THE CANOE AND ITS EQUIPMENT
A sixteen-foot canoe with a width of at least 33 inches and a depth
of at least 12 inches will accommodate two men, an adequate camping
outfit and a full ten weeks' provisions very nicely, and at the same
time not lie too deep in the water. A fifteen-foot canoe, unless it
has a beam of at least 35 inches and a depth of 12 inches or more, is
unsuitable. Three men with their outfit and provisions will require an
eighteen-foot canoe with a width of 35 inches or more and a depth of
no less than 13 inches, or a seventeen-foot canoe with a width of 37
inches and 13 inches deep. The latter size is lighter by from ten to
fifteen pounds than the former, while the displacement is about equal.
The best all-around canoe for cruising and hard usage is the
canvas-covered cedar canoe. Both ribs and planking should be of cedar,
and only full length planks should enter into the construction.
Where short planking is used the canoe will sooner or later become
hogged--that is, the ends will sag downward from the middle.
In Canada the "Peterborough" canoe is more largely used than the
canvas-covered. These are to be had in both basswood and cedar. Cedar
is brittle, while basswood is tough, but the latter absorbs water
more readily than the former and in time will become more or less
waterlogged.
Cruising canoes should be supplied with a middle thwart for convenient
portaging. Any canoe larger than sixteen feet should have three
thwarts. To lighten weight on the portage, and provide more room
for storing outfit, it is advisable to remove the cane seats with
which canvas canoes are usually provided. This can be readily done
by unscrewing the nuts beneath the gunwale which hold the seats in
position.
Good strong paddles--sufficiently strong to withstand the heavy strain
to which cruising paddles are put--should be selected. On the portage
they must bear the full weight of the canoe; they will frequently be
utilized in poling up stream against stiff currents; and in running
rapids they will be subjected to rough usage. On extended cruises it is
advisable to carry one spare paddle to take the place of one that may
be rendered useless.
Experienced canoemen pole up minor rapids. Poles for this purpose
can usually be cut at the point where they are needed, but pole
"shoes"--that is, spikes fitted with ferrules--to fit on the ends of
poles are a necessary adjunct to the outfit where poling is to be done.
Without shoes to hold the pole firmly on the bottom of the stream the
pole may slip and pitch the canoeman overboard. The ferrules should be
punctured with at least two nail holes, by which they may be secured to
the poles, and a few nails should be carried for this purpose.
A hundred feet or so of half-inch rope should also be provided, to be
used as a tracking line and the various other uses for which rope may
be required.