Originally Posted by
Species8472
A whole bunch of info to cover so bear with the length of my post.
Topographic maps are great but the most important thing to remember when using them is that they are the cartographer's interpretation of the underlying stereoscopic image pairs and reflect objectives that are different than yours. Stereo image pairs are always a better tool if you have a trained eye. They can be used to generate your own 3D representations using stereo glasses (like the ones at 3D movies). From the 3D image you can identify vegetation type, the height of trees in the area, your own contour interval, potential campsites and the list goes on.
Once your route is planned than you need to select a canoe (might be irrelevant if you already own one but still useful info for understanding your canoe). Canoes have two types of stability - initial and secondary. Initial stability is associated with wide flat bottoms and at rest, at slow speed and in calm conditions the canoe is very stable. They are hard to tip at rest but when they do tip they often do so with very little warning. Canoes with a high initial stability sacrifice speed and handling capabilities. Most cottage, camp and recreational type canoes are in this category. Canoes with high secondary stability feel tippy when you get in but at speed, in the wind, in rough conditions/whitewater they are more stable than their flat bottom cousins. They are also faster and have better responsiveness and handling and if they are going to tip you can feel it coming. I prefer a canoe with high secondary stability and both of the canoes I own reflect this.
After the question of stability comes whether to have a keel (and how big a keel) or not. A keel reduces the tendency of the canoe to turn (either from the wind or your stroke). If you are doing primarily river travel you want minimal or no keel. Lake travel and you want more keel. One of my canoes has a keel and the other doesn't.
Then comes the question of symmetrical or asymmetrical hull. A symmetrical hull means if you cut the canoe in half at the mid point the 2 resulting hull pieces would be identical in shape. Asymmetrical hulls have their widest point further back than the middle. A symmetrical hull is better for soloing as typically one paddles the canoe backwards. Asymmetrical hulls are better for tandem paddling and are faster as the hull profile has less drag. My 17 foot is symmetrical and my 18 foot is asymmetrical.
Next up comes material of construction. Basic categories are aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, kevlar, and carbon. Aluminum is slow and heavy unless it is thin gauge like the Sportspals but in that case the thin gauge makes them fragile. Plastic is faster and virtually indestructible but is heavy. Fiberglass is similar in weight to plastic and fast as well. Fiberglass is not as tough as plastic but is super easy to repair in the field. Kevlar and carbon are light, fast, expensive and harder to repair in the field. Whatever you end up with make sure you have some reliable way to carry out emergency repairs. Size wise 17 feet is probably the minimum I would go with. My two canoes are 17 and 18 and both kevlar. The 17 has an 800+ lb payload and the 18 is 900+ lb.
Next up is paddles. This is largely personal but design, fit and weight is important. I prefer a shaft with a 13 degree bend and a Sugar Island style blade. The bent shaft makes them up to 40% more efficient. Also remember to bring at least one spare per canoe.
You indicated hunting on foot from a base camp. Don't discount the idea of floating the river and hunting from the canoe. Shooting from a canoe is different so i suggest getting some practice in. Also make sure your self rescue skills are good - practice a bunch. Also get some dry bags, wet clothes and wet sleeping bags suck. If more than one canoe is going practice canoe over canoe rescue a bunch. Also if there are rapids that cannot be safely run make sure you have gear to cut/clear a portage. Pre-existing portage trails may not exist or could be blocked by windfall so I bring a light Stihl chainsaw, a 5 litre mix can of fuel, machete and small axe. Gear wise take the minimum and make it as light as possible without sacrificing performance.
Also last but not least make sure you can do at least these 6 strokes in your sleep:
- Forward
- Back
- Draw
- Cross Draw
- Pry
- J
Once you have those down solid than it wouldn't hurt to learn some of the more advanced strokes. Lots of youtube videos for that.
Edit:
Forgot cedar/canvas layup in my materials of construction. Cedar canoes are the most classy and are also relatively expensive. Depending on the build they can be strong, light and fast but can also be heavy and slow.