When I was 16, I went on a canoe trip on the Ocklocknee River here in
N. FL. I was used to an indestructible aluminum canoe and the canoe
my friend had was CANVAS. Miles from anywhere, we hit a snag and
ripped a long tear in her. Pulled off onto a sandbar and thought.
Eventually found we had a whole bag of "Double Bubble" chewing gum so
we sat and chewed and put it over the tear. Then used a cig lighter
to melt it better into the tear. It worked. That night, we camped on
a bar and it started to really rain, it rained so much they opened the
dam upstream. I looked out of the tent about 2:00 am and saw water
rising toward us. Canoed the rest of the way to Ocklocknee River
State Park by lightning flashes.
Another canoe trip on the Aucilla River where we had rented a canoe
from FSU. This canoe had broken ribs and sorta wiggled down the
river. We hit a log and she folded up right around it. looked around
till we found a solid piece of lighter log to pry her off the log.
Tied thick sticks from one thwart to the other to hold her together
and used pine pitch melted into the crack to mend her. Had to bail a
lot but we got home.
So, with these memories I'll contribute a case of "Double Bubble" to
Flying Pig for her trip home.

Reminds me of another canoe story. My parents were canoeing in the
family Aluminum Grumman canoe on the Alaphaha River at flood stage. A
tree on the undercut bank actually fell onto the canoe sinking it and
nearly drowning them. Some guy with a 4wd actually pulled the
flattened canoe out of the river, took it back to Live Oak, Fl
straightened her out, TIG welded the cracks and I still have her 25
years later. This old Grumman is now 45 yrs old.

I guided Boy Scouts down the Allagash in Maine for over a dozen
years. First, canvassed canoes are by far the preferred form of
transportation -- they are flexible and easily repaired (glued on
patch or, in a pinch, super sticky duct tape). Aluminum canoes are
rock magnets. I have seen many, many such canoes hit a rock the other
canoes slid over and tip, with gear, occupants, etc. and then resist
efforts to free them. And there is no repair in the wilderness.

And then you get to the other issue -- noise. Every foot fall
resounds throughout the canoe and the surrounding water. It's
wonderful notice to the trout that you are there. Almost every other
form of canoe is far more silent.

I am amazed at a 45 year old aluminum canoe, which is near miracle.
100 year old wood and canvas canoes, by contrast, are relatively
common. I have a 20' Guide from 1923 that is in fine shape, mainly
because it is so easy to maintain them (and to replace the canvas when
needed).

Steve Hayes

On Feb 16, 8:40 pm, "steve_hayes_maine" wrote:
I guided Boy Scouts down the Allagash in Maine for over a dozen
years. First, canvassed canoes are by far the preferred form of
transportation -- they are flexible and easily repaired (glued on
patch or, in a pinch, super sticky duct tape). Aluminum canoes are
rock magnets. I have seen many, many such canoes hit a rock the other
canoes slid over and tip, with gear, occupants, etc. and then resist
efforts to free them. And there is no repair in the wilderness.

And then you get to the other issue -- noise. Every foot fall
resounds throughout the canoe and the surrounding water. It's
wonderful notice to the trout that you are there. Almost every other
form of canoe is far more silent.

I am amazed at a 45 year old aluminum canoe, which is near miracle.
100 year old wood and canvas canoes, by contrast, are relatively
common. I have a 20' Guide from 1923 that is in fine shape, mainly
because it is so easy to maintain them (and to replace the canvas when
needed).

Steve Hayes

The 45 yr old Grumman survived me and my 8 siblings and has been on
just about every body of water in Florida. Admittedly, it is noisy if
you dont know how to paddle but it is tough. One great characteristic
is that you can feel the temp change of the water through it to tell
when you are near a spring. As far as maintenance goes, it just sits
outside upside down on eh ground with no care at all. Here in Fl, a
wood canoe would be termite food in a week or so.
As kids, we'd take the Grumman to the center of a lake and turn her
over and swim inside it, we'd fill her with water and sit in that if
the outside water was too snakey or alligatorish. This 18' canoe is
huge and light. I dont like kayaks so will probably have the Grumman
for another 30 yrs and pass it on to my kids.

On Feb 16, 8:57 pm, "Frogwatch" wrote:
On Feb 16, 8:40 pm, "steve_hayes_maine" wrote:



I guided Boy Scouts down the Allagash in Maine for over a dozen
years. First, canvassed canoes are by far the preferred form of
transportation -- they are flexible and easily repaired (glued on
patch or, in a pinch, super sticky duct tape). Aluminum canoes are
rock magnets. I have seen many, many such canoes hit a rock the other
canoes slid over and tip, with gear, occupants, etc. and then resist
efforts to free them. And there is no repair in the wilderness.

And then you get to the other issue -- noise. Every foot fall
resounds throughout the canoe and the surrounding water. It's
wonderful notice to the trout that you are there. Almost every other
form of canoe is far more silent.

I am amazed at a 45 year old aluminum canoe, which is near miracle.
100 year old wood and canvas canoes, by contrast, are relatively
common. I have a 20' Guide from 1923 that is in fine shape, mainly
because it is so easy to maintain them (and to replace the canvas when
needed).

Steve Hayes

The 45 yr old Grumman survived me and my 8 siblings and has been on
just about every body of water in Florida. Admittedly, it is noisy if
you dont know how to paddle but it is tough. One great characteristic
is that you can feel the temp change of the water through it to tell
when you are near a spring. As far as maintenance goes, it just sits
outside upside down on eh ground with no care at all. Here in Fl, a
wood canoe would be termite food in a week or so.
As kids, we'd take the Grumman to the center of a lake and turn her
over and swim inside it, we'd fill her with water and sit in that if
the outside water was too snakey or alligatorish. This 18' canoe is
huge and light. I dont like kayaks so will probably have the Grumman
for another 30 yrs and pass it on to my kids.

I agree that most Aluminum canoes were poorly made but the Grumman was
made aircraft quality with flat oversize rivets inside and flush
rivets outside and NO and I mean NO leakage of any of the rivets. I
heard but am not sure it is true that Grumman decided to use some
excess aircraft capacity to try to get into boats and this canoe was a
result. I recently saw a powerboat about 18' long made by Grumman in
the same time period. The owner couldnt stop praising its toughness.
My first canoeing memory was on a creek here in N. FL where my mom was
in the stern, I was in front of her, my sis was in front of me and my
dad was ashore. An irate water moccassin snake slid off the bank and
charged the canoe trying to crawl in just between me and my sister.
My mom without saying anything brought her paddle down like an axe
giving that snake a serious attitude adjustment spraying me and my
sister with snake guts leaving the twisting decapitated snake body
wriggling in the boat. The paddle impact left a dent in the canoe
thwart that is still there.
On some Sundays, they'd put the canoe in the Wakulla or Wacissa River
with the two littlest kids in teh boat between them. They'd drag a
rope behind and the rest of us 9 kids would hang onto the rope while
they dragged us down river and we'd peer through the clear water using
masks and snorkels. Great cheap entertainment but it didnt occur to
me till years later that they were trolling for gators with us.

On 16 Feb 2007 17:40:36 -0800, "steve_hayes_maine"
wrote:

I am amazed at a 45 year old aluminum canoe, which is near miracle.

I have a 17 ft Grumman which has been in my family since the early
'50s. It's darn near indestructible.