Does anybody row?

[Clintopher]

I made a rig for my canoe and bought some oars thinking I’d be hauling a$$ in no time. Going straight is proving to be more difficult than expected.

 

[Cedarsavage]

I like your energy. Still using the canoe paddles, or oars?

 

[inyago]

It don't look like a sculling boat to me.. to much freeboard.. Hey top marks for effort..

 

[Clintopher]

I like your energy. Still using the canoe paddles, or oars?

I’ll always have a paddle in the boat, but if I can get this thing dialed in it’ll be relegated to auxiliary propulsion.

 

[VernAK]

I've done extensive wilderness canoeing in my life but lately I use a larger canoe with a kicker.

A couple years ago, we were traveling the Teslin River to Yukon River on to Dawson City. At Dawson Campground I met a middle aged fellow from oregon that did extensive canoe trips solo.

He had outfitted his 17' canoe with a custom aluminum tubular rowing frame similar to those used in white water inflatable rafts. He would face front when drifting with the current but when he wanted to get to a camping location across the river, he could put his back into those oars and go cross current.....not easy for a solo paddler on the Yukon.

He was a very interesting and capable gent. I wish I had taken a pic of his rig.

 

[aclawrence]

I like the idea. I’ve got an Old Town camper canoe made out of royalex. Every post I read about this canoe people talk about how it’s their favorite old town. I know it’s a good canoe but I have not figured out how to paddle it correctly yet. I have to swing my paddle from side to side to keep it straight. This of course gets stuff inside the canoe. I’m still using a cheap paddle so maybe that’s part of the problem. I know I need to work in the technique though.


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[sandhillhunter]

I enjoy rowing at the gym and live close to a lake. I have thought having a scull would be a great way to workout outdoors without the mundane time in the gym on a machine.

Just haven’t found anyone selling one nearby. It’s not exactly a common sport in Texas.


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[Clintopher]

I like the idea. I’ve got an Old Town camper canoe made out of royalex. Every post I read about this canoe people talk about how it’s their favorite old town. I know it’s a good canoe but I have not figured out how to paddle it correctly yet. I have to swing my paddle from side to side to keep it straight. This of course gets stuff inside the canoe. I’m still using a cheap paddle so maybe that’s part of the problem. I know I need to work in the technique though.


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search for "j stroke" on youtube.

 

[Clintopher]

I enjoy rowing at the gym and live close to a lake. I have thought having a scull would be a great way to workout outdoors without the mundane time in the gym on a machine.

Just haven’t found anyone selling one nearby. It’s not exactly a common sport in Texas.


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It's also my favorite form of cardio at the gym. The canoe has a fixed seat...i might convert it to sliding. One to get more of my body working, and Two, with the fixed seat your hands pass back and forth across your knees...that's part of what's giving me a fit.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Clint - Some hull designs track better than others. Your particular OT may be more or less suited to fast straight-line rowing compared to down-river maneuverability. Also the length between the lock and blade should be the same on both sides, so you might install a hinge pin (or whatever it's called) through the oar at the lock to reduce slop. Looks like a fun project.

 

[Clintopher]

It's actually a Mad River Malecite. It has a shallow V and less rocker in the stern than in the bow which I would think would be good for tracking. I think I was too far forward when I had it out yesterday which was letting the tail dance around. I moved the rig farther aft when I got home and bolted it in place...had it clamped when I was out rowing, which presented another set of issues.

 

[Antarctica]

I like the idea of it and your motivation to make it work...

But man, rowing a canoe just seems akin to hunting moose with a harley. The wrong tool for the job. High freeboard seems like you would have to sit up high which is going to upset the center of gravity.

I think the idea is good, but to me, it would require a custom boat that is a meld between a canoe and a rowing scull...

 

[Clintopher]

Second comment on freeboard. Interesting. Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant but whitehalls and peapods don't have a low freeboard yet they're known for rowing fantastically. Not to mention the gunwale height of my canoe from waterline is only 7 inches or so which is putting the oarlocks around 8 1/2 or 9. I'm not trying to turn it into a scull...just want to go farther and faster with less effort. Maybe get some alternate outdoor exercise in once a week. Seems like it can be done. It least I hope so.

 

[wyodan]

I have been very interested in doing the same thing. Awhile back, I found a company that makes a rowing setup for canoes, it's removable for if you want to use it as a canoe. I respect the DIY though.

I don't think this is the system I looked at before, but the concept is there.

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