want to check out the NFCT forums and contact some folks for advice. Through the years there have been quite a few reports of damaged boats, dragging and such.
If it were me I'd go poly and eliminate some of the portages but you would need to have the skill set to do that.
In the first three sections I've already skipped or cut down the distances of a number of the carry's using poly. Some of it I kayaked and some of it I canoed and used wheels on the portages.
People talk about how slow poly or abs is but if you can do a one trip portage with wheels or run rapids on the fly loaded you make up the time you lose on the flats.
I'm interested in doing the whole thing (and have done most of the maine stuff back in the 80s with the bsa) but I definitely want to go with the flow in each of the sections. I section hiked the AT so that's more my style. I'm gonna pick the boat for each section that I'm doing and try to catch it with optimal flow.
You could always detour off the NFCT, head south in the Allagash lakes, paddle the EAst Branch, have an outfitter pick up your boat and gear, then backpack south from Katahdin (Whetstone is a skip hop and jump away from Katahdin on the IAT from the East Branch).
You'll smell better, eat better, and your feet won't get as tired (although they might get nasty from being wet a lot) paddlin' as oppose to hiking. The NFCT should be a walk in the park for you. Assuming you go with adequate flow. Just like on the AT the trick will be staying healthy if your looking to end to end in one trip.
Rapidfire Placid Boatworks Rapidfire is an ideal solo pack canoe. Some of the portages you cannot use a wheeled cart. I’m sure some others will chime in with further information.
what kayak It is certainly possible to paddle the NFCT in a composite boat but there have been a few instances of them being wrecked along the way. Most kayakers have used poly boats.
You need to get an all around boat that will perform adequately in all situations. If you do choose a composite kayak be prepared to do some repairs. Personally I wouldn’t choose a $2,000.00 kayak for the trip, a poly boat is heavier but far more durable. Invest in a good set of wheels and accept that you might have to work a little harder on some of the carries. With a poly kayak you will be able run some things that you might be forced to carry with the composite boat. There will be no concerns dragging the thing upstream on shallow rivers and grinding it over beaver dams.
Whatever you choose Have a great trip and have lots of fun.
Thank you Thank you for all of the replies everyone, and sorry for the belated response.
I’m now inclined towards going with a pack canoe at this point, due to the relatively light weight compared to a kayak; and the ability to easily carry one over my head with a yoke for long portages.
I’ve narrowed it down to the Swift Keewaydin 14’ in Kevlar fusion (28 pounds) or the Slipstream Watercraft Impulse 13’ in hybrid (17 pounds…wow!).
The weight difference is a huge factor to me and I’m leaning towards the Impulse 13 at this point. However, I am wondering how much performance and speed I will be missing out on by going a foot shorter……will I regret that while going through larger lakes?
One thing I like about the Impulse 13 is that I can put in a second seat if I want to take a friend out with me for an afternoon. What I like about the Swift 14 is that the seat looks amazingly comfortable and I like the lumbar support feature.
I’m wondering what gunnel width to go with on the impulse 13 if I go that route…you can choose between 25” and 29”…(any advice?!)
Thank you Thank you for all of the replies everyone, and sorry for the belated response.
I’m now inclined towards going with a pack canoe at this point, due to the relatively light weight compared to a kayak; and the ability to easily carry one over my head with a yoke for long portages.
I’ve narrowed it down to the Swift Keewaydin 14’ in Kevlar fusion (28 pounds) or the Slipstream Watercraft Impulse 13’ in hybrid (17 pounds…wow!).
The weight difference is a huge factor to me and I’m leaning towards the Impulse 13 at this point. However, I am wondering how much performance and speed I will be missing out on by going a foot shorter……will I regret that while going through larger lakes?
One thing I like about the Impulse 13 is that I can put in a second seat if I want to take a friend out with me for an afternoon. What I like about the Swift 14 is that the seat looks amazingly comfortable and I like the lumbar support feature.
I’m wondering what gunnel width to go with on the impulse 13 if I go that route…you can choose between 25” and 29”…(any advice?!)
RapidFire Before you make up your mind, check out the Placid Boatworks Facebook page (July 29) for the little blurb and photo of a 68 year old fellow who through paddled the NFCT in a Rapid. Weighs less than a Kee 14 and is sturdy as all get out. I own a Placid boat, and it feels nearly indestructible.
Rapidfire The rapidfire looks like a beast. The seat doesn’t look particularly comfortable though.
It looks like Slipstream Watercraft might be adding a 15’ “impulse” like boat over the winter. You folks have me worried that I will be going overboard in the lakes in the 13’…lol
Rapidfire The rapidfire looks like a beast. The seat doesn’t look particularly comfortable though.
It looks like Slipstream Watercraft might be adding a 15’ “impulse” like boat over the winter. You folks have me worried that I will be going overboard in the lakes in the 13’…lol
Rapidfire The rapidfire looks like a beast. The seat doesn’t look particularly comfortable though.
I wish I could just test them all out without driving 10 hours.
It looks like Slipstream Watercraft might be adding a 15’ “impulse” like boat over the winter. You folks have me worried that I will be going overboard in the lakes in the 13’…lol
I have a Rapidfire and the Seat way outdoes any foam pad offerings. It has a back and which is key and is canted for ergonomic support Joe and co did not just throw in foam
Also there are several other seats available. When you deal with a semi custom builder you can indeed have it your way
I agree with Kim about the seat. I was a skeptic at first, but now I have to get out to pee long before I'm uncomfortable.
A ten hour drive can indeed be daunting, so why don't you call the manufacturers and see if there is someone near to you who would be willing to let you try it out? I'd let you try my SpitFire if you were close.
I've seen a few Slipstream canoes. Nice boats, but not up to the craftsmanship of the Placid boats. My Spitfire feels bulletproof by comparison and is only a wee bit heavier. Check out the Placid Boatworks website for a picture of some Rapids on Lake Champlain. Talk to Joe.
Rapidfire Seat I asked Joe to put in the highest possible seat in my Rapidfire. It is not the high floor mounted seat option usually offered, but instead is a rail mount seat with a slight forward tilt. Higher than the highest floor mount seat. I paddle the RF single blade and it is fast and comfortable over any long distance trip, with more than adequate carrying capacity for any number of days.
Having said that, I paddled the NY section of the NFCT in a 10.5 foot Hornbeck, actually beginning from a point 30 miles to the west (Boonville) of the official beginning at Old Forge, ending half way across Lake Champlain at Cumberland Head (at my daughter’s house).
Granted the uncomfortable floor mounted Hornbeck foam seat and the necessity to use a double blade paddle is not ideal (a double blade is a negative for me, but you can’t really use a single blade with the Hornbeck configuration). I chose the Hornbeck because of the total 185 miles in my trip, during the extra low water the Saranac River in late July I had fully 62 miles of carries. The Hornbeck with a custom spray cover (useful for windy days on big lakes, especially the broadside rollers of Lake Champlain) handled the trip well and portaged easily with all my gear and food for a week.
That’s a lot of portage I didn’t realize it got that low in July, wow. What time of year would you suggest starting the NFCT? Is it going to have to be earlier in bug season basically?
There were quite a few miles of portaging in the early part of my trip, 15 miles after leaving the Black River Canal at Forestport to reach North Lake, then another 18 of mostly portaging to where I actually entered the NFCT at 6th Lake. From there to Saranac Lake village paddling the route is straightforward in sufficiently deep water at any time of the season. Same if you choose to begin at the official start in Old Forge. It is not until you get below Saranac Lake village that things can get bumpy.
If I had wanted to keep banging on boulders on the lower reaches of the Saranac River downstream from Union Falls Pond, I could have floated many more miles than I did. But doing so in a relatively clean carbon/kevlar Hornbeck gets old real quick. It was actually an easy choice to just carry everything several miles at a stretch to bypass several various troublesome river segments. The longest carry I did there was 6 miles, all others were much shorter.
Early June (yes, prime black fly bug season) as the water warms up to less lethal temperatures would probably be ideal for relatively high water level paddling, but many segments of the lower Saranac would be quite fast running, possibly too much for those who are primarily flat water paddlers. Mid-late June would offer more comfortable mid-level water, but in bug season still. When I went in mid-late July, it was very hot and the deer flies feasted on my shoulders - they did not venture into the upturned canoe with my head. While paddling bugs are not really any problem.
