Anyone recommend a good removeable canoe yoke for my Vagabond? Also, if I have bow and stern painter lines, should I have a throwbag as well?
I have one for my kayak, but do I need one for the canoe?
Maybe and yes
– Last Updated: Feb-05-08 7:41 AM EST –
I've tried two removable yokes, one from Mad River Canoe http//www.rei.com/product/640778
and the other from Bell Canoe .http://bellcanoe.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=185
The Mad River yoke is more comfortable because of the shaped minicell pad, and is not as industrial looking as the Bell yoke with the Chosen Valley sling pads. These removable yokes take a lot of tinkering to get them tight and even then they are prone to slip. I've decided the easy thing to do is take a regualr yoke, put the shaped Mad River Superior minicell padding
http//www.rei.com/product/636523
on it, and attach it with wing nuts so I can take it in and out. It takes a minute or two to fiddle with the wng nuts, but its a solid hookup that works for me.
I think all canoeists should carry a throw rope, first aid kit, whistle and knife.
How do you like the Vagabond? I just got one in graphite to use for pond hopping.
If the Chosen Valley ones slip
the manufacturer has hints to stop that. I do like mine.
Yes carry a throw bag. If you paddle in Canada it is required equipment. Anywhere it is a good idea…you never know when you will need it. Its for others as well as you…
Throw bag/painters
– Last Updated: Feb-05-08 3:11 PM EST –
A throw bag could certainly be used as a temporary painter; to line your canoe through a low spot, or a rapid you didn't want to run. However, that is not the intended purpose, or correct use of a throw bag.
I would suggest that you have bow & stern painters semi-permanently mounted
on your canoe. Beside lining your canoe on the river, they can also be used as bow/stern tiedowns when hauling your canoe on your vehicle, or to tie your canoe to a fixed object to keep it from "wandering off".
Painters are typically not long enough to be used in lieu of a throwbag; they were not meant to be.
If I were you; I'd carry a throwbag separately.
Throw bags that are going to be used to assist/rescue people should NOT be used to tie canoes onto vehicles, line canoes, or tie canoes to fixed objects.
Ropes used in throw bags should not be exposed unnecessarily to UV for extended periods of time. They should not be exposed to any unnecessary stain/stress not associated with the assistance/rescue of people. They should be kept clean, not stored wet, and air dried out of the sun. They should be inspected occasionally for wear, cuts, etc.
Different ropes, designed for different purposes.
P.S. Reminded me of a park ranger who blundered into a class I was teaching about rappeling to a group of students. The ranger remarked, "I've got one of those rappeling ropes. I keep it in the back of my vehicle, so I have it handy if I come up on somebody in the park who got their vehicle stuck. And it's good for rappeling too".
NOT!!!!!!!!
throwbag is not for hanging food
though it works quite well to get rope over a branch.
If you do, retire it from throwbag service. Tree bark is hard on ropes, even when you use a carabiner system.
I have my food throwbag (15m rope) and my real throwbag(100 ft)
Strap in lieu of carry thwart
I followed some advice I received via this board and installed a carry strap vs a temp. thwart.
But before you even get that far, try one of those tie down straps, tightly wrapped all the way around the hull at the spot where the boat balances. I found that surprisingly comfortalbe and sort of wished I just stopped right there. But I didn’t.
After convincing myself a strap works as well as a thwart, I installed 1.5" webbing and a side-lock buckle. Because they are mounted beneath the gunwale and not as tight as a wrap-around strap, there is not quite as much clearance for my head as when I just used the wrap-around method. It’s winter, and it is still comfortable to carry the boat wearing a wool hat to keep my bald head from scraping the boat bottom. This is a flat bottomed boat. If it was a little rounded the clearance might be better.
I probably need to sew the straps and make permenant the adjustment at the buckle. On the car, the strap comes off the buckle and I get a strap beating racket on the roof.
Beyond the racket on the car roof, I am pretty happy with the arrangement and think it is far superior to having to carry a spare thwart and some extra parts and fuss around fitting the thing in order to carry the boat. It’s lighter, takes up less space, has few parts to break or loose, is quick to employ, and fairly comfortable.
I believe you can find a strap set up on the Mohawk site. I pieced mine together at the REI store.