Hi all,
Have never posted before so hope I'm doing this right. Last year because of some back issues at the time, my son and I used kayaks for our annual BW trip. I chose our route carefully to minimize portaging, and being an avid kayaker near the Chesapeake Bay, I was happy as a clam and don't plan to ever go back to a canoe. The ease of handling and comfort was pure joy. This year am planning a yak trip again and am looking at using a yoke to do a little more portaging than last year. There are some brilliant DIY designs out there, but also some that are commercially available. Am looking for any feedback on available yokes, such as the:
Kayoke
Hidden River Yoke
Spring Creek Yoke
vs any DIY designs (although will be renting kayaks and thus any DIY design has to be versatile to adapt to different cockpit dimensions).

Any input on yokes is appreciated, as well as kayak-friendly portages or outfitters who carry kayaks (we used Sawtooth in Tofte last year and were very pleased).
And sorry but any arguments on the merits of a canoe vs. kayak will be in vain!

Welcome! to the best dang canoeing... er, kayaking... site on the interwebs.

I have been on two trips where other members in the party used kayaks and they all agreed, "Never again," citing the two-man carry needed and the limited storage space. However, I have seen other parties with kayaks using a good over-the-head yoke system and they were as happy as clams. More power to you, and good luck! Welcome again.

Thank you Schweady! After our inaugural trip to BWCA years ago in which we were completely outfitted with just about everything but the kitchen sink, I said "never again" to THAT, and ever since I've exclusively used quality ultralight backpacking gear and been very happy, so we pack pretty light and thus cargo room and emptying hatches aren't really concerns of mine. I am still planning on choosing a route carefully without any really difficult portages until I see how this next trip goes using a yoke. I'm a DIY'er at heart so I'll probably make my own. The DIY posted by nlong a few years back looks the best so far and apparently worked great for his 60 portages:

http://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=746674&forumID=240&confID=1

Would love to hear any experiences with kayak yokes, especially those that are commercially available. Thanks again!

Another rebel who has joined the dark side and 'yakked the BWCA... Welcome! I also tried kayaking the boundary waters for the first time last year, and couldn't believe how great it was. Too much misinformation on these forums that potentially dissuades people from trying it.

I bought the Hidden Creek yoke and found it to be very comfortable. The downside is having to clamp it on each time. Too many moving parts to fiddle with at each portage in my opinion. I plan on removing the clamps and modifying it to wedge against the coaming like the one in the other thread you linked. The idea is to have one with wedges/shims that fit the specific shape of the cockpit rim so all you have to do is set it on and slide it til it's wedged. So much easier than setting the right location of the clamps and keeping the yoke straight as you tighten it down. As for the Kayoke, it looks cool but I don't know if it's for sale in the US. Also, you have to use a belly strap around the hull everytime right?

I'm also interested in any other yoke setups people have made or tried, so keep em coming guys ??

LOL thanks. I emailed the Kayoke for shipping costs and am waiting on that info, and yeah the strap looks like a pain although seems easy enough to slip on and off. Maybe the yoke could just be slid up towards the bow and cinched down between portages? The yoke isn't padded so it doesn't look very comfortable compared to the Hidden Creek and others. And yes I was wondering how user friendly those clamps are on the Hidden Creek yoke so appreciate that feedback.

Mind if I ask which lakes you paddled last year? I am still researching my route this year and not sure how far I want to push the portaging limits until I see how it goes. At least big open water is less intimidating with a kayak. Also, did you rent from an outfitter (seems there are precious few kayaks for rent in the area) or use your own boat?

I have paddled the BWCA and up to Kawnipi and back in a Wilderness Tsunami using a hidden river system. Clumsy to put in and out each time, but with practice I got pretty good at it. The rim of a kayak is not generally designed to hold much weight and I found I needed to pretty much empty the boat or the hull seemed to be stressed, especially if I bounced such as losing footing.
And while I love the feel of the kayak, my 32 pound canoe is lighter than my kayak and much easier to portage. Paddle the boat you have and enjoy your trip.

We started on Seagull and went to Kekakabic and the South Arm of Knife Lake the last week of September, catching the peak of the leaves. Made it all the way to Eddy (where we base camped) in one day. Lots of miles on the water and a bunch of small portages. I was in my 12.5' Necky Looksha (plastic kayak), and my dad was in his Wenonah Prism solo canoe. We were on big water much of the time, and the kayak had a huge advantage in the waves and wind, especially when we had a couple days of hardcore storms. 30 mph wind makes BIG waves on a lake like Kekekabic. The kayak's low profile made tracking a none issue, while I watched my dad struggle from time to time with the wind and waves. One key thing was having a spray skirt, though. Without one, you'd be soaked and/or swamped very quickly in bad weather like that. As for the portages, none were very long, but there were quite a few. However, I have carried it up to a half mile or so from the car to various "hidden" lakes for fishing, so I'd say the yoke is about as comfortable as one could expect a yoke to be.

Overall, I really liked using the kayak in the BWCA. It sounds silly, but it started to feel like a part of me after a while, like I was some kind of water creature. It was also a lot faster than what I was used to, cruising at 5 mph with little effort (imagine how fast a 17' sea kayak would be!). I'm definitely thinking about doing a solo trip with it at some point this summer or fall.

I've canoed and kayak'd BWCA. Kayaks will work, just takes more planning. I have used a spring creek yoke twice on my 54lb sit on top kayak. The main thing to figure out before you get there is figure out how to mount the yoke and practice. It can be done.

Two man carry for a kayak should NEVER be the answer! Too hard.

HotDog: "Another rebel who has joined the dark side and 'yakked the BWCA... Welcome! I also tried kayaking the boundary waters for the first time last year, and couldn't believe how great it was. Too much misinformation on these forums that potentially dissuades people from trying it.
I bought the Hidden Creek yoke and found it to be very comfortable. The downside is having to clamp it on each time. Too many moving parts to fiddle with at each portage in my opinion. I plan on removing the clamps and modifying it to wedge against the coaming like the one in the other thread you linked. The idea is to have one with wedges/shims that fit the specific shape of the cockpit rim so all you have to do is set it on and slide it til it's wedged. So much easier than setting the right location of the clamps and keeping the yoke straight as you tighten it down. As for the Kayoke, it looks cool but I don't know if it's for sale in the US. Also, you have to use a belly strap around the hull everytime right?
I'm also interested in any other yoke setups people have made or tried, so keep em coming guys ??"

I have the Hidden River
+1 to everything said above here.
and as someone else said, no way am i doing a 2 man carry. I'd rather grab the boat by the front carry handle and drag it

Thanks for referencing my first trip in the BWCA. Brings back memories. After that trip, I switched to using my 12’ Perception Tribute instead. Being plastic, I don’t worry about hitting rocks, and it’s also only 40lbs, so even lighter than my kevlar sea kayak. I made a yoke for this as well. I keep 10 lbs of gear in the rear hatch to balance it out when portaging. The rest of my gear and food is in a 48L pack that is bungied to the rear deck and is only 30lbs. I’ll hike this pack over the portage first and then come back for the kayak. This system has worked well for me the past few years and this past week that I was in the BWCA. I also love fishing from the kayak and caught a 24” walleye from it on this latest trip on my 7wt fly rod. Let me know if you have any questions.

Do you have any close up shots of the yoke that you made? I'm interested in a fast-er system than the yoke that i purchased and would modify if the right idea came along.

schweady: "Aall agreed, "Never again," citing . . . the limited storage space.
"

Many people can backpack comfortably with a 60-70L pack. My kayak has 140L of space in the hatches, plus extra space in front of my feet. That's about 2 to 2.5 times the capacity of a typical backpack. In 140L I can fit a Helinox cot, chair, and table; a 2 or 3P tent; and all gear for about 5 days on the water. Ultimate comfort for a reasonable weight and bulk.

For me the advantages of a kayak far outweigh the space advantage of a canoe: complete protection of gear from the elements; more efficient paddling (IMO); safer in very rough water, requiring less skill to stay upright; better in the wind; flotation in the hatches if you overturn. There are kayaks around 13' and 40 lbs or so that are quite seaworthy.

I've paddled with a gal that kayaks exclusively. She uses a poke boat. Looks kinda funny with stuff hanging everywhere. Lots of small bags to carry. But she goes for weeks and loves it. Her solo boat was 23 lbs...
Another friend paddled a kayak the distance from South Fowl to Crane Lake. His was a Kevlar that took quite a beating. And for the length of the trip the gear stressed his boat pretty bad. He used a spring Creek yoke. And the gal had a home made.

zski,
Love the thread and hearing what lighter kayaks are being used. I'm stuck with a pretty heavy kayak myself because I'll be flying into Duluth and have to rent. I'd love to see some more pictures of nlong's yoke myself but here again is the link to his original post with pictures if you missed it above, as well as a link to another design that looks good. I think I'm going to make a hybrid of the two yokes for myself using Chosen Valley pads.

http://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=746674&forumID=240&confID=1

http://www.kayakcamper.com/kayak-yoke.html
(make sure to scroll down and watch his youtube)

Thanks bdkdvm! Somehow i did miss the original video.

I just got back yesterday from a canoe trip to BWCA, and the wind was very strong most days... It sure made me miss my yak trips. Paddling a canoe across a windy lake can be intense, paddling a yak across that lake, and "what wind?"

Anyway, I've done a few BWCA yak trips where I just threw the yak on my head and let the padded seat do the cushioning (be sure to take off a hat first, or that rivet will not make you happy!) I have a crazy strong neck though, so probably not for everyone.

I did build a yoke for my yak, though. It works pretty nice. I don't know how you'd do it with a rental yak, but since you asked for all ideas I'll post it. :)

For those posting links, please use the Add a link to this message function found below the white text box that you type in. If you need some help, just ask. Thanks.

I used the spring creek yoke this June on my Field and Steam Eagle run 12 and it worked great. It uses cam straps to secure it to the boat and I found it easiest to put it on while the kayak was still in the water. When not in use I just used a bungee cord to hold it on the front

I use my Current Designs Extreme kayak - 18' 10" long with 220L of dry storage space. I built a custom yoke which allows me to go from portage to carrying within a few minutes. I use a wedge technique with a tension strap around the kayak. The yoke is built out of ash with foam padding for my shoulders.
I need to take a photo of the yoke....

This is what my scrap wood yoke looked like. I was in a bind last minute since I had not completed my cedar strip canoe yet. I used scrap pallet wood and some spare lag bolts in the sides to hold the rachet strap hooks in place. The strap around the hull kept the kayak from shifting around. I also had one of the edges secured with a wing nut so i could adjust for the width of the cockpit and be able to use it on my fiances kayak too.

Great concept but there were lessons learned:

Use lots of padding and be sure that the height of the shoulder pads are ideal for your head having enough room inside. I had my head tilted forward the whole time due to there not being enough room for my head inside the hull.

Be sure to practice using it! Not just around the house; take it to a lake or hike a trail with it! That was my biggest mistake. You will not know your flaws until you know how it works on the trail. I know this is an older post but hopefully it is helpful to someone!