SALE!
All Wenonah Ultralite Tandems are $800 off!
All Wenonah Solo Ultralites are $500 off!
Sale Runs through May. Visit our Online SHOP
HEADLINES
Maine Canoe Symposium Registration is open - click here for more info
DOCKS ARE IN!
The docks on our Parker River launch are in and ready for use - enabling all tide launching from our lower parking lot!
SPRING/SUMMER EVENTS!
The spring/summer event schedule is filling in - besides the Maine Canoe Symposium above, there is the Solo Rendezvous, the Ipswich River Watershed Association’s free Riverfest and the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association’s Assembly - see our Events page.
We’re kicking off our Thursday Night Paddles later this month! These informal “show and go” paddles take place at various locations - check back in to see where the first one will be!
BE SAFE OUT THERE!
Remember - the calendar says May, but water temps are still very cold - the sea off Plum Island is just 46 degrees (May 3). The rivers are a bit warmer, but caution is still needed. Wear your life vest!
Places to Go!
There are lots of places to paddle your canoe. Periodically we highlight one to hopefully spark your imagination.
Another distant spot for winter canoe trip planning (or dreaming), but this time here in the US. Big Bend National Park offers paddling through canyons on the Rio Grande with spectacular scenery.
Basic information: NPS Website
A trip through the canyons: Video
Featured Video
Updated 05/03/2024
Here’s a great video to start the paddling season - a really good intro (or refresher) on the stroke we do most - the forward stroke. Ray Goodwin is a great coach who does a really good job making the dynamics of this most foundational stroke understandable.
Enjoy - and looking forward to seeing y’all on the water!
Featured Read
Updated 05/03/2024
Up the river without a paddle? A canoe pole could do the trick
This article was first published in July 2022 by a central Maine newspaper group - I found it on the centalmaine.com website. Ray and Nancy Reitze are legends in the world of Maine Guides and a consistent presence at the Maine Canoe Symposium (yes, that’s another plug for the MCS).
The article provides a good overview of poling and a sense of why it might be a useful skill to have available, particularly if you’re interested in tripping in rivers noted for their shallows and in more easily being able to move upstream.
Hope you find it an interesting intro.
PADDLES!
We stock canoe paddles from Bending Branches, Grey Owl, Sanborn and Hunter and Harris.
Quality, hand-made paddles at good prices.
Beavertail, Ottertail, Sugar Island or just a basic paddle, we have what you are looking for.
Visit out Paddle Page for more information
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Can I afford a real canoe from a real canoe shop?
We get this question a lot. Follow the link below to get a rundown on canoe pricing and what you get for what money.
MORE ABOUT CANOE PRICING
PICTURESQUE ‘DROWNING MACHINES’
Low head dams extend across the full width of the river, but allow a continuous flow of water over the crest from shore to shore, making them nearly invisible from upstream. High flow rates cause them to create a recirculating hydraulic flow below the dam that can capture and pull a paddler under and then circulate them below the surface. The result is essentially a well designed drowning machine.
Here is a link to a fuller description. This link shows the density of these hazards - if you drill down to Massachusetts you can see these are scattered across the state. Locally, the dams in the centers of Ipswich and Amesbury, at the outlet of Lake Gardner and below Foote Brothers Canoe and Kayak are all examples. Finally, here is a link to a short documentary by the PBS station in Indianapolis to bring the concerns home
Encounters with low head dams may be infrequent, but if they do occur, the outcome can be deadly. It's worth the time to take a few minutes to become familiar with them. Thanks.
