Outfitting for a Solo Wilderness Whitewater Adventure - Spray Skirt & Airbag Install
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- #Outfitting #wildernesstravel #solorapids
Outfitting for a solo wilderness whitewater adventure - spray skirt and airbag installation. In this one, Ted Baird and I do some outfitting for solo whitewater on our prospector 15' for a wilderness adventure north of Lake Superior. In the coming days, we'll be bushwhacking portaging, trekking, camping and fishing. First, we need to outfit Ted's boat in order to install a Northwater spraydeck and I also share how to outfit a canoe so that I can use bow and stern airbags.
A spray deck on a canoe won't provide you with more buoyancy but it will deflect water, meaning your canoe won't swamp as fast as if you don't have one. Airbags will also float your canoe higher in the water when you start to fill up in a rapid. This will give you more control and if you do dump, the airbags will float your canoe higher in the water making it easier to rescue and less likely to wrap around a boulder.
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Nothing like the feeling of drilling holes in your brand new canoe lol. A very interesting process to have the ability to attach a spray deck. Thanks Jim 🇨🇦. Let the adventure begin!
😅 thats what i was going to say 👍
Thanks Jim
No prob
Heating the Allen key is a brilliant pro tip. Thanks
Thanks, ya, works like a charm.
Feels very strange drilling holes in a perfectly good boat.
Great job. Smiles
It definitely does! Haha
That's an awesome video on outfitting the canoe for trips. The worlk that goes into prepping and planning that most people don't share and make videos on. Truly AWESOME JIM & TED!!!
Thanks and this is very true, one of the most particularly tough things is just finding your stuff lol
Very helpful about to install mine
Good to hear, happy paddling!
I love that you brothers do so much adventuring together. 💖
Thanks a lot, I live getting out on trips with ted
Looking forward to see this adventure
Nice. Just ordered those kneepads. I'll be making my own spraydeck out of a tarp & snaps.
So nice you have a brother to do these projects with, as a younger camper I always learn something from your videos, thank you for that and look forward to watching your adventure!
Cant wait to see the adventure
Thanks Guys, A great in-structural video and already put to use. Roll on the adventure !!
Thanks a lot!
Almost ouch! Great idea to heat up an allen wrench to melt holes through webbing! Saw you starting to bring your finger onto the allen wrench to help poke it through and then immediately pull back! Whew!
Haha, yup, and ya, this works well but a soldering gun would do the trick with less hassle.
Great informational video. Thanks Jim and Ted. Have fun be safe.
Thanks a lot and will do
Nice to see there 50th year boat, I'm still rocking my 40th year prospector 15.
Awesome boats!
Definitely
Now I know who the good looking pickup truck belongs to. Good video I enjoyed it and learned a few things about a canoe.
Thanks!
“This feels so wrong!”
Exactly my thought. Hahaha
Totally does haha
I loved it! I particularly enjoyed the saying "The adventure begins when things stop going to plan." Ain't it the truth! I envied ur relationship as brothers, and your do or die attitude towards the whole experience. You showed just how near impossible the wild the can be, and that timing is pretty much everything. Proud of you both, and thanks for the adventure!
Going to be an exciting adventure for you two guys going to be great to watch.
Thanks! Just working on the edit right now.
Those canoes are awesome! Cannot wait for the adventure!
Good stuff buddy, would love to have a souped up canoe like this for myself one day. Looking forward to the rest of this series
Thanks a lot, ya this things a beaut, can handle whatever gets thrown at it when you’re going into harm’s way.
Yay have fun and God bless! 👍👍👍💯💯💯
This is gonna be good, I just know it. Nice truck!!!!!!
Those first few times drilling through the brand new canoe must have been scary for Ted! Great tips on the webbing, I will keep that in mind for the future #NoMoreFraying
No prob and ya, it’s pretty scary! Right through the brand new haul 😬
I love the moment at 4:48 where you see Tori standing on the porch with her arms crossed, watching "The Brothers" with their current project.
You can hear her eyes roll in the background. :-) (@ToriGoesOutside)
Can't wait for the rest
Good stuff! Learned something. Can’t wait for more!
LOL at 11.31 You almost did it! That's what makes you such a cool dude though. 100% can-do mentality with just enough sense to not kill yourself. Love it!
Lol, I know what you’re talking about. Giving the back of the hot Allen key a little tap. I can’t tell weather I did it and my calluses saves me or weather I came to my censes in the last millisecond and pulled back.
Alan key and camp stove trick is good Jim.
Thanks, just using a soldering iron is great too if you have one.
Thanks for the video.
You’re welcome
Like that canoe a lot !!! Jimbo you got a nice color there for a canoe!!!
Thanks a lot!
Sounds marvelous! Tight lines!
😲 It takes balls to drill in a new canoe 😨
Looking forward to your trip 👍
It does 😬 thanks a lot
Onward ho, boys! Great adventures await! 😉🇨🇦
Man you're a big inspiration. Keep it up!
Cool .
Looking forward to this one :)
Thanks
Can't wait to deck my Moisie soon! Those spray decks are amazing!
You’re going to love it.
I know Im a little too late to tell you but if you are kneeling - lower the front of your seat. it will make it more comfortable on a long journey. Im 72 and found that out real fast. Great job guys!!! The knee pads we made are 2.5 ft by 3 ft foam and you can take them out and use them at the entrance of your tent to keep things clean when you go in and out.
That’s a good idea the more versatility the better on trips, I usually only kneel for rapids. I have an old trailhead canoe and the seats come like you explain standard.
Thanks Jim, really useful vid. atb
You’re welcome
Thank you for this!
You’re very welcome!
Well thats pretty slick👍
Looking forward to this
Nicely done 👌
Thanks a lot!!
Great video guys.
Thanks!
very cool job guys... hope the trip was worth it all...Stay Safe.
Dennis
Thanks a lot!
I was at the Silver Stag outlet last week picking up a knife for my brother's birthday ,and since I was there I got one for myself since the deals are so awesome and I was thinking of you and your brother ..cheers guys can't wait to watch the adventure .
Nice! Silver Stag is awesome. I’ve put a couple of their knives to the test. Thanks for checking this out!
awesome mate, love the new Toyota ute 👍👍
Wow. That's a professional rig you made there, thanks a lot for the explanations I learned some things. Sometimes the YT Algorithm works!
Very cool, looking forward to the trip vids.
Nova craft should offer this setup as an option, they could name it the Baird Prospector 😄
I think you can pay them to put the spray deck anchoring system in.
i'll be looking for more :) :)
well that was cool i think i got the idea safe trip to wherever off yuz goooooooooooooooooooooo
That was some cool accessories you installed.
Thanks a lot!
Have a good trip!
This stuff is amazing! I could watch you guys soup-up a canoe all day long! Just bought a Nova Craft 15 Solo Prospector tuff Stuff, just waiting for them to make it for me! Keep up the awesome work boys!
Thanks a lot man! You’re going to live that boat. Really, the best all around boat material out there.
Jim, how much does the spray deck cost? And the kit to install? Thinking about doing the same
11:28 That was a check sanity check to stop your reflexes from pushing that hot allen wrench through the gunwale.
Haha, yup
6:04 - The sound of accomplishment
No way could I get over buying a brand NEW canoe and drilling holes all over it. I know u know what ur doing, but holy hockey pucks🤪
Haha, ya....I’ve done this about five times now so I’m used to it.
👍✌ saludos compa bahia asuncion baja mex...
Gracias!
Glad you liked the rubber soles! Felt is banned in many places and shouldn't even be an option anymore, since didymo and whirling disease can survive so much longer in felt than other substances in wading boots.
Can’t wait always great content 👊🏻
if they don't find you handsome ,hopefully they find you handy
Lol
Love the voiceover work! What do you use for a voiceover set up?
Thanks a lot, I was using my iPhone and standing on my porch which is where we shot the vid so, similar background tone.
I'm always super apprehensive about using U-haul trailers outside the city because they don't include a spare tire. Especially if you are towing into the backcountry where you don't get cell service. All it takes is an unlucky nail and you are in a situation that could take days to resolve. (You need to abandon the trailer and drive back to cell service, call U-haul to send a repair tech and then wait until they have one able to get out to wherever the trailer was marooned)
Ya that would be brutal. I roll everywhere with a compression, tire plug kit and tire goop weather I have a trailer or not but that doesn’t help if you get s puncture in the side wall
@@JimBairdAdventurer Exactly. The last time I had to do a cross country drive, argued with them for like an hour and just gave up. Ended up buying a trailer that I sold on the other side.
Also side note, just fyi, unless anything has changed recently, your rental agreement with u-haul states that you won't attempt any repairs in the event of equipment failure. Technically trying to plug the tire violates your rental agreement.
Watch the entire Lake Superior series and do a shot every time they say "portage!"
I'm not a master craftsman, but I have enough experience with tools to say that was terrifying!!! Drilling holes into a brand new boat is just so wrong, and what if the unthinkable mistake happens?! I almost couldn't watch.😱
Those spray decks look really awesome though. I guess the attach points are easily replaced if one breaks?
I know right haha. The installation kit comes with simple instructions and a template, so really it’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be but this was my fourth time doing it. My first time I was a little more meticulous. Ya, the loops can be replaced and you can also opt for the ladder lock system which is where you pop rivet webbing thought the holes which you run from bow to stern on either side. The spray deck attached to the webbing in the spaces between the pop rivets. This is more durable and the system preferred by outfitters who are taking the spray decks on and off all the time. Running the attaching cordage through the loops in the system I’m using can wear them out. But I basically just leave my spray decks in all season and car top the canoe with it on too....saves in gas mileage.
Jim Baird - Adventurer Huh, I would have worried it would catch too much wind, but if it's that stable, even in high winds then yeah, that's a good idea. It could save on gas for sure.
Thanks.
I want all of the vehicles in this video.... so bad I want them haha
Nice! Haha
Oh, I tell ya, drilling holes your the boat is always sketchy.
It is haha
Starting out an eight hour drive soaked to the nuts ??? WHY ??? Not me. I'd change into dry clothes and footwear at least for the drive. LOL Have a safe one boys. Rick.
👍👍Oops measured wrong. Two holes in the bottom of your canoe Ted🤣
That would be brutal! Hahah. We definitely used the measure twice cut once mindset for this project
Really - ALL canoes should come with all of that already done & should be part of regulations... thanks for the info of what's needed ... I hear so many people buying a canoe that doesn't come with flotation within it - is that the reason for installing the airbags? What exactly are they talking about - the white flotation devices that protect the outside of a boat from hitting directly against a rock? ... as the saying goes - you have to get wet sooner or later - hope you get to dry off... thanks again.
No prob, and good questions....the royalex canoe that I add the airbags to has positive flotation. Adding inflatable airbags at the bow and stern give it more floatation so that if you dump in a rapid, your canoe will float higher in the water meaning it will be easier to rescue and will be less likely to wrap around a boulder. It will also be easier to control in whitewater when you start to fill up with water, so you are less likely to “swamp” they’re not really needed for non-whitewater applications because the boat will float if you tip, albeit it will float much deeper in the water. The absence of built in bow and stern pockets frees up a lot of space in these canoes. The other canoe’s material (calked TuffStuff) does not allow for positive floatation to be “built in” to the hull, meaning that bow and stern air pockets need to be built in or the canoe would sink if you don’t have any floating gear strapped into it. These air pockets are better at floating the canoe than the positive flotation built into the hull of the royalex boat so, it doesn’t need more floatation added to it.
@@JimBairdAdventurer The only white water rafting I've done was on the Ottawa River in a yellow rubber raft - the first time there were 12 of us, the second time 6 of us & of the the person in charge of the raft ... that was the best time I had & was very much needed at the time & my first time to ever try it... STAY safe on the water.
oh noo HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AGGHHH guess your at it again well i am in school here ill just watch cause i dunno squat about this stuff
Can you give some more information on the tool used for attaching the strap to the gunnel for air bag tie downs? THANK YOU! I'm finding this video quite helpful as I begin outfitting my canoe for whitewater!
Sure, ya it’s a pop rivet gun
Great video. This has become instrumental in my current outfitting of a Prospector 16 in Royalex I got my hands on last year. I'm definitely going to steal your bag cage design there to save some money while still being effective enough.
I am curious what size float bag you use in these boats? My best guess is the NRS 29.5" pair which is what I'm thinking for my Prospector and what's available right from the London Paddle Shop.
Great video, Thanks! Do you have a technique to tie the front of the float bags in the bow and stern? I always struggle to reach under and tie them with one hand.
I just put them in before I put the spray deck on if that makes sense
@@JimBairdAdventurer I was talking about tying the very front of the float bag to the tip of the bow or stern under the deck plate. Maybe the webbing on top and back is enough to hold the bag in. Thanks for the response.
Comment and Question: Great instruction to show canoe outfitting! Can you help me understand why spray covers use those attachment points so far below the gunnel? I mean why couldn't you just attach two inches below the gunnel? Seems like the lengthy v-shaped sections of chute cord create snagging opportunities on the portages.
It keeps more water out this way. They don’t snag unless you’re hauling through the bush. You can also use the latter lock system for spray deck anchor points.
Love your show! Wear a hat us red heads bottom lip gets trashed. It’s not lip cancer yet for me. Goofy hat lol love ya all . Mark 56
Looking forward to the trip video(s)! Drills and canoes....yikes. What materials are your canoes?
That drilling hurt ... I have never seen a spray skirt being attached to a canoe before but I would have thought one used Chapel knobs or some kind of snap fasteners on the edge but this looks dryer.
What is the advantage of using a canoe with a spray skirt over a kayak? I enjoyed watching the video, thanks.
Thanks a lot, a spray skirt doesn’t give any buoyancy like a kayak does. It will shed waves but you can still swamp (fill up with water) unlike a kayak. The advantages are in the amount of gear you can bring in a canoe. The Spraydeck has a large zippered opening so you can easily throw large bags in and out of the canoe while in a kayak you need small bags and you need to meticulously pack them which is time consuming. A canoe is also a lot easier to jump in and out of, stand in to fish of pole etc. The spray deck on a canoe will definitely increase its whitewater capability and ability to paddle in larger waves without swamping. It’s not going to have the whitewater capability of most kayaks though. It is more versatile and practical however. Kayaks were traditionally solo, specialized hunting vessels reserved for the Arctic fringes of the continent while canoes were traditionally used throughout the interior in the Canadian Shield and beyond.
What layup is Ted's canoe? Tuff Stuff? or Tuff Stuff Expedition?
It’s Expedition grade. Heavier but it’s headed for a lot of WW use and general abuse in remote areas, so he figured it’s the way to go.
Pretty interesting to see how y’all set up a canoe for the big water.
I seriously thought you were gonna push on the heated Allen key at one point in the video.
Can’t wait for the trip!
EDIT: Take some 2x4’s and make a rack for that Yota so you can haul both canoes without a dang trailer.
I too thought he was going to be taking a trip to the medicine cabinet before the trip began.
Jim sure thought about using his thumb,for sure! It would have been a looooong beep!
Lol
I'm considering getting a Nova Craft Prospector and outfitting very similar to this. Question: what layup/material is this canoe? Tuff Stuff? Thanks!
Hi, new to your channel, good job editing where do you find the time. At 2:14, your boat and motor are in the background. Did you make your transom into a 20” form a 16”? Wondering if you could do the reverse and not take any structural integrity away? Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot, ya I put a lot of time into this and have been focusing a lot more on YT for the past year. I’ve been working full time as an outdoor writer, film maker and photographer for five years now. I’m not sure as to the exact measurements of the transom but in my opinion it’s too low and I should install splash guards. The engine is a king shaft so a piece has been bolted into the transom to raise the motor up or it wouldn’t be functional. It works well. The long shafted motor doesn’t push the boat properly without the bracket on the transom to raise the motor up .
I love these videos. But... just out of curiousity: Why strap and not some aluminium (or stainless steel) D loops instead?
Just my guess but id say the straps are cheaper and repurposed. They also might weigh less but i dont think weight is a concern considering they got the plastic model and not kevlar. The d rings could also be noisier if they swivel back and forth.
D rights are a little large to fit on the funnies but before this I screwed in eyelets to the bottom of the gunnels. They came out over time. You can get venal panels with Multiple fabrics loops in them for this purpose too. This tip is a truck I got from a Yukon outfitter and it works great.
Jim, looking to build my own spray deck for a Grumman 17. Won't be paddling this boat white water at all (Have a trailhead prospector 16 for inland trips). Been using the Grumman for great lakes and Gulf of Mexico. Mostly solo my Grumman and am taking a fair bit of spray forward of the front thwart in sporty conditions. Can you recommend a spray deck material?
The issue you may run into is how to anchor it to your canoe as you may not want to drill holes through your hull with aluminum…but maybe it’s fine? You may be able to just use a strong adherent. For material, I’d go with 1000D PVC Coated Polyester which is the standard for NorthWater decks. Trailhead used to make them with something a little different that was also effective too which you might want to look into. NorthWater used to stitch those decks to Trailhead’s specs.
The women that went on your trip she Guide also? Do you also offer any guiding services are you just doing the channel. Thanks
I don’t yet but my wife Tori offers backcountry introductory workshops geared towards women paddlelikeagirl.com
My canoe is always taking water over the sides when I'm on a rough lake, but I'm thing a full skirt/deck would be total overkill especially when I'm using it with 2 more people and a dog. It does already have float chambers, but do you think float bags could help out? Any other ideas what I could do to keep the water out? Other than get a better canoe lol.
Could be just low gunwales on your canoe is the issue, doesn’t make it a bad canoe though but just not ideal for waves.
hey, what's a built in air pocket? is it unusual, or do a lot of new canoes have it?
Most canoes do have them. ABS Royalex canes did not as they had ever positive floatation throug the closed cell construction in the interior of the material throughout. Now that you can’t get Royalex canoes any more, a material marketed as TuffStuff Expedition is often used for whitewater canoes. This cloth / epoxy lay-up does not have positive flotation so air pockets need to be built in at the bow and stern. T-Formex is another new whitewater material and it’s a plastic, so canoes made out of it don’t need air pockets. It’s a lot heavier though.
@@JimBairdAdventurer Thanks so much: i have an old town allagash from the 90's: heavy as lead. awesome video: I'm gonna try these out this weekend (before it gets too cold for glue)
Thanks a lot and good luck with the outfitting!
Did you move the front seat position more towards center or just uninstall the aft seat to convert to solo?
We just pulled out the stern seat and added a thwart where it was.
@@JimBairdAdventurer thank you! No issues with being bow (true bow, not modified bow) heavy with this set up? I've (190 lbs) paddled a 15 foot Wenonah this way and I've always found it not trimmed without any weight up front (true stern).
Ya, it will be trimmed stern heavy like without any weight in the front. I don’t really mind that a ton though.
@@JimBairdAdventurer just more opportunity to practice skills! Thanks for the great videos.
What is the advantage of sitting/paddling backwards while solo?
Well, the canoe is a-symmetrical so there is no real front and back. The reason to do it like this is because the front seat of the canoe is much closer to the middle so if you sit “backwards” on it, making the stern your bow when soloing, the canoe will be trimmed better, it’ll be a lot more stable and easier to manoeuvre than if you sat in the stern seat when soloing. This is because the stern seat if very close to the stern. The bow seat is a ways back from the bow because the bow paddler needs leg room.
@@JimBairdAdventurer Very good answer, thank you! I will keep that in mind the next time I'm in the bwca.
Nice, ya it makes a big difference
Great video, are you using 1000 PVC or 420D PU spray deck?
Thanks a lot, to be honest I’m not sure. I think it’s the only martial North Water offers.
@@JimBairdAdventurer they have 2 options a light version 420D and Heavy Duty1000V
Right, this is true actually. I forgot about that. I went with the heavy duty version. Heavier but it’s worth it as it can take more of a beating.
Definitely steeling the canoe strap air bag idea. Much simpler that other methods I’ve seen.
Just wondering why some solo canoes have a seat in the widest part of the canoe and others don’t . I just purchased a solo canoe ,seat at the widest part of the canoe ,just wondering if it’s a disadvantage in River whitewater canoeing. It’s a 14 ft canoe .
Some solos are built for sport. They aren't meant to carry gear, so the only load in the boat is the pilot, who has to sit in the middle for balance. Jim also needs to balance the load, but he is carrying a lot of gear, so he sits in the back (can't steer from the front or middle in a longer boat) with gear in the front.
It depends on the width of the boat. If the seat is in the widest part, you also need a removable carrying yoke likely. Anyways, the boat will be trimmed more evenly if the seat is in the widest part and you will be able to side skip more easily. Crossing over to do a cross draw will me more challenging from the widest part of the canoe and I actually injured my shoulder knee pretty badly trying to do a cross draw while sitting in the middle. That was a pretty wide canoe though. You see how Bill Mason used to kneel with no seat just behind the carrying yoke in his prospectors while running rapids. He used a lot of pries to slide-slip to his off had side because of this.
Ok thank you very much for your in depth answers . I appreciate it . 👍🚣♀️
HOW MANY DOLLARS WILL TED PUT IN THE SWEAR JAR ON THIS TRIP
Hahaha
That seems super sketchy drilling holes in your boat so far down the waterline.. just saying.maybe they spiderweb with stress.
I know right haha. They don’t though. They’re standard spray deck anchoring points and have been running them in my boats for about 15 years. Also standard on all outfitter’s canoes they rent in the north so they’re proven. Usually the outfitter’s use the ladder lock system where they rivet a strip of webbing through the holes on either side and attached the deck to the webbing between the rivets.
WHAT CITY ???
There is no city in this video. Maybe you mean another one of my videos or something?
@11:31 no no hot...
Lol, I know exactly where you’re referring to.
Doesn’t make sense to put holes in your $4000 canoe. Buy a kayak for white water. Shame on cover manufacturer for poor mounting design. I’m sure there is a better way. Happy paddling! Beautiful canoe though.
This is actually the way spray decks have been in stalled for many years and it what everyone does, all the outfitters etc. a lot of people just factory order their canoes with the spray deck anchors installed. Canoes are better than kayaks for the types of trips I do and paces I do my trips. For one, they are a lot faster to load and unload, can hold more gear for longer trips, way faster to jump in and out of and generally easier to portage. That’s why they were traditionally used in rivers and lakes in the vast majority of North America. Kayaks are specialized hunting vessels that were used on the fringes of the Arctic coast. They are definitely easier comparatively in whitewater but the skill to navigate a loses canoe through whitewater is sincere to than a kayak and isn’t alien to the waters I paddle. It’s a different skill so, when you say use a kayak for white water, it’s kind of like saying why not play ringette instead of ice hockey because it’s easier to stick handle. So, to just switch over sports totally and take on a sport that doesn’t make as much sense because of the tried, tested and true meting of installing spray deck anchors (which is essentially what you’re saying) personally kinda stoked me as a dumb thin to say. No offence.