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Wilderness
18's - They Fold Well
An outfitter
up on Crane Lake went out to pick up a party at a Boundary Waters
entry point. He went a little early. These two guys on the trip
had been out for seven days and sometimes paddlers come back early.
The point he arrived at has a view of the final portage required
to cross with a short paddle to the mainland. The portage goes
along the rapids. As he stood there looking in the general direction
of where the party would be coming, he spotted them. Seven days
earlier, these two guys came in to be outfitted. They wanted to
fish and they wanted a kevlar canoe for its light carrying weight.
Knowing this the outfitter selected a brand new Souris River Wilderness
18 in kevlar. This large canoe handles well in all sorts of lake
conditions including really rough water, and it's easier to turn
and control than a lot of other kevlar canoes out there. Plus
at 45 lbs., carrying it is a snap. It definitely is not made for
white water because it does not respond in turns quickly enough
for rapids. But this was going to be a portaging trip because
that's why they wanted a really light canoe... At the top of the
rapids they hovered. Only 75 yards from the outfitter, they contemplated.
the portage was a short one, but it was still a portage. The rapids
don't look too ugly (they never do from the top to the unexperienced
eye). The outfitter could almost hear that oh-so-familiar-oh-so-dumb
battle cry they confirmed to each other as they began their foolish
descent, "Oh, what the heck"!
Sure enough, they let loose and started down the last rapids of
their trip. Then, with only seconds of experience under their
unknowing belts, the inevitable happened. Suddenly turning sideways
and with hollers that would make even Rambo look up, they rolled
the Wilderness 18 in the current.
As the pilotless Wilderness 18 jettisoned Duluth packs, fishing
rods, and loose camping gear, it filled up with water and wallowed
helplessly down stream. The unrelenting current swept it down
towards its supposed death; big canoe-stopping rocks ahead. It
came to rest sideways upon a large rock, bottom of the hull facing
upstream, the carrying yoke being forced into an unmoving rock.
Although the river was not really deep, the water pressure was
more than the hull could stand and it buckled. Like a big piece
of cardboard, the bow met the stern of this 18 foot kevlar wonder
and made a complete wrap around that rock.
The two paddlers waded down to the canoe and peeled it off the
rock. Once the Wilderness was above the rushing water, the two
paddlers each grabbed an end and pulled. The canoe literally popped
back into shape. Now near the bottom of the rapids, each got back
into the canoe, paddled around sheepishly picking up the remaining
floating gear, and then paddled into the landing where the irate
and amazed outfitter was waiting.
Upon inspection, the Wilderness 18 showed little sign of damage.
One of the ribs tore out right where the worst fold of the canoe
occurred in the middle. With the exception of the badly kinked
gunwales, it was hard to tell that the canoe was folded in half
like a clam. At the fold-point there was no damage. It was perfectly
paddle-able. Not many canoes can do this anywhere. With the exception
of Royalex, not many canoes can wrap and survive. Even so, the
paddlers became the proud owners of an amazing Souris River Wilderness
18 in kevlar after the outfitter charged their Visa card.
Stay out of rapids...
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