Last time I soloed in the BW, it was a great trip. I rented a solo canoe which was a little tippy, and they gave me a DIY looking yoke for portaging, that clamped onto the boat somehow. Pretty sure it was made by the outfitter.

I've come into the possession of a nice solo boat, but to portage I'd need a yoke sitting right in front of the seat. I'm faced with either buying or making a portaging yoke that clamps on. I'm comfortable with DIY stuff, but would like to look at some designs.

Also, back to the tippy boat. It was difficult to fish out of. I felt nervous turning around to grab my tacklebox behind me. Sat on the very bottom of the boat a lot. But then, when the wind started up, it was worse. When the waves start rolling, I'm fine with heading into them, I've paddled whitewater, no problem. But then a rogue wave comes along.

You know that old Japanese woodcut of the great wave? That's a classic rogue wave. It comes at you sideways to the prevailing wind, two normal waves suddenly add up mathematically and clobber you from the blindside.

In a long canoe you might not even notice. But in this tippy craft, it just freaked me out to be smacked sideways in the middle of a large lake with no prospect of rescue. More than once I actually threw a low brace (this is automatic after being in some whitewater training) to keep upright. This is in addition to paddling on my knees, all the way down in the boat.

I've seen a gizmo that combines two outrigger floats and a portaging yoke. I'm gonna look like a damn fool with such a rig, and would only deploy the outriggers in high winds. Rather look like a live fool than a dead one. Probably act like a sail and I'll go nowhere, maybe just pull over and wait. However a solo tip into freezing water is basically a death sentence if you can't get out in about 15 minutes. I'd totally use outriggers if I'm up there solo just after ice-out.

Has anyone ever seen such a device? Feel free to laugh also. I'd love to see a picture of one.

[EDIT] Here is a video of the Spring Creek Stabilizer Floats. The guy demonstrates that all the way out, he can sit on the gunnel with his feet in the water and the canoe will not tip.

Spring Creek Stabilizer FLoats Spring Creek Canoe Stabilizer FLoats

[Edit] Here's an entire Pinterest page devoted to canoe stabilizers - the gold mine I was looking for!
Canoe Stabilizers on Pinterest

What is your solo canoe.? Yoke style is dependent upon canoe design.

As for outriggers- you really only need one, though that solution seems a bit excessive. Better to spend lots of time in your boat in warm water and discover how much motion you and the hull can take without swimming. You may be surprised just how robust that tippy feeling solo is.

I built a set of outriggers for my sea kayak so I can bring my dog with me, and I can use them on my canoe as well, but I don't think that's the kind of thing you're looking for. You sure wouldn't want to portage it.

Banksiana: "What is your solo canoe.? Yoke style is dependent upon canoe design.
As for outriggers- you really only need one, though that solution seems a bit excessive. Better to spend lots of time in your boat in warm water and discover how much motion you and the hull can take without swimming. You may be surprised just how robust that tippy feeling solo is."

LOL One of the games I play with kids in my own boats, is I sit in an empty boat throwing low braces while the kids try to tip me over. So for the boats I use on rivers, I'm intimately familiar with how far it can go before dunking, as I always ultimately lose this challenge. This game is also part of the package when I teach beginners how to paddle - sort of a final exam. Haven't tried this in a Kevlar solo boat.

Right now I'm using an Old Town Pack. It is sort of the best of both worlds - it's a Royalex canoe, which are usually heavy, but it is 30 LBs, which for a solo boat is right there in the sweet spot. This canoe is probably inherently more stable than the Winonahs I was renting last trip, and also probably slower. But I can solo on a lake and also bang it down a rocky stream in the ozarks no problem - something you'd never do in a kevlar canoe. (more than once)

I've found an outrigger product from Spring Creek, here's a video (also edited the original post above)

https://www.springcreek.com/product/paddle-sports/stabilizer-float-packages/hd-canoe-stabilizer-floats-complete-package/

https://www.springcreek.com/product/paddle-sports/stabilizer-float-packages/hd-canoe-stabilizer-floats-complete-package/

For a yoke I would check with Piragis Northwoods in Ely. They sell off their rental gear at the end of the year at a reduced price. They have the standard yoke and the yokes for the Wenonah sliding seat. The used yokes would be in new condition.
Carl