Canoe
Ponderings by Red Rock Wilderness StoreCanoe
Ponderings by Red Rock Wilderness Store
Kayaks vs. Canoes in the Boundary Waters
Q. I enjoyed your web site
immensely. It was very interesting. I am in the market for a solo canoe and was just about ready to
buy one of those foam core "tripping" models adapted from a racing hull.
Even before I read your info about Souris River canoes, I was concerned about durability of
these...and how they would handle in rougher waters because of what seemed to be low freeboard. I'm
one of those who have had a 17 foot grumman for 20 years....., but really liked the sleekness and
glide of the Prism. I've demoed several models for several hours on different lakes and big rivers.
Your info on SR canoes now has me rethinking everything.
Anyway, I've been planning a Quetico trip before Memorial Day in 2004. My son (22 years old) and
brother would go with me. They prefer kayaks. I would carry most of the gear, etc in a solo. We were
going to go out of the Gunflint Trail. An outfitter there claims to rent kayaks designed
specifically for the BWCA. But now I may reconsider.
Do you rent kayaks that would be suitable for a Quetico trip? Again, keep in mind it would be either
two kayaks and a solo big enough to carry most of the gear; or one kayak and a tandem so that the
two who prefer kayaks can switch off in the canoe with me in the stern.
What do you think? To summarize, my key questions:
1. Do you rent kayaks suitable for Quetico so long as one canoe
accompanies them?
2. What Quetico routes are available from your shop?
Thanks much for your time and consideration....and all the thought that went into your web site.
Bill
A. Glad you liked our site.
Unfortunately, we don't rent kayaks for wilderness use because they can't haul any gear, weigh a
ton, and not designed for portaging. As you may well know, kayaks were designed originally by
Eskimos for coastal waters where you could drag it to the edge of the shore, slide in and paddle out
to shoot a walrus and drag it home.
From this region, Ojibway Indians designed lightweight watercraft that could be carried from lake to
lake - canoes. While kayaks are fun and fast on the water because they have no learning curve (for
lake paddling) to move efficiently, you lose a lot of what you gained when you hit land. Canoes on
the other hand require skill to handle efficiently on water, but don't require itty-bitty gear,
unpacking and repacking on the portages, etc. On land, canoes blow by kayaks. Skilled paddlers in
a good canoe will also blow by a lot of kayaks as well. For these reasons, and the fact that we've
now talked to many people who thought portaging kayaks would cool (who've since changed their minds
after the enlightening ordeal) we don't rent them. We actually do sell Wilderness Systems kayaks
with our targeted customer base parking them on the shore in front of their cabins much like
Eskimos did, minus shooting the walrus and minus the nice cabin with running water.
My recommendation (backed by experience and opinion) would be to rent a kevlar Souris River Quetico
17 for those two guys and a Tranquility solo for yourself. Instead of you floating around waiting
and watching as those guys scratch their heads trying to figure out how they are going to exit
those butt-squeezing kayaks at the rock-laden beginning of every portage, the bow guy in the
canoe steps out, holds it down and stable for his stern partner and he, too, exits safely. Then
you sling your Duluth (no frame packs) pack over your shoulder, pick up the canoe, make sure
everybody has their assigned gear and make the portage in one pass, quickly and efficiently. The
way you are set up now, (and I've seen this happen many times) inevitably, you'll be asked to carry
more and more because the incredibly rugged portages make carrying a heavy, awkward kayak much more
difficult. Since your canoe is only 30 lbs. and neatly balanced on your shoulders, maybe you could
take... And because it's your kid and brother (or friend), you'll keep adding to your carrying load
while doing a slow burn as the portages grow longer. For what it's worth, this may not be your
case, but I've seen this exact situation occur several times in the past 5 years and thought I'd lay
it out for you.
Two Quetico entry points that come to mind are 51 Basswood falls and 62 Carp lake. There are others
but with all the RABC requirements, we seldom set up permits for Canada any more as our customers do
this on their own.
Hope this info helps you out.
Joe
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