When i bought the Summersong, it was painted UPS brown and there poorly done patches
On the front and back and both sides. It was a mess.
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It really doesnāt matter whether a canoe, kayak or rowed boat; theyāre all hand powered. Pedaled boats accomplish the same thing, which is a cost efficient, natural way of enjoying 71% of the earthās surface. Sail power isnāt much different, except it requires less effort to move the boat.
The distinction is load capacity, relative speed depending on design, and the aesthetic appeal of the material used to fabricate the hull. Properly fitted out, either a canoe or kayak is capable of excellent performance, speed, manueverability or load capacity. As a rule, canoes are easier to enter or exit and have greater load capacity, but the right kayak has an edge on sea worthiness.
I prefer a kayak for open water for how it handles wind and waves. A kayak seat with the high back is more comfortable to me over long distances, even if the feature could cause issues with reentry in a capsize situation. Regardless of size, shape or materials, they both offer the same freedom of exploration.
The kayak has given me unhithered access to the upper Chesapeake Bay and all the tributaries from the entrance to Baltimore Harbor and up the Susquehanna River to York, PA, over 60 miles of the James River around Williamsburg, as well as many lakes in PA. All by retracing the many courses on multiple trips at speeds under 5 mph. The lakes and some of the rivers were largely by canoe, while the bay was mostly in a kayak. It mattered less whether it an aluminum canoe, a cheap Coleman tub, Mad River Adventure with the high back seat support, the more efficient Old Town Penobscot, or one of the recreation or sea kayaks. They all served the task at hand, which was exploration or fishing; they all got me there and back safely, without the fear of being my final day on earth.
Roto-molded kayak, albeit heavy, are inexpensive and virtually indestructible. Iāve been in a kayak without getting out for over 7 1/2 hours, exploring over 21 miles while enjoying the warmth of the sun, the fresh breeze and the rocking waves. It doesnāt matter if you share it with another paddler, make it a group experience, or simply enjoy the solitude.
The style of boat isnāt important, as long as itās suitable for conditions. The key is picking the right platform for the obstacles you plan to encounter. My early years were mosy in an aluminum canoe. We were young and full of vigor, as we powered with all our effort, then we came upon an elderly couple (about my current age) in an elegant canoe. Their progress seemed contrary to the effortless stroke. Every boat has a sweet spot where speed and effort intersect. That is what makes every boat an intriguing adventure. Itās fine to enjoy the social adventure of paddling, but you should also explore the intrinsic qualities of each boat.
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Yup. Whether canoe or kayak, the objective is similar. Weāre all cut from similar cloth, I believe. I donāt know how many here have read Sigurd Olson, but I believe he captures āthe tie that binds usā pretty well. Substitute ākayakā for ācanoeā if you likeā¦ This is from his essay āThe Way of a Canoeā from his book āThe Singing Wildernessā.
It begins:
āThe movement of a canoe is like a reed in the wind. Silence is part of it, and the sounds of lapping water, bird songs, and wind in the trees. It is part of the medium through which it floats, the sky, the water, the shores.
A man is part of his canoe and therefore part of all it knows. The instant he dips a paddle, he flows as it flows, the canoe yielding to his slightest touch, responsive to his every whim and thought. The paddle is an extension of his arm, as his arm is part of his body. Skiing down a good slope with the snow just right comes close to it, with the lightness of near-flight, the translating of even a whisper of a wish into swift action; there, too, is a sense of harmony and oneness with the earth. But to a canoeman there is nothing that compares with the joy he knows when a paddle is in his hand.ā
And ends:
āThere is magic in the feel of a paddle and the movement of a canoe, a magic compounded of distance, adventure, solitude, and peace. The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness and of a freedom almost forgotten. It is an antidote to insecurity, the open door to waterways of ages past and a way of life with profound and abiding satisfactions. When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known.ā
I, and I assume others, think the above makes some sense. I enjoy, and I assume others, also occasionally enjoy the company of others who feel the same way. It is something that is worth sharing and a gift to be passed on.
How?
As brother Jimi Hendrix asks, āJust what seems to be the fuss out there? Just what seems to be the hang?ā 
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What concerns me and the reason I explored this subject in the first place sith Pam and you responded is, if we canāt bring people together through paddling with all the attributes you just listed, how can we bring people together? The reason it is so difficult is because there are active forces trying to divide us for their own purposes. This must be recognized and defeated.
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And to lighten things up a bitā¦ This is what happens at camp when two old codgers, one in their 70s and one in their 80s, in a fast tandem canoe paddles the same distance with a youngster in a kayak (Perception Dancer).
He stayed that way for 20 mins.
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I wish I could figure out the how. My children like their Mother enjoy only day paddling and not enough to buy their own equipment and go out on their own. Going with Mom and Dad and using their stuff is great, butā¦ So as the children go, the grandchildren go. I bought a large canoe with hopes of doing some trips with the Grands, but it hasnāt happened, and as they get older they more and more are wanting to do their own paddling. Maybe one day when theyāre in their teens we will have a flotilla headed to the BWCA.
All that said, I have to admit that Iām paddling less and enjoying the outdoors on my bike more. It is much less of a hassle, and my wife enjoys riding more than paddling.
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I think the canoe is under rated and under appreciated. As I got older, sitting in the camoe seat and the lack of back support became a problem for me. Its surprising to hear so many complaints about kayak seating. One reason I like the Wilderness Systems kayaks is the seat, which isnāt equal to a luxury car seat, but itās better than any other I tried. Your quotation about the camoe is very fitting.
As I pointed outbin another thread, the canoe is already set up as a tandem, and a properly sized canoe can easily carry a third adult or two small children. I made smaller sized paddles so my grandkids could share in paddling. They couldnāt contribute much, but they didnāt hinder either; they also felt connected and took great pride in assisting.
The videos of how the canoe can be turned on a dime by using the proper stroke and technique shoes the versatility. There are canoes built for speed, but the greatest asset is the stability and load carrying capacity for camping. For anyone who wants to converse with a partner, the canoe is the proper ride, because at least for me, paddling a canoe is by rote - It doesnāt matter what the person in front is doing.
My goal for this season is to start taking my canoe out in the protected water, when winds are higher than I want to tackle on the open water. Canoes are good.
So I am a group organizer in WV. For a long time now I have hosted a paddling event on the upper new river that is called weeny fest. It occurs each year the weekend after gauley fest. It is 5 mile stretch of class 2 water that isnāt very technical but I enjoy it. I guess Iāve been hosting it for about 15 years now. Iāve had as few as 8 and as many as 40. I donāt worry about attendance. As long as I and others have goodtime.
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Tony, I guessing many of the attendees at your group are repeat āoffendersā. Do you think the group would continue without your organizing it? In your case, would there be someone who would want to take over your role if you were to decide to drop back and be ājustā a participant?
Organizing can become burdensome and it is unfair to saddle anyone with that duty on a permanent basis, even if the nature of the gathering doesnāt require as much organization as, say, a Grand Canyon trip with all meals provided. I know as I have gotten older and more arthritic I could never manage as I did back when I was doing the Wisconsin River trips, but there was nobody chomping at the bit to replace me, so it died. I hate to see repeats of that project but wonder how it could be avoided. It is a project worth continuing and the ground has already been broken.
I think you have swerved into it. That entire organizational model is flawed and lends itself to the other members actually getting lazy and all of the burden falls on one person and if that person is not around or even not as vigorous the entire event disappears. It goes back to what we were tslking about, being patient an assembling the right people which share responsibility evenly without any real effort. Something happens to one person, it continues on, with remorse, but seamlesslyā¦
Edit: Or you can just say,āScrew Groups.āā¦.But, what if you formed a loosely organized group of those who have said ā Screw Groups.ā
.
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Well, if āassemblingā is something that could be done without being restrictive. Part of the beauty of such gatherings is the ability to be family friendly and inclusive of, say, sea kayakers, white water canoeists, bird watchers, BWCA trippers, etc. Beginners and experts alike. You get the ideaā¦ We all have something to share with each other and we all have something to learn. Any attempt to āassembleā a group seems, to me, to be artificial and necessarily restrictive. Maybe Iām wrong, but I donāt see how to do otherwise without damaging the value of the endeavor.
Another person or two who could switch off years on organizing would be helpful, but it seems to me like it would have to be people who are somewhat local to the venues and on top of local water conditions and the trends, on top of changes in camping policies at local camping facilities, which camps had their facilities washed away in floods since last time, etc.
For example, back when there were govt. shutdowns many of us from out of the area thought that even with a shutdown, even if youāre paddling a Natl. Scenic Protected river, as the Current is, they still couldnāt ācloseā a river to the public. No river is privately owned, all are public property. No matter if the National Park Service camps are closed. We are the public, donāt need govt. help to paddle and are fully capable of river camping. Wrong. That apparently was true enough as far as the river and campgrounds go, but they hired folks to tow away cars at all the NPS landings. It cost more for them to keep the landings closed that to leave them open, but they did it anyway. We out-of-towners would have been in a pickle if weād driven 600 mi (as I do) and had nowhere to legally park anywhere near the river.
Pam and the locals knew about that and knew about other rivers where the landings were privately owned and therefore available.
So experience suggests that a couple local folks willing to organize seems like a necessity.
Iām going to have to leave for a bit, so please donāt think Iām trying to ignore anyone. Life intervenes.
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If you want to take the most negative connotation of āassembleā I am sure you can weave an entire narrative around it which you have done. Assemble is just to gather, it is not draconian. Point one: The old way of organizing has proven to be ineffective due to the obvious demise of just about every great gathering of the past, so you want to continue that way? Point two: If there were true shared responsibilities to all members of the group someone would emerge to handle whatever problems arise even something as complicated as Covid. It is not necessary to have a big Bullwinkle multi tasking and controling everything. People are not helpless, unless you make them helpless which is the goal of some people, it is called patronizing, the most psychologically damaging behavior in existence.
Edit: Assemble, as in Assembly , as Gather is to Gathering, not as āTo Assemble a Motor.ā
learning to be one with the boat connects us to a poetry of motion on an often active surface of water. The interesting places it takes us and the sense of mastery that comes with making the boat an extension of you is beautifully stated by the author. I havenāt read the book so thanks for posting those quotes. I know the feeling he describes. Itās a thrill making a boat respond. In the wild places the boats allow us to become a quite part in tune and in the moment.
I often think when I am in a canoe that I love paddling it the best, and when I am paddling my sea kayak, I think I love it the best. They both have their kindred charm and satisfaction.
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With all of that bring true, why is it now so difficult to assemble people who have experienced that to share what they have in common?
My experience with relying on other people to pitch in has not been favorable. Itās hard enough finding time to hook up and coordinate an event with just one person. The best organization I foundcwas in my sonās Voy Scout Troop. I did that for eleven years and only missed one trip. Only ywo or three other peopke had that level of commitment, but those people made it work. I cooked for the whole troop on winter cabin trips and just the men for the outside trips. They never had to worry about meals, but they screwed that up, and one day, I walked off and never looked back because some people canāt mind their own business and let a successful program operate.
You have a great deal of faith in human nature.
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I miss the old days !
I moved to NorCal in 2007 and only make it back East every year or two (mainly to spend time with Hap), but itās not out of the question to make a trip back for a Raystown Reunion !
I donāt paddle that much these days since marbles took over my life, but I still have my 22ā Clipper Mariner and get out on Humboldt Bay a few times a year.
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Who is Hap?
Hap is a famous and beloved member of the paddling community. He was a long term employee at Blue Mountain Outfitters and participated in many trips and events.
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OMG, Topher I just spoke to Phil S and he sent me some pics and one was you and him from just recently. He gave me a knife a long time ago and I never used it and wanted to get it back to him(he said he had used it to process a bunch of deer, I thought he might like getting it back) I found him on the net and called and we had a couple good talksā¦Way back, my wife and I camped with his family a couple times as well as our Allegheny timesā¦Iāve looked at your Copious Glass site many times
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a legendā¦