Hey There,
My local reservoir requires that a boat be quarantined for 30 days before they let it on the water. With a normal boat they provide a lock which locks it to the trailer, guaranteeing you have not broken the quarantine by taking it out on another lake.
As is always the case, they have a pitifully small rack to store canoes on site and the waiting list is like 2 years
I want to propose to them, I install an andersen bailer in my wenonah WWII kevlar ultralight foam core, then they I can put a cable through the bailer (locking it open, similar to a cable lock for a revolver). This way I dont need a huge and hard to manage dedicated canoe trailer, and they can essentially disable the boat for use off-reservoir.
How hard is it to install an andersen bailer? I have a decent amount of epoxy work under my belt. Cutting through the kevlar cleanly is my main concern.
I was also thinking of just drilling a Bung hole in one if the ribs below the waterline, but not on the bottom of the boat if they would allow that. Same idea, cable goes through hole and is locked āopenā.
Any thoughts or advice on that? Anyone try this with a quarantine-required reservoir?
I canāt imagine an automatic bailer working on a canoe anyway, besides cutting a 2x3 hole in a nice canoe to please some people that really donāt want you on ātheirā water anyway? No thanks.
Bailers need a minimal speed to work, and unless they have a backflow preventer will flood the boat at speeds below that. Itās questionable if you will be operating the boat at this speed all of the time, like launching and landing.
You might have better luck convincing them to lock the boat to a roof rack, assuming that you need to comply with this draconian measure.
An andersen bailer can be closed. They are standard on racing canoes. functionally no water will enter the boat, ever. Speed is no concern, it would never be open. The only purpose is to allow a cable to ālock outā the boat. Since I am considering something like this, it is safe to say there is nowhere else to paddle around me. Its not a private lake, its part of the CA reservoir system and because it provides drinking water they are very strict about boats entering the lake. Its like talking someone out of their religion, so no, I will not be convincing them of anything else. An andersen bailer can operate at speeds of 3-4mph if its only slightly open, which I can easily meet if I needed to use it.
Anyways, chime in if you have install advice.
Hereās what I want to do on a larger scale for reference
A diamond (or carbide) grit saber saw blade (no teeth) worked ok for a recent composite hull modification to one of my boats. Big box stores usually have Red Devil brand assortments on display. Hoping for carbide grit - but only diamond was available.
Follow up cleaning the edges with sharp edged scraper. Razor blades can be carefully used as scrapers as well.
Hope this helps. There are more experienced forum members who may have better responses.
Is it a zebra mussel prevention issue at that lake?
Before worrying too much about how to put a hole in your expensive canoe, I would ask them. Chances are, if it is a govāt agency, the rules are the rules, plus the waiting list is a way to control the volume of new boats. It isnāt there just because of space to quarantine
Alas, it is all for not. The overlords said ābecause the boat could physically be placed in another body of water, even with the bailer open, they would not accept this solutionā.
The intent was not for safety, it was to intentionally disable the boat so the other ideas do not achieve that purpose.
Pretty lame. Who would put a canoe with a hole in the bottom and a cable around the hull in the water at another lake, when you can just go paddle it on the approved lake as normal.
Whether it was on the east or west coast, reservoirs have some seriously dumb restrictions. Tell me how swimming in one is going to contaminate things? or how my canoe with a cable locked hole in it is a danger to the water supply. They treat human powered boats with the same regulations as power boats. Frustrating and dumb!
Sorry to hear you canāt get out on the water. We have tons of rivers, lakes and ponds out here in New England to choose from. Is it really that limited for you?
Im originally from MN so am used to water everywhere and plenty of public access.
But now Iām in Southern California and the only fresh water is in a reservoir. Only 3 of them in my area allow boats. 2 only requires a wash down to enter, but they are an hourās drive.
The one that is 2 miles from my house requires a 35 day quarantine then locking the boat to a trailer with a Water District lock that only they can remove, ensuring the boat is not used elsewhere, or else you have to re-quarantine if you break the lock.
I volunteered to build more boat stands if they give me a spot though!
