Hi all,

I bought a used Quetico 18.5 on this forum a few years back. One noticeable difference when portaging, other than weight, from my MN II is that the thwart in front of the yolk is much farther forward in the boat. Too far for me to reach. I’ve just been holding the small lip of the gunnel but every year it seems like it’s getting more uncomfortable on the hands (or I’m just getting older)

If anyone has jimmy rigged homemade portage handles on their boat or any recommendations for me, would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
Brennan

I had the same problem, mine caused by arthritis . I drilled two holes in the gunnels appox. 6 to 8 inches apart and threaded rope thru the holes and secured it under the gunnels. I padded the rope by running the rope thru rubber tubing. The "slings" are loose enough for my fingers to slip thru to my thumb, putting the pressure on my entire hand (palm). The slings are where my fingers would otherwise grip the gunnels. Having my hands flat rather then pointed up with wrists bent, made a big difference.
I experimented with making the slings longer to bring my arms below shoulder height to ease shoulder cramps but never got it quite right. Having the canoe very, very slightly stern heavy also helped.

This is the same idea I have every portage and never do it. This is the year.

Something else you might try is just tying a piece of cord to the next thwart in the middle, with a loop in it so you can hold it while portaging, maybe just above the waist, pulling down when necessary to drop the bow. I've been surprised how much control it still allows you, and you don't have to keep your hands up high. It's pretty comfortable, and a lot more relaxing until things get tough.

The next step after a cord from the next thwart forward is a line from bow to stern with the length so it is taut when held at about waist level. Then you can pitch the boat either way by pulling forward or back. Very comfy. Works well with the old knupack frame pack system but I’ve seen picture of people doing it with standard portaging pads.

I've used a similar system to the two posts above. Occasionally, I've even attached an old bicycle tire inner tube to the thwart in front. It provides enough "give" when the canoe might bounce a little on my shoulders while still enabling me to hold onto it at waist level.

Hi all,

Appreciate everyone’s suggestions! I went with rope tied to front and back so that it was taught when i held onto it down around my waist. So much more comfortable! When terrain gets really challenging, may still need to hold onto the gunnels directly with one or both hands, but this will definitely reduce strain on the hands and shoulders for large majority of the portaging.

Thank you!

I Bungee Dealy Bob my paddle handles to the yoke and they reach to next thwart, and when its balanced right I can pout just enough pressure on the handles to aid in portaging.