Canoe Outriggers
 

Just purchased a used Coleman 15' Ram X canoe for some recreational use. My friend and I took it on the back bays of Berlin Lake by Bedell Road. Man it was a little tippy. Tippy like you could go in. In the summer I wouldn't mind but Sunday it was a little cold around 3pm. Anyways does anyone have any suggestions for home built outriggers? I'd be interested. I'd like to paddle on the Chili event in December buit wouldn't want to tip it. Beginners luck?? I'll leave you with a thought. I had my wallet on me while paddling Sunday and I said to my buddy geez I should've left my wallet in the truck. My friend said no you did the right thing in bringing it. I said if we tip this dang canoe my wallet will get wet. My friend said don't worry about it if we tip the good thing is that they'll be able to determine who you were! :) Wardie

Wardie,

Welcome to TCT. The club is lots of fun with a great group of paddlers. I'm one of the few who still paddles a canoe. Most members have gone to the dark side (kayaks):20:

I don't have any recommendations for canoe outriggers, but you might check with Coleman to see if they make something for rigging a canoe for sailing. Outriggers could affect how well you're able to turn a canoe or make it easier to get snagged in tree limbs that might be partly blocking a river channel...something to consider. I've seen canoes that have some type of foam glued to the sides to add stability.

Don't know the extent of your paddling experience, but her are a few things to consider based on your questions:

1. Consider kneeling in your canoe to lower your center of gravity. If your knees can't take it, try getting a thick pad or those kneepads used by workmen who spend time on their knees.

2. Use your paddle blade to give your boat stability. By reaching out over the gunwale, and placing your blade face on or slightly below the surface, you will add a fair amount of stability to your boat. Once you get a little more comfortable in your boat, you can begin to learn a high or low brace to help keep you from flipping. These terms may not mean much to you if you're just starting out, but here's You Tube clip for a low brace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw-44B-FmE0

3. Learning the ropes of paddling in cold weather months can be dicey. Wetsuits and neoprene gloves and booties or a dry suit (very expensive) are very good ideas. However, if you do not have those items, I strongly recommend carrying a complete set of extra clothes in a dry bag. All that being said, don't let this scare you from the Chili Paddle....COME! It's a blast. You'll get lots of help from everyone.

4. I always carry my keys (two sets) and wallet with me in some combination of a pelican case, dry bag, and/or zip lock bags. And I always have one set of keys in a pelican case in a pocket of my pfd which I wear at all times while on the water. I NEVER leave those items in or near my car. Although I haven't heard of car break ins around here at paddling locales, they did happen in a few popular paddling spots in the DC area where I used to live.

Hope this helps a little. Looking forward to meeting you. See you on the river!

jp

Heres a better piece of advice --

sell the canoe. Get a kayak.

Canoes are tippy. With a kayak, you sit at water level instantly stabilizing the boat. Canoes, you are perched up off the floor, elevated and at risk to capsize.

Kayaks are for the cerebral set. Canoes are for Neanderthals.:tongue:

Glad to see that someone has finally taken the "dark side" bait:1:

Of course, when kayakers take a swim, seems like it's always left to the open boaters who have the space to transport and reunite gear and paddler with their kayak....:21:

Tippy canoe
 

For those who choose not to put two paddlers and a dog, and fishing or camping gear into one kayak: JP had it right by lowering the center of gravity and this can be done by lowering the seats, two inches will make a huge difference. Lincoln Canoe and Kayak in Maine sells foam flotation pads that mount on the gunnels to give you an extra margin for staying dry. The Kit costs $120.00 and looks pretty sporty once installed. I beleive your canoe came with a center seat, if it did, refrain from putting three paddlers in one boat.

Welcome to the club, and don't go to the dark side.

I noticed a glaring error in one of the above posts. Just a reminder to Paladin1aa, canoe paddlers do not know big words like cerebral or Neanderthal. Please try to keep future posts simpler. Let's see, easier to haul a 40 lb. kayak or 150 lb. canoe? Easier to maneuver a 10 ft. kayak or 18 ft. canoe? Which of those two would take less effort to propel through the water? Just a reminder JP, it takes only one trip to the DARK SIDE and you'll never go back. By the way JP, nice set of pics from Mike's Mahoning Trip.
On a serious note, JP handles his big old canoe like it was a 10 ft piece of plastic
(kayak). Pretty impressive, but it still takes two to load it on his car.

Lol !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yet another finally took the "dark side" bait after two years of throwing it out there! Guess those dark siders take a little while!:35:

By the way, just to give you dark siders more ammo to try to convert me to butt boater, a good buddy of mine recently busted my chops when told me that my canoe looked like a 1967 Chrysler Newport next to all the kayaks! And he's absolutely right! LOL!

The meer mention a 1967 Chrysler Newport brings back a flood of memories of my youth. We refered the the above mentioned vehicle and all the others of comparable size as "Motels on Wheels", I need not explain why. You know JP you could use the nickname for your behemoth, I mean canoe. Gee, I wonder if that makes my kayak comparable to the legendary and equally dreaded CORVAIR? It shows you age if you need not Google Corvair.