Reading the River

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by Yobarnacle, Jan 13, 2012.

  1. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Funny tree branch story: Mrs and I were canoeing down Juniper Springs Creek. Current took us under trees. Branch swept Mrs off seat and she landed on her back, feet in the air, in floor of canoe crunching litter on floor. It was a funny day. I yelled duck but she didn't hear so well, being absorbed by her surroundings. We laughed and laughed. We still laugh some 20 years later. She thought I meant duck the bird and was looking for it instead of the branch.
     
  2. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    You might say,"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread (or float)".
     
  3. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Police are nuts. Everybody else flees gun fire. They run toward it. Not a good tactic (running toward) for captains.
     
  4. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

  5. Yobarnacle
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    Thanks Hoyt,
    Do you and your lady get discounted cruises? Like standby for last minute no-shows? I heard that was a crew perk.
     
  6. Yobarnacle
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    More on cushion and suction.

    Never overtake or meet a tow or a ship in a bend. You'll discover they want the whole river.

    Try not to meet in narrows. The current is fiercer and the commercial traffic wants their half out of the middle part.

    when meeting, and hopefully not close at hand, be prepared for the pressure wave from their bow trying to turn you into the bank. Once past the bow cushion, beware of venturi suction tending to pull you alonside. Just ahead of the proppelrs, suction toward the ship becomes much worse. Aft of propellers, the prop wash can send you into the bank or spin you around. Best give big vessels wide berths.
     
  7. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Floating hotels are not my style, at least not just yet. I lean more toward the Gilligan style cruise.

    "Five passengers set sail that day
    For a three hour tour, a three hour tour."
     
  8. Yobarnacle
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  9. Yobarnacle
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    Well to each his own. Being castaway on a desert isle certainly would be an escape from samo samo daily drudgery. How comfortable it would be depends i guess, on your ability to improvise, available materials and resources, and bushcraft skills.
     
  10. Yobarnacle
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    Of course, if Ginger and Mary Ann were there, you'd discover you were Mr Howell and had brought Mrs Howell with you. Se la vie
     
  11. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Hoyt,
    You are an experienced canoeist! Share some river reading tactics that You know. It's a very important neccesary skill for canoeists, I hear. Any whitewater enthusiasts care to join in with insights? Please?
     
  12. hoytedow
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    Canoeing, hmmm.

    Listen to your surroundings. Be aware of the actions of others and be ready to go into the shallows or behind obstructions to avoid getting run down by an irresponsible/drunk boat operator.

    The south has different fauna and flora than the north, but vigilance is necessary everywhere.

    Watch for wildlife in the nearby foliage. Ticks and spiders live in the branches and have ended up on us through these brief contacts. Don't get into situations with wildlife you can't handle. Watch for poisonous snakes in the water and low branches.

    Plan canoe trips well making sure hydration and not over-heating are paramount.
    It takes energy to paddle. Wind and current can sap the strength. Make sure you eat your wheaties and can replenish calories burned to continue paddling.

    Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't do a trip your body is not up for.

    Always file a float plan and make sure if you aren't back on time someone knows to get help.

    Check the weather forecast before leaving. It is not good to be out on a lake with lightning striking all around, especially if you have an aluminum paddle.

    Wear protective clothing. I always wear a hat with a brim rather than a baseball cap. As a medical records custodian I coded countless surgical procedures involving the excision of sun induced malignant skin lesions. Pay attention to any lesion that lasts more than a few days. If you are fair-skinned you must use a sun-block or be ready to suffer for days after.

    At dusk and dawn the mosquitoes get active. Try to avoid exposure to them as they carry diseases and make you miserable. Gators hunt when it starts getting dark.

    I prefer as the stronger paddler to be in the back. I don't sit up on the seats that come with the canoe but prefer to sit low in the boat for greater stability. See Troy2000's canoe thread to see the kind of seat I use when canoeing. It makes for a very comfortable arrangement and provides a comfortable rest for a bad old back.

    Load your canoe evenly balanced to make control easier.

    And don't forget your camera!

    If I think of anything more I'll let you know. Chime in if I forgot anything.
     
  13. Yobarnacle
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    Excellent comments Hoyt. Thanks. Please post any others you think of.
    Troy? You have canoe threads. care to share?
     
  14. troy2000
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    Not canoe 'threads,' really; just a thread. And it's a build thread... not an expeditionary journal or log, or a how-to on using the thing after it was launched.

    Right before my younger son went into Army boot camp, we built a flat-bottomed canoe together. A father-son bonding thing I guess, making up a little of the time that was lost while I worked away from home as he was growing up. Fortunately, we get along well anyway. We're alike in so many ways that my wife sometimes gets confused when she's ripping on one of us, and detours off onto the other instead....:D

    The canoe itself is reminiscent of a modern pirogue, but it's really a direct descendant of an East Texas Caddo Lake bateau I built years ago. If you want to check it out it's a pleasant thread, with lots of pictures and input from other folks.

    The chairs Hoyt mentions are toward the end of it, and they're brilliantly simple... he just cuts the legs off plastic garden chairs, and plops them into the boat. I did the same, and I'm totally pleased with the results.

    The link: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/wo...ation/building-flat-bottomed-canoe-33266.html
     

  15. Yobarnacle
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    I saw that. i plan to cut the hind legs off of lawn chairs to use on my IntrepiDos. For center cockpit seating, in stern cockpit, and inside cabin. And stack em in a corner when they're in the way. Lot more comfortable than FRG benches and have arm rests. Elegant solution.
    Great idea, Hoyt!
     
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