Very nice
Hope you have a great trip with Celia
We took our bikes and kayaks and appetite to Grand Manan just off Lubec
Already saw whale and dolphin on the ferry which is cheap
Going to do some day trips!
The tourists at home are insane with their bad power boat bwhavior and incessant fireworks
@willowleaf said:
I have an oddball Voyageur 230cm kayak paddle that I used to use in the bow of the tandem canoes that my ex and I had. I’ll probably rely on that at first until I can get a single blade. Since I will be in the Dacks and in Maine next week, my options for finding a paddle to go with the boat will be legion.
I’ll bet you a dollar that the seller will feel sorry for you and offer to sell you a canoe paddle that fits you and the boat. Anyone with a Lady Bug has some extra paddles.
TL: You are right! He says he has a “great paddle” he can sell me for $125 but did not mention size or model. We are meeting near Canandaigua (one of the Finger Lakes) so I can check out both the canoe and paddle.
Honestly, I know nothing about canoe paddles so I am hesitant to buy one immediately.
KM: Gran Manan and Lubec look really beautiful – that should be a fun trip.
I heard from my Ontario paddler friend Dennis that he and his latest girlfriend are heading up to Gaspe soon with a 19’ trailer he recently picked up.
@stevet said:
Unless the seat has been lowered you will find it a bit more secure to kneel. It’s a very maneuverable hull. You certainly can use a double blade but it may induce more yaw than you would like. Great boat…enjoy!
I alternate single blade and double blade in my Lady Bug from a sitting position with the seat at a kneeling height, because I also kneel some on every outing on a lake, which is mostly where I paddle, and have zero problems keeping the boat from yawing with a 225cm double.
An overly long paddle will induce yaw, as well as unnecessary strain in the body’s joints.
I do have foot braces in mine.
I’ve also been paddling solo canoes for somewhere around 20 years.
Each solo canoe that I have requires from slightly to significantly different technique.
I also paddle kayaks, and the same is true for them.
Whether single blading or double blading, a properly sized light weight carbon fiber paddle greatly improves my paddling experience.
@willowleaf said:
TL: You are right! He says he has a “great paddle” he can sell me for $125 but did not mention size or model. We are meeting near Canandaigua (one of the Finger Lakes) so I can check out both the canoe and paddle.Honestly, I know nothing about canoe paddles so I am hesitant to buy one immediately.
You will be less than 10 miles from Dave Curtis’ canoe shop in Hemlock. I strongly recommend that you stop by and meet a canoe legend and the man that built the Lady Bug…and look at his canoes. He also sells paddles and it sure seems like he may be qualified to help you pick a canoe paddle that fits. Please tell him that Tom from Michigan says hello.
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Thanks Tom! I really appreciate that information about Dave Curtis and will certainly try to do that – will check on when his shop is open and see if I can arrange a visit on the outbound or inbound trip. I’m headed to my local indie outdoor outfitter shop today to see if they have a cheapo single blade in their used consignment department just so I have something until I can get the most suitable tool. Can always use the cheapie as a kayaking spare. I’m sure I will find many sources for canoe paddles while I am in upstate NY and coastal Maine.
Whereabouts in Michigan are you? My family is mostly from the state and I lived there both as a young child (Ann Arbor area) and for 8 years as an adult (Bland Vapids). Still go there a few times a year to visit kinfolk and will do so this August when I go to the Greenland kayak skills camp up in Frankfort.
Yanoer: have really appreciated your feedback on this. Very excited about checking out the Ladybug on Saturday and am 99% sure I will buy it.
I know I will be trying my Greenland paddles with it at some point (210 carbon and 215 cedar) – not much yaw problem with a GP.
You’re welcome. I hope that you find my input to be reasonably accurate when you check out the boat in person.
The current Hemlock canoe that’s most similar to the Lady Bug is the Kestrel. I didn’t own a Lady Bug when I test paddled a Kestrel about 15 years ago.
Enjoy your adventure.
@Yanoer said:
I alternate single blade and double blade in my Lady Bug from a sitting position with the seat at a kneeling height, because I also kneel some on every outing on a lake, which is mostly where I paddle, and have zero problems keeping the boat from yawing with a 225cm double.
Yanoer…Didn’t say it couldn’t be done while sitting…was just a comment on the more rounded bottom hull shape of LBug before DY moved to his more elliptical designs. Some folks find the ease of heeling (due to the hull shape) a bit unsettling with a higher center of gravity.
I have a low center of gravity – long legs and shortwaisted – and am used to balancing in narrow hard-chined kayaks. So I don’t think I’ll have much trouble adapting to this. Guess I will find out soon.
The paddle the seller is offering is a 54" Blackburn, same 1980’s vintage as the canoe, and he says it was made by Blackburn for Curtis (has a Curtis decal). Found some positive comments about these in the p.com archives. Blade is 20". Looks nicely made and in great shape but I am fairly clueless about canoe paddles. And per my metrics I should be using a 52", though I doubt I have ever in my life had the “right” size canoe paddle on my tandem outings over the years. My butt to nose torso is 26". Bending Branches says I’d be a 52", even a 50" since the Ladybug is narrow and has tumblehome.
He is asking $125 for it. I’m thinking unless I instantly love it I might wait and look at some other paddles while I am in the Dack’s and Maine. Could always stop on the way home a week later and buy it if he still has it. Being a GP geek I tend towards slender paddle blades so I have wanted to try a Beavertail or Ottertail.
Hey Willowleaf, we’re in St Joseph and you’re welcome to stop by any time and we could go for a paddle. There are some nice rivers around here like the one in the pic that I was on today. We also lived in Ann Arbor for 20+ years and I still go back there periodically to visit friends and paddle (especially in the Waterloo or Pinckney recreation areas). I’d be happy to meet you out that way some time to paddle.
The Blackburn is indeed a nice vintage paddle. Worth the money to the small group of people that might want it. It’s got a huge blade…so a 54 may fit you but it may also be more blade than you need…could be tiring to use on a long paddle. $125 is full price although you’d have a hard time matching the quality in a new paddle for the same price. The paddle looks suspiciously unused for its age. Dave Curtis tended to stock big bladed paddles when I visited him. I prefer a smaller blade and my favorite paddles are carbon fiber. If it feels perfect in your hands and you like the balance you might offer $100 but as you say you might just pass on it too.
I bet that would fit fine
That is a collectors item. Blackburn made some of the best wooden paddles and the price is a steal
The seller is realistic in value and you will get your moneys worth
The boat I am sure will have a high seat
For paddle length the shaft should just reach the water Steven will help you size
Never ever buy a cheapo paddle Ita a false economy. Wastes money in the long run
You mentioned Fish Creek
Dave Cilleys St Regis Outfitters in Saranac is a big paddlesport only shop
I picked up a Foxworx 52" straight blade, about 8.25 inches wide for under $100. Will test it on the water this coming weekend.
I left the canoe on the car when I got back last night from NY and Maine. Here’s the new baby:
I picked up a Foxworx 52" straight blade, about 8.25 inches wide for under $100. Will test it on the water this coming weekend.
I left the canoe on the car when I got back last night from NY and Maine. Here’s the new baby:
The paddle choice sounds good willow…good length and in the ballpark for blade width…AND a straight blade can always be used. I’ve seen one or two paddles with pretty wide shafts but on the whole they’re pretty good and one thing that manufacturers sometimes miss the mark on is their degree of angle is so many times to excessive…imo. Beats me who makes great bent-shafts with lesser angles… …Also, it’ll help if prior to any #495 visit that you give your vehicle a tune-up. That Blackburn looks like a Mitchell… You may find it helpful to slowly sand off the polyurethane(and maybe treat) a bit on the grip and area where you hold the shaft. When poly gets a little wet people often tend to over-tighten their grip a bit.
TomL: Thanks for the invitation. I will be driving up to Michigan the third week of August to the Greenland QTC (Qajaq Training Camp) near Frankfort. But I don’t usually drive via your SW location. I have kin along the usual route (I-90 to 23 to I96 to 31) in Toledo, OH, Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Whitehall where I can couch-surf to break up the 10 hour drive. Though this year I may take I-94 to visit a Michigan friend who just bought a house on a lake outside Allegan. If I do bring the Ladybug I would leave it there while I am up at camp since that is a “Greenland boats only” venue and there would be no safe place to stash the canpe since we have to leave our vehicles at a dock lot and paddle across the lake to the camp (gear follows us on a pontoon boat.)
Normally I would tarry for extra days in Michigan before or after the 4 day camp but I have to deal with some remodeling on a rental property during August that I own here in Pittsburgh to get ready for a new tenant coming in September 1st. So, unfortunately, I won’t be able to spare the time to add any side trips this year. But I will keep your invitation in mind. I do tend to visit Michigan a few times a year (though most recently it has been for family funerals.)
And if you ever have cause to head to points East and need a place to stay en route, I am 10 minutes from the PA Turnpike and can provide guest accommodations for up to 4 people.
I appreciate the invitation willowleaf. I’ve driven through PA many times on my way to see my brother in Richmond and it looks like an interesting state. It’s always a good sign when the terrain is so rugged that one is happy not to exceed the 55 mph speed limit. If you’re around Allegan for a while and if it’s a nice lake I’d be happy to pop up for a paddle. I had a good long challenging river paddle yesterday northeast of Grand Rapids where an outdoorsy young man (meaning younger than me) showed me some special places. It was perfect.
Your Ladybug looks great. It also looks great on your vehicle, I suggest that you leave it there all the time.
For now the Ladybug is staying on the car (though I may throw a canvas tarp over it overnight when I am parked under the trees during pokeberry season to avoid the dreaded purple guano.) I plan to take it up to Lake Arthur later in the week if this fair weather holds so no point in wrestling it down the front steps and to the back of the house to the walk-out basement (boat storage at my current digs is a logistical headache with no garage or driveway). And I need to hang some trapezes for it in that basement so it can be properly stored.
I am planning to build a garage/boathouse behind the rental house that I own up the street this Fall so access and storage for all boats will be much improved.
Re PA and its waterways, I read somewhere (but have been unable to confirm) that PA has more miles of rivers and streams than any other US state besides Alaska. It may be that the statistic is highest density per square miles. The geology and geography of the state means that there are drainages everywhere. We are a “triple divide” state in that our rivers eventually drain into the Mississippi, the North Atlantic via the Ste. Lawrence River or the Chesapeake Bay. I have plenty of inland access within an hour of the house to both substantial lakes and streams or rivers from lazy flatwater to Class 4-5. The West Branch of the Susquehanna in Northern PA has been nominated to be a National Wild and Scenic River and has over 200 miles of excellent water trail. Unlike in Michigan, most rivers here cut through deep erosional canyons so they have a wide range of scenery. If you ever take up my invitation I can arrange access to numerous put-ins for you. The book “Paddling Pennsylvania” has good information for many good kayaking and canoeing sites across the state.
When I lived in Grand Rapids I was less than 10 minutes from the small but scenic Reeds Lake, in East GR (best known as the home of former Prez, Gerry Ford). I used to keep my Feathercraft Kahuna kayak on the roof of my Volvo and stop on my way home from work for a relaxing paddle. (One nice thing about folding kayaks is that they don’t oil-can from the heat.)