Hello all,

I'm here to introduce myself. My name is Mark. I live in Bloomington, MN and am ashamed to say I've never been to the BWCA. I've backpacked and winter camped but I have yet to go canoe tripping. I plan to retire next year and after that I fully intend for things to change.

I have always been an avid fisherman with an emphasis on rivers which led me to canoes. I bought a Northwind solo this spring and have really been enjoying just being in it and paddling. So far I've fished with it on the upper St Croix and a few local lakes.

One of the things I've discovered is how enjoyable it is just to be on the water and paddle without bringing fishing gear. A couple weeks ago I paddled the Cannon river from Faribault to Northfield and really just had a ball.

I'm a tinkerer and so have already modified my new canoe quite a bit to suit my needs. I have lots of plans to make it even better for what I like doing this winter. I've found this forum to be an amazing source of information on how to do modifications and hopefully I'll be sharing what I've done here in the near future.

To whom it may concern thank you for such a rich resource and also to all who have shared their knowledge and experience!

Regards to all,

Mark

Welcome to the site, Mark! You may discover that you couldn't find a nicer bunch of people on the interwebs.

Welcome to the forum Mark.

I also have a couple of Northstar canoes including a Northwind Solo. I'd be interested in hearing about how you modified yours.

Have a great day.

One thing I did on MW Solo was add some padding for the aluminum thwart where the side of my knee touches it. I used velcro and some closed cell foam. The wooden Thwarts aren't nearly as rough

Welcome aboard, MNXS54, and well done on your boat. Be sure to post photos when your mods are complete. If you are going to try soloing up there (as your boat selection would imply) be sure to look for the Solo Paddling group which is listed under See More Groups on the main page.

Another welcome. I validate the tinkerer in you as I continue to evolve my gear. I paddle a Magic and have made a couple adjustments, foot rest bar being the best add on so far. Do you have some ideas what you might be tinkering with?
I also get that feeling of paddling a well designed solo. A connection with the water and the world that comes with it that churns out the endorphins in my brain, too.
And another shout out to the solo special interest group.

Welcome,
I too would like to hear about see the mods you did to the Northwind solo. I was pretty nervous to tinker with a $3,000 canoe at first, but now almost all my boats are modded out. I intended to do more fishing but find myself drawn to the rivers and streams around here just to relax as you do. Always wanted to paddle the MN river, if only I could make the planes disappear for a few hours...

Welcome!

Welcome aboard, Mark.

Thank you all for the welcome! I'm currently working out of town so I have time to research instead of raking all the leaves piling up at home!

A quick background on why I chose the NW solo: The canoe has to be very adaptable for how I fish which was my starting point. I rarely have anyone to go with me so the 2 vehicle shuttle method doesn't work . I paddle (and fish) upstream for around half the day. At whatever point I decide I then turn around and float and fish back to my truck.

This way of fishing requires a few things: First the canoe must be able to be paddled against the current without killing me! I tested the Magic and the Solo. The Magic is aptly named as It was so nice to paddle, but I found it very hard to turn and was worried about navigating smaller rivers.

Next I need to be able to easily and quietly anchor the canoe in current often as I paddle upstream. Later I'll post pics of what I think is the best way to accomplish that.

Here I need to make a confession. I use a double blade paddle because I feel like I'm way more efficient against the current and also I admit not not being very good with a single.

Because of my paddle preference I really didn't care for the seat in my Solo. I made a bigger one but after paddling the Cannon that day my tailbone was really sore. I thought a tractor style seat might be preferable so I researched buying one to install. Wow! Talk about expensive! Did I mention that I'm really really cheap? Also I'm very hands on and love doing things myself. SO I found a very cheap (and well made) tractor style seat which has worked very well so far in my tests. I also wanted to be able to trim the canoe by sliding the seat back and forth so I incorporated that into my "design" as well. All this is just the tip of the iceberg to what I've done and what I plan to do to make this wonderful canoe mine. Here's the only pic I currently have but if there's interest I can post more. I think fishermen will be interested in my anchor system.

Mark

Hey Mark,

I dig the hockey stick thwart =)

No need to apologize for using a kayak paddle in your boat. Lots of guys with solos like two bladed paddles. In the end, you've settled upon a method that works for you in the specific scenarios you've outlined. You do you.

Welcome to the board Mark.

mirth: My son played college hockey so I have a supply of broken sticks-extremely light and really strong. I used them for the rails that the seat slides along too.

MidwestFirecraft: I'd be up for paddling the MN sometime. I worked in Mankato last fall and there's something about that river that once was the highway for half of the state.

Welcome Mark,

A lot of canoeists in the twin cities. The Minnesota Canoe Association, mncanoe.org as well as the canoe racer group. The link is on the MN canoe site.
I have an advantage solo that i bought from another member of this message board and really like it.
A lot of people paddle different lakes and rivers around here. I have not paddled the Minnesota, but would love to. We often paddle the Rum, at the north end of the cities, and also the Mississippi.
please feel free to contact

zehyani

Welcome

Welcome aboard! Can’t wait too see your journey to your first BWCA trip.

Welcome! Can't wait to read your first trip report.