Bell Composite Canoes arrive in Ely

Ted Bell brought these to us today and made our Wednesday.

Call Steve Schon to get your new Bell Composite Northwind 17, Northwind 18 or Magic today!

1-800-223-6565

BLOG 42. FAQ: Stuff You Trust

BLOG 42. FAQ: Stuff You Trust

by Cliff Jacobson

Here's a frequently asked question:

We’re planning a wilderness canoe trip and want to be prepared with the best equipment. I hear there’s a great new trail stove (tent, rain parka, canoe pack etc.) on the market that is absolutely terrific. It was top rated in the last issue of “Fun Camping Magazine”.  What do you think of this hot new product?  Should I buy one?

            Hightech Harry

Cooke Custom Sewing (CCS) tundra tarp--worth its weight in gold on buggy trips

MY ANSWER

Dear Harry:
Don’t take magazine product tests too seriously.  Writers work on deadline and are usually paid by the length of copy they produce not the time they spend researching and field-testing.  Time is money, so research and product testing are kept to a minimum.  Bad reviews irritate advertisers, which are a magazine’s life blood.  For this reason, writers are encouraged to tone down criticisms.

Hilliberg Katum 3/Norway

For example, many tents and garments have small zippers that won’t take much abuse.  But you’d better not write it that way.  Ever notice how often the word “may”—as in “may fail”—appears in equipment evaluations?

The term “expedition-proven” doesn’t mean much any more.  Most modern canoe “expeditions”  don’t last long enough to prove anything. For example, I once made a 17 day canoe trip where the only rain was a short drizzle.  Needless to say, my rain gear worked perfectly!

Gransfors axes:  My favorites!

The best advice is to carefully examine everything before you buy.  If a zipper looks weak, it probably is.  If there’s a plastic knob that can burn or break, it likely will. How will the product perform in high winds or when it’s caked with mud or sand or soaked with rain?  Will it break if you drop it?  Can you repair it in the field without special tools?

The original and always reliable Nalgene bottles

Be aware that some of the most highly touted products which work flawlessly over the short haul, fail miserably when the weeks turn to years. So be wary of advertising claims and the testimonials of individuals whose experience is limited to a few trips. Instead, seek the advice of those who travel wild places year after year. These are the real experts even though their opinions are seldom seen in print.

All this can be summarized in one word—trust!  Why change to something new if your current tent, trail stove or whatever,  has never let you down?  However, if it is well worn, or you are sure that something better has come along, try the new thing for a time—a long time(!)--before you commit to it for a lengthy expedition where your safety is at risk.  Trust doesn’t come in a few days or even a few weeks.

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson

BLOG 41. Talon Tactical Knife

BLOG 41 Talon Tactical Knife

by

Cliff Jacobson

Talon Knife and Kydex sheath/ optional clip attached

I just returned from the annual Canoecopia (Rutabaga) show in Madison, WI.  One of the things I love about these events is that there are always new products  to try.  This year, I discovered a funky little knife that works as an everyday pocket knife, emergency rescue knife (clip it to your PFD) and tactical defense blade.

The blade is 1.75 inches long; maximum thickness with sheath is one-quarter of an inch. Overall weight with its fitted Kydex sheath is 2.5 ounces. The knife feels weightless in your pocket; it seems to take up no space at all.

HOLDING THE KNIFE

Place your forfinger and middle finger inside the black para-cord-wrapped skeletonized handle. The knife stays put even when you open your hand. There are five different handle sizes to accommodate different sized fingers. You can further customize the fit by unwrapping, re-wrapping or over-wrapping the handle frame with the supplied parachute cord.

Talon clipped to PFD

When I first saw the Talon I questioned its two-finger hold and severely-drop-pointed, talon-shaped blade.  But with use, I began to appreciate its design. The blade may be small but it is stout and powerful, yet also capable of fine work*.  It can skin a rabbit, split small kindling or produce wood shavings for a campfire. The steel, which is hardened to RC 58-60 (that’s hard!), can be honed to a razor’s edge; the tip is strong enough to pierce a coin—or a car door. If I had to fend off a wild animal or human I’d naturally want more knife, but the littleTalon would do real damage.  

Talon clipped to belt loop

The knife will do fine work if you sharpen it to a razor's edge

The ultralight Kydex sheath secures the blade like a custom glove, yet releases it instantly with a pull.  There are no retainer straps or snaps to get in the way—just pull the handle and the blade is ready for action. The sheath can be worn in a number of ways: horizontal under a belt loop, right-side-up inside a waistband, on a neck chain, inside a boot or pocket or clipped to the hem of a T-shirt, etc. Accessories include a neck chain, locking snap clip, cable ties, colored para cord and a drawstring pouch. Rivet holes around the sheath perimeter provide unlimited attachment points.

I’ve always carried a fixed blade knife on my belt while canoeing so I’ve never felt the need for a rescue knife on my PFD. But the trim little Talon adds appreciably no weight or bulk to a life jacket.  And if you should capsize and must cut a rope or your fabric spray cover, the Talon is instantly accessible--and absolutely secure in your hand.  

The Talon is versatile, powerful for its size, unobtrusive and fast to deploy. It is not a “must have” knife for canoeing and camping.  But it is a practical and well made tool.

*That is, if you sharpen the blade to a razor’s edge. The steel is very hard, so even if you’re good at sharpening, it will take awhile.

SPECIFICATIONS

Overall length:  Knife—4.375 inches; Knife + sheath = 4.75 inches

Weight with Kydex sheath = 2.5 ounces

Blade length = 1.75 drop point/talon shape

Blade thickness = 0.108 inches / 2.75 mm

Maximum thickness with sheath = A scant 0.25 inches.
http://talonknife.com/

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

BLOG 40. Carbon-Fiber Paddle Care

BLOG CARBON-FIBER PADDLE CARE

by Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

This paddle is well-used. Note the silky-smooth edge, which has been maintained by careful sanding

Once you’ve used a carbon-fiber paddle, you’ll need real determination to return to wood.  Admittedly, there’s a warmth and beauty to wood that is unmatched by synthetics.  But a good carbon paddle weighs about half as much as a wood one, it’s better balanced (much better balanced!) and it is quieter in the water. That quietness is due to a knife-thin blade tip that can gouge or fracture. Hit a rock with a delicate carbon blade and tiny chunks of carbon may break off the edge which, in time, will begin to look like a hack-saw blade.  Once these tiny teeth develop they provide a pathway to greater destruction.  If, for example, the edge strikes a rock hard at a deep tooth point, the blade may fracture along the fault line.  What to do?

Before we address maintenance and repair, be aware that despite their obvious “thinness”,  carbon blades are much tougher than they look.  Unless you’re a rock bashing whitewater junkie, a good carbon stick will probably last a life time with normal use—that is, if you maintain the blade.  Here’s how:

Occasionally, visually inspect the edge for damage. Tiny teeth are no problem as long as you don’t run your fingers across them—doing so can produce a nasty cut!  Smooth the edge with medium-grit sandpaper: wear gloves and safety glasses—you don’t want to get carbon fibers in your eyes!  Most carbon blades have a fair amount of solid material on the edge, so you it’s doubtful you’ll ever sand off enough stuff to reach the foam core.

Finish to silky smoothness with 000 steelwool or wet-dry sandpaper.  The final act is to apply 303® Protectant to the entire paddle.  The 303 will hide scratches, brighten the finish and provide an ultraviolet barrier.

A gripping thought: Use  400 grit wet sandpaper to smooth out rough imperfections on the grip or shaft.  Polish silky-smooth with polishing compound or jewelers rouge. Finally, apply 303 Protectant.

Cliff with carbon-fiber paddle.  Standing on a "lump of coal"--Teddy Roosevelt Natl. Park, North Dakots

  

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

XXX

BLOG 39. Bent Blades are Best!

BLOG 39. BENT BLADES ARE BEST

By Cliff Jacobson

             

Straight paddles have their place—and that place is in whitewater, where palms-up braces and thumbs-up rudders are part of the game. And also, in show-off FreeStyle where everyone smiles and listens to music but no one goes anywhere.

             

But for flat-water cruising, bent-paddles rule, and that’s why every racer uses them. The diagram shows why bent-blades are more efficient (figure 3-1). 

C-1 speed racers are the exception to this rule.  They use long, straight paddles and a sky-scraper kneeling position.  How long do you think you can paddle this way and still retain your sanity? 

           

Here, in no particular order are why bent blades are best for cruising:

·      You need less effort to keep the canoe on course with a “pitch” or “J” stroke.  Why? Because the bent-blade runs partly under the canoe during the stroke, wheras a straight blade runs along side it.  It’s a canoeing axiom that the closer to the keel-line you paddle, the less directional correction is needed. 

·      Bent-blades are better for your body. There’s less twisting of the shaft and your hand during the stroke so carpal-tunnel and tennis-elbow aches are minimized.  This is a huge advantage if you will paddle a solo canoe for hours at a time.

·      You can use the “sit’n switch” stroke which big time racers prefer. Yes, you can switch sides with a long, straight paddle, but it’s not fast or pretty.

·      Paddling with a bent-shaft is best described as more “push down than pull back”. With a straight paddle it’s more “pull back”.  This saves your arms and back.

·      Cross-bow draws are more efficient because the blade has more reach.

·      Bow-draws in the solo canoe are more efficient because the blade has more reach.

·      The “rolled-ever” directional grip of the bent-paddle encourages a more comfortable hold.  You don’t have to clutch the grip as firmly as with a straight paddle.

Cliff, with bent-shaft paddle--standing on a "lump of coal": Teddy Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

           

The best bent-shaft paddles are made of carbon-fiber and have twelve-degree bends.  Fourteen’s feel awkward to me.  Most racers prefer 12 degrees. The slightly shallower 12-degree bend encourages a more upright paddling position.  Heft a 14-degree paddle and "paddle through the air a few times".  The paddle feels unbalanced and "bent", doesn't it? Try the same with a 12-degree shaft. Note the improvement in balance and precision.

 Tip: the “pitch” and “J” strokes are easier if you use a longer paddle than the typical length used for racing.  Fifty-six inches works well in both my Bell Yellowstone solo canoe and in my Dagger Venture tandem canoe.

Cliff: BWCA, portaging with two 12-degree bent paddles

 

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com