Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Sweet ride needs a new yoke! Insights appreciated
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sns |
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sns |
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sns |
Bought this almost a year ago by family proxy in Vermont, and it eventually came to me in MN a couple weeks ago. I finally got to see it in person, and it’s even nicer than I thought. It’s a 27 year old Jensen 18 that looks close to new. Wood inwales (mahogany? something almost black) and decks (cherry?). It legitimately might be too nice to trip in, and I need to think about that some more. I weigh it at just under 38#. The trick is it does not have a yoke, but rather a standard aluminum thwart in the middle. Normally this would be an easy swap & the sort of thing I could do in my sleep, but I am concerned about the load this will put on the thin strip of wood that is the inwale. Hoping some of you might have some thoughts on the strength of the inwale and best type of connection one might use to secure a wood yoke given the existing structure. ? |
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AlexanderSupertramp |
With that said it's a fine looking boat. But looking at that closeup in photo two, I would have some of the same concerns, it looks like the inwale perhaps over time has pulled up a little from the hull and might not be in your best interest to use for a place to secure a permanent yoke. You may be best served by contacting Wenonah directly and asking if they have any advice or solutions for you. It might involve drilling and riveting. |
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Bjelde |
https://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/hidden-river-yoke-shop/contoured-yoke-pad-6719 |
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tumblehome |
sns: "I keep walking outside and looking at it and keep thinking that it's too nice to use as a tripping canoe. Like a half dozen wood canoes I have downstairs. I don’t want to scratch them so I keep them in the dark. Sort of a shame actually. The wood is mahogany. It was readily available in long lengths back then and is very light. Decks are absolutely mahogany too. You need to put some scratches in that thing ASAP. Tom |
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sns |
zehyani: "this is what someone did for me, after he borrowed it for a trip. As an owner of a few XL pool noodles, I just tried this, and wanted to report back. It is sort of OK at best for me. I could see doing some short carries this way. Might be better if the noodle does not spin on the thwart tube, but even then I'd say this is a temporary solution. |
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justpaddlin |
If you want to add strength to the gunwales at the yoke attachment point you could buy a yard of 3" carbon fiber fabric and just apply a couple of short pieces (maybe 8 inches?) in the center. It would be effective but personally I have a hard time modifying cool vintage gear. BUT - when the cool vintage gear also perform as as well or better than the latest/greatest designs on the market then I would use the heck out of it. I think you need to put hundreds of hours on a boat before you can actually say you "know" the boat well. I bought a used Advantage last year and after paddling it maybe 3 dozen times I feel like we're still dating and getting to know each other. If you don't use that boat you may never get to know it. just my two cents |
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Banksiana |
The 18 Jensen is one of my all time favorite tandem trippers. Paddles so sweet, handles surprisingly big seas (though with large bow paddlers it will occasionally choose to slice through large incoming waves rather than going over them). Great score. Replace the thwart with a standard ash yoke. Use a metal plate on the outside of the gunwale and an L-shaped mounting bracket on the inside. Plate is mounted with bolts running horizontal. Available from Wenonah. Mounting bracket |
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sns |
I should probably drink on it some more. |
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Frenchy19 |
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sns |
The gunwales have no aluminum. It's wood (stained black as the underside is a lighter color) adhered with resin to the kevlar. I'll post a photo showing the deck which may or may not help visualize - the dark stained wood (likely two or even three strips glued together based on how it intersects the deck) runs the entire length of the canoe save those last few inches on both ends. |
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sns |
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sns |
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RedLakePaddler |
Carl |
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Frenchy19 |
sns: "I keep walking outside and looking at it and keep thinking that it's too nice to use as a tripping canoe. I think if you give me that ugly, beat up and totally worthless SR in the background for $5 you will then be okay tripping in the Jensen;-) |
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zehyani |
1. unscrew the center thwart. 2. Put a fat pool noodle around it. It is hollow and should slip on. 3. Screw the thwart back into place. works great. |
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justpaddlin |
Offhand I'd just pick it up by that thwart and see how flexy it is. Most likely it's fine. The aluminum won't crush any more once it's flattened against the inwale and the inwale probably doesn't mind flexing but I think it's worth adding a strap to the underside to avoid damaging it by crushing it with fastener loads. I was also wondering if you could use a fabric yoke that slips over the whole boat but I guess the balance would be way off or you'd have to remove the center thwart for portaging and then the boat might be a little too flexible for peace of mind. Something like this? |