if the canoe happens to ram and stop on a rock. Having the anchor between the seat support brings the thigh straps into an aggressive, secure position. Although some paddlers may say we’ve gone over-
board on the outfitting for wilderness river trips, the sporty Canyon with fully rigged outfitting bridges the gap to tandem playboat. In part two, next issue, we’ll rig our fully outfitted UTC for big-water northern rivers, protect it from the shallow bump and grid of headwater streams, and see if it will withstand the celebratory bottle of champagne.
Esquif Canoes:
www.esquif.com. SlipStream: 613.758.2211.
photo 1 Voyageur:
www.voyageur-gear.com. Mike Yee Outfitting:
www.mikeyeeoutfitting.com.
longer seat bolts. Adjusting seat height and angle are the easiest and cheapest modifications you can do to improve your paddling comfort.
Photo 3 Both bow and stern anchors for the
Mike Yee Outfitting thigh straps are cen- tred in the boat five inches forward of the seat bar. Find the centre of the boat with the centre of the seat webbing and use a level to measure up from where the anchor loops leave the floor. Locate the wall anchors centred between the seat supports, with the tops near the gun- wales. Mark outlines, location slashes and orientation arrows for the anchors on the hull so you know their placement and which way is forward.
Photos 4 & 5
The secret to installing secure vinyl anchors is to keep everything clean. Wipe the hull and anchors sparingly with ace- tone. Wearing gloves, apply vinyl glue to both surfaces; be sure to go right to the edges. Let dry 15–20 minutes. Reactivate the glue with a heat gun, align and stick. Roll out with lots of pressure using a screen door roller tool. Be sure to let it dry for 24 hours before you thread your thigh straps and haul on the anchors.
photo 2
Kneepads & Thigh Straps Photo 1
Position the kneepads widely enough for differential balancing of the canoe with pressure on either knee. Get comfortable, you shouldn’t be stretching to reach the kneepads. When you’re sure of their placement, mark the position. Now, run around the yard and get back in to ensure it feels natural. Then, glue them in using contact cement.
Photo 2
With the kneepads held in the correct position, we lowered the seat and tilted it forward slightly so that Tanya’s shorter legs could reach a comfortable kneeling position. Esquif’s solid, one-piece seat hangers allowed us to cut wooden spacers to lower the seat. You might need to buy
photo 3
photo 4
photo 5 2003 Early Summer 37
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