Canoe
From BWCAWiki
Canoes are, and have been for thousands of years, the primary mode of travel in the Boundary Waters region. While the BWCAW includes several motorized lakes, and while some people use sea kayaks, canoes are well-suited to big lakes, changing conditions, portages, and transporting the large amount of gear required for an extended trip in the wilderness.
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Description
The basic characteristics of a canoe most important to a BWCAW visitor are weight, durability, length, and comfort. The design of the canoe affects all of these characteristics. Perhaps the most variable aspect of modern canoe design is the material used to construct the hull of the boat.
Birch bark
Although birch bark, cedar, and spruce were the materials of choice for both the Native Americans and French-Canadian Voyageurs for hundreds of years, these canoes are now precious antiques or rare replicas, and are not used on wilderness trips. The stockade at Grand Portage National Monument has several excellent replicas.
Wood
Canoe craftsmen still build cedar strip and wood-canvas canoes in the traditional method, and are still used on wilderness trips by some. Ely builder Joe Seliga was one of the most well-known wood-canvas builders. Many individual canoe enthusiasts hand-build cedar strip canoes from kits.
Wooden canoes vary in length and weight with design, but many are in the 15' - 16.5' range, and can be quite heavy, especially after absorbing water during a longer trip. Wooden canoes also must be protected from impacts on rocks.
It is said that wooden canoes can be the most asthetically-pleasing canoes to paddle, although that is certainly opinion.
Aluminum
Aluminum canoes were introduced after World War II and were the standard for many years, due to their ease of mass production (making them affordable) and durability. Although aluminum canoes can be dented by hitting rocks or being dropped while portaging, it is rare for an aluminum canoe to puncture under normal use.
An unpainted metallic finish on an aluminum canoe can be uncomfortably bright on a sunny day. Metal canoes conduct heat easily, making them hot on sunny days and cold in cooler weather.
Aluminum canoes should not be used for whitewater canoeing. Forces within rapidly flowing water may easily pin a canoe against a rock or boulder, and in the case of aluminum, bend it until unusable.
Plastic
Canoes made from laminated combinations of ABS plastic, vinyl, and foam (including Royalex, a commercial name), have been popular due to their combination of relative affordability, durability, and performance. The design of the lamination can be modified for maximum durability or for a more moderate weight. Plastic canoes are often 16' - 17.5' in length and can range from 60 to 80 pounds.
Their durability means that plastic canoes, while scratched by rocks, will not dent or crack from collisions. Canoes designed for use in whitewater are made from plastic laminates, as are many kayaks.
Kevlar
Kevlar canoes are typically made of a layered composite of synthetic kevlar fabric and hard-drying resin, sometimes interlayered with layers of foam as well. This makes kevlar boats among the most expensive, second only to hand-crafted wooden boats. The advantage of kevlar is in the weight: an 18-foot kevlar canoe can weigh as little as 40 pounds. This makes portaging much easier, and helps increase boat speed while paddling, as well.
Kevlar is much stronger relative to its weight than other resin-bonded materials, such as fiberglass, but it is still vulnerable to damage from rocks. Kevlar canoes should not be dropped on or scraped over rocks, and should not be used for whitewater canoeing.
Permits
The wilderness permit regulations in the BWCAW are based on the use of canoes. Group size limits are set at 9 individuals and 4 watercraft, making a ratio of about 2:1 which is the typical paddler-canoe ratio.
Manufacturers
There are several canoe manufacturers that are popular with Boundary Waters visitors:
- Alumacraft makes basic aluminum canoes.
- Bell Canoe Works (Princeton, Minnesota) Bell makes plastic and kevlar canoes.
- Mad River Canoe Founded in Vermont, now manufactured in North Carolina, Mad River builds plastic and kevlar canoes.
- Marathon Boat and Canoe (Marathon, New York) Marathon builds the Grumman-brand aluminum canoes.
- Old Town Canoe] (Old Town, Maine) Old Town primarily makes plastic canoes, but also continues to make wooden canoes.
- Souris River Canoes (Atikokan, Ontario) Souris River specializes in kevlar and other high-tech materials for their canoes.
- We-no-nah Canoe (Winona, Minnesota) The makers of the Minnesota II, one of the most popular Boundary Waters vessels, We-no-nah makes both plastic and kevlar canoes.
