hatches.

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The second trip with the Iggy involved a trip from Grand Portage, out to the Susie Island and then to the border.

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A skeg is an effective tool that can help control a kayak in difficult conditions. In quartering wind and waves, it can be a godsend. For the average backyard builder, commercial skegs tend to be expensive and most backyard builders will have the skills to fabricate their own. When looking at skeg options, I’ve never been able to find a wooden one that satisfied my sense of durability and simplicity. So, I set out to make a fiberglass skeg that would work well in a wooden kayak. Below you’ll find the steps that I took.

1. Come up with the size and shape of the skeg that you want to build. I picked a low profile design that would take up limited space in the cargo hatch. It’s simply two circles connected with edges and then one edge shaved off.
2. Next build a plug. A plug for the skeg box is a male mold that you’ll lay the glass around to build a skeg box. Depending on how you plan on controlling your skeg, you may have build a box to accommodated bungees, lines, wires, etc… With a standard through the top deck bungee deployment/static line retracting/jam cleat system similar to those you’ll find on a NDK or Valley kayak, you’ll need a plug that is 3/4″ wide, so you can use standard 1″s to construct your plug. For a wire skeg system, you could use two pieces of 1/4″ plywood glued together for a thin skeg box. The shape you make your skeg box, needs to be large enough to hold the blade plus any ropes, bungees, etc… For my skeg box, I drew a box large enough to accommodate my skeg blade shape, plus ropes, and then subtracted the width of the hull from the bottom. I also added a 3/4″ wooden dowel to the top to allow the bungee and static line to run up from the skeg to the top deck. The bungee will be attached to a deck fitting and the static line attached to a jam cleat behind the cockpit of the kayak. Make sure to finish and sand your mold, because the surface of your mold determines the quality of finish on your final part.



3. Find two pieces of glass that are large enough to hold your skeg blade. Clean these.
4. Buy a quality paste wax and some PVA Mold Release. I used Evercoat Mold Release and Star Bright Paste Wax. Coat the glass pieces on one side with four coats of paste wax and several coats of PVA. You can spray the PVA, but for a job this small it’s just as easy to brush it on. Also, coat your wooden mold with three or four coast of paste wax and several coats of mold release. The mold release I used is purple, so I could see that the mold was coated enough for my job.



5. Next layup the skeg blade on one piece of glass that you coated with PVA. I used epoxy fiberglass mat, which is a mat that is designed to be used with epoxy and not one of the esters. I laid up my blade to come to a thickness of 1/4″ after compression. Mat tends to fill with air, so use a fiberglass roller to force out the air bubbles after you have all the pieces wet out. You should also squeeze out excess epoxy. After you’re satisfied with bubble and excess epoxy removal, place the second piece of glass ontop of the fiberglass and add weight to the top of it.



6. You can layup the glass onto your skeg box mold now also. Use a combination of fabric fiberglass and mat. I laid a 6 ounce piece onto the mold first, then two layers of mat and then two layers of 6 ounce. You can set your mold onto a surface covered with saran wrap to guarantee that it will not stick to the surface. If you want a tight layup, cover your fiberglassed mold with peel ply and then wrap it with electrical tape to compress the fiberglass to the mold.



7. Wait for the glass to setup.
8. Now the scary part, cut a hole the size of the box into your hull. After it’s cut, lay a piece of glass around the opening and maybe use some thickened epoxy to help reinforce the opening.



9. Drill a hole in the skeg box so you can insert the bolt to serve as the pivot point for the skeg. Insert the bolt and enough rubber washers in the skeg box slot to make sure you get the wiggle out of the skeg blade. The 1/4″ bungee will help stablize the skeg when combined with rubber washers. I glassed mine into place after covering it with thickened epoxy. I used peel ply to make the final surface nice and smooth.



10. After the glass is set up, glass in the skeg box by fiberglassing it into the hull. Make sure that it is glassed in vertically or your skeg will protrude from the bottom at an angle.



11. Now, for a through the deck bungee system, cut a 3/4″ hole in the deck and PVA and paste wax a 3/4″ dowel. Run this down the hole to the hole in the skeg box. You can now wrap this all with glass, peel ply, electrical tape, or you can just glass a 11/2″ section near the deck and use plastic hose and hose clamps to connect them. For other systems, you’ll have to dream up other connections to make this work.



12. Next, set up the skeg for the line and bungee cord. Drill two holes into the skeg. The first is along the bottom further forward of the pivot point on the skeg. The second is on top of the skeg to line up with the 3/4″ dowel. Insert the skeg into the box using a slot you cut into the skeg at a little over 90 degrees to the bottom line of the skeg.
13. Attach the bungee and run it around the bolt and up through the hole in the deck and anchor it to a fitting on the deck. Then attach the jam cleat and static line.



14. Play with your skeg.

Finished Pictures of Homemade Skeg

Thoughts About Installing a Skeg While Building

The skeg I installed was a retrofit to a boat of mine. If I were installing a skeg to a boat under construction, I’d do it differently. The first step that I’d take is to cut the hole in the kayak and wrap the opening with glass and thickened epoxy. The second thing I’d do is insert my mold into the hole and glass right around it while the plug was installed. This way, I would attach the skeg box and lay-it-up at the same time. I think that laying peel ply over the skeg box and wrapping it in electrical tape would also be very helpful.

Thoughts About Installing a Wire Controlled Skeg

Construct the skeg box using a mold 1/2″ thick. On the top stern of the skeg box drill a hole to run your tubing into. Then glass your tubing into this hole. Run your tubing past your bulkheads to a control box near your left hand in the cockpit.

Figure out a way to attach your wire to your skeg using a screw that you can back out. I’d drill two holes that intersect and run the wire down the one directly below the tubing. The second I’d thread in a screw. Then unthread that screw and insert a bolt with the same thread pattern. After inserting the wire, the screw should be tightened until it locks the wire into place.

For the actual skeg, I’d lay it up slightly thicker than 1/4″.

Other Systems

A slick system dreamed up by Björn Thomasson uses two cords that run through tubing and emerge on the deck. One cord pulls the skeg up and the other drops the skeg. They are held in place with a piece of bungee. This is a slick system and highly repairable in the field. Read more here (Opens in a New Window): Björn’s Instructions.

Björn wrote the following on the Kayak Building Bulletin Board:

“The skeg on my Njord worked as planned, without any problems for the four years since built.
A control line as a loop from the skeg through two tubes emerging on the fore deck in front of the cockpit – the loop held tight with a short piece of bungy chord.
To replace the skeg or lines etc, untie the bungy chord, pull the skeg vertical and lift it out and untie the control line knots.
The fat NACA-shaped skeg has less resistance and is more efficient than a thin plate. On the skeg i attach thin foam washers to keep it centered in the box. This reduces noise and makes sure the friction in the system is where it must be – on the skeg and not the lines.
The only disadvantage is that, with my configuration and skeg size, there is a short line travel from up to down, just 4 cm, which makes precision handling a little awkward in winter with gloves. But in reality that is a minor problem – when needed you just tug the line and the luffing problem is reduced by at least 90%.”

Other Resources

I drew some information from Getting on Track by Jamie Brown in Sea Kayaker Magazine, June 1995. That article addresses wire skeg systems in more detail than I do.

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This years Meet at the Beach – MN occured at Lutsen Resort’s Beach on Saturday, June 16. Lutsen Resort is located in Lutsen, MN on the shore of Lake Superior.

The Photos

Full size files on request by participants.

Links to Other Meet at the Beach Builder Events

Here are links to other established Meet at the Beach Events..

• Texas Builder’s Bash
• Meet at the Beach – Connecticut
• West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous “R2K6″

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