Just wondering from the soloist canoe community which is your preference.

Aside from the yearly renting of canoes and heading down the river, I'm new to the canoe tripping side of things and was wondering which method the more experienced people prefer for lake/river rehydration.

Naturally, I use my bilge pump in my yak due to the limited cockpit space, but am thinking a bailing jug would be quicker in a canoe.

Would appreciate the thoughts of the experienced canoe people.

Thanks.

Note: I'm just new to using a canoe as my vehicle. I already do the same using my yak or my feet.

I don't use either. I get to the portage and flip the canoe up and the water comes out. I do carry a sponge though to clean up the bottom of the canoe from mud and dirt. It also act as a bailer some what soaking up a little water.

tony

I own a bailer and a bilge sponge but never carry it due to lack of need.

Sponge. Where I go, I'm portaging often enough that not much water accumulates. Once there was an exception (Bogwalker can attest to it). It was on an October, Four Solos Trip when it rained so much each of us had to bail our canoes. At that time I used a cup.

Tough day. It was on the Dahlengren River (going towards BWCA Agnes). Just pouring in sheets with a temperature just above freezing. Miserable.

But that was the only time I really had to bail my solo.

Of course in Quetico you're required to have a bailer (at least you used to). Then I've taken a cut down bleech jug on a cord.

Thanks for the responses.

I like the sponge suggestion. Was kind of focused on the emergency recovery side of things, but will buy a bigger sponge for the canoe just for soaking up light water and cleaning. I don't worry about it in the yak cause' there's not a whole lot of floor space to get dirty. Thanks

Just a clarification; I view the bailer/bilge pump as an emergency accessory, not something needed just to get rid of normal water accumulation. I've never rolled my kayak either cept' to practice wet exits and entry's, but will always carry it for the 'just in case' scenario.

I'm thinkin', swamped canoe in the middle of the lake cause' I did something stupid like ... I don't know ... reached out to pet the pretty turtle with the pointy nose. :-o lol

More thoughts?

I own a pump for the yak. Never thought of bringing anything for the canoe.

Sponge for me. My bailer is in the cook kit.

butthead

Sponge, but haven't used it. As mentioned above I too get to a portage before I need it.

Ditto the Sponge, mine is Orange so it aint hard to find and I use a Bungee Deely Bob to lash it on the canoe so I know right where it is.
SunCatcher

sponge..but this year i think i'll add a small bailer of some sort.

I always intend to carry a sponge but I usually forget to throw it in. Once on trip with my son we bailed due to heavy rain. We used a towel. Wasn't the most efficient but better than nothing.

I have a strip canoe with scuppers in the gunwales. All I need to do is go to shore and turn the canoe on it's side and it drains completely.
Dick

I have an old milk jug with a handle that I cut the bottom off of. I throw it in if I think about it.

now remember this is the solo forum so a question could be how can you paddle or keep the canoe into the wind with water coming over the sides and bail at the same time? if you stop to bail the boat will weather vane and you will be sideways.keep paddling and the water inside will make it hard to handle.with two packs taking up space forward of the carrying bar and a day bag at you feet,maybe,there is not much floor space left to scoop water from...and if your not in trim it could deep at an end you can't get too..well no one said solo was easy----

wetcanoedog; you just convinced me to get a canoe cover!


butthead

@butthead

That looks like a really nice set-up.

Wetcanoedog brought up a really good point about trying to bail your canoe solo, in conditions you might need to bail. I've heard people mention using a half a milk jug or other plastic container for bailing though. Never brought one myself though.

Great responses.

I started this topic from my kayaking point of view, that being solely from an emergency recovery viewpoint, i.e. rolling it over unintentionally.

I don't whitewater and I haven't paddled any of the Great Lakes yet or had to contend with 3' plus seas which would give me concern for getting excess water into the cockpit. Besides, that would require I wear a skirt, and I'm just not going to wear a skirt! lol During rain, my carcass covers enough of the opening that water accumulation is pretty minimal.

What I'm getting from all these responses is that the concern of tipping and emergency recovery is very minimal. It seems that the primary need for a bailer and/or sponge, is to get rid of excess water accumulation due to rain and/or boot drippings and/or poor padlling technique.

In the kayaking community, you are warned very early on that if you don't have a bilge pump and paddle float strapped to your deck at all times, Thor himself will descend from the heavens and beat you profusely about the head and shoulders with Mjolnir - (Thor's hammer). (Thought the Minnesotans might appreciate the reference.) :-)

So now I'm thinking, "What am I going to experience when the weather breaks and I start rolling this thing over to try a wet recovery?". I suspect it'll turn out that I drag it towards shore til' I can touch bottom. Hmmm, maybe time for another thread?

"I suspect it'll turn out that I drag it towards shore til' I can touch bottom. Hmmm, maybe time for another thread? "

That's exactly what I had to do when the Lady Of The Lake invited me in (Thor was busy). That cover kept my canoe from swamping. Rolled right over, only took in a few inches of water.

butthead

quote Bannock: "Sponge. Where I go, I'm portaging often enough that not much water accumulates. Once there was an exception (Bogwalker can attest to it). It was on an October, Four Solos Trip when it rained so much each of us had to bail our canoes. At that time I used a cup.


Tough day. It was on the Dahlengren River (going towards BWCA Agnes). Just pouring in sheets with a temperature just above freezing. Miserable.


But that was the only time I really had to bail my solo.


Of course in Quetico you're required to have a bailer (at least you used to). Then I've taken a cut down bleech jug on a cord."

I remember that trip Bannock. Rained so hard you could barely see past the bow as we paddled for a short time. Canoe was pretty tough to turn with all that water in the bottom. Really tough to flip at the portage.

I only bring a sponge and outside of the "Day of the Deluge on the Dahlgren" have never needed more that that. The sponge is used more to clean mud and muck out of canoe then it is to remove water.

I haven't needed it in a canoe so far, but we have a solo sailboat where I use a cut-off half-gallon apple cider jug. It works great for getting the bulk of it out, but if you actually want to get things totally dry a sponge does the trick for the last half-inch or so.