So the outfitters have me trained well...when you use a Kevlar canoe you are to wetfoot the landings. Easy enough when there are 2 of you = 1 holds the canoe as it floats while the other loads/unloads the packs.

Never having soloed before...I assume I will have to beach the Bell I am renting. Seems like a mean thing to do to a nice canoe but don't see a way around it.

Suggestions?

One foot at a time, hands on gunnels, keep low, transfer weight to foot in canoe carefully , slid onto seat. I never cruise my solo canoes onto the beach. You my need to search for a spot to reach bottom, I only have a 28 inch inseam.

butthead

Like a lot of aspects of solo canoeing, I just slow down, get very methodical, and focus(!) on the exit/entry. Gets easier as you get more practice. (If you ever refinish a beat up kevlar canoe it will help help reinforce the notion of wet-footing.) --Goose

quote butthead: "One foot at a time, hands on gunnels, keep low, transfer weight to foot in canoe carefully , slid onto seat. I never cruise my solo canoes onto the beach. You my need to search for a spot to reach bottom, I only have a 28 inch inseam.
butthead"

+1 I would never beach a Kevlar.

that's what the painter lines are for. use them. i paddle a canvas canoe, the bottom does not get to touch rocks, if i pull it on shore it will be resting on a pfd. you never want your canoe drifting away, bad practice on a solo trip.

quote jwartman59: "that's what the painter lines are for. use them. i paddle a canvas canoe, the bottom does not get to touch rocks, if i pull it on shore it will be resting on a pfd. you never want your canoe drifting away, bad practice on a solo trip."

So you tie off to something, remove the gear while the canoe is still free floating, then pluck the canoe directly from the water to your shoulders...

I see that working when there are no waves or wind. I guess when the wind does want to push it into the rocks as you unload you just be "as careful as possible"?

you are always improvising, you do what works, in bad conditions that canoe might have to touch a rock, just don't let it sit there rocking back and forth on the same spot. a pfd adds protection. the main thing is the canoe is in your control at all times. i have often attached the painter line to my belt with a carabiner. PS. i have had a canoe drift away on me on a solo trip. on the beartrap at the base on the last portage before peterson bay. this landing is extremely steep and there is nothing to attach a rope to, there is a slight current here and it was enough to cause my canoe to drift beyond reach. i was lucky in that i had my fishing pole and was able to snag the canoe, other options were grim, as it was late october and very cold.

quote jwartman59: "you are always improvising, you do what works, in bad conditions that canoe might have to touch a rock, just don't let it sit there rocking back and forth on the same spot. a pfd adds protection. the main thing is the canoe is in your control at all times. i have often attached the painter line to my belt with a carabiner. PS. i have had a canoe drift away on me on a solo trip. on the beartrap at the base on the last portage before peterson bay. this landing is extremely steep and there is nothing to attach a rope to, there is a slight current here and it was enough to cause my canoe to drift beyond reach. i was lucky in that i had my fishing pole and was able to snag the canoe, other options were grim, as it was late october and very cold."

VERY creative with the canoe snag! We had a canoe head off on its own towards some rapids...but it was July and solved with a quick swim. I also like the idea of a carabiner which makes the painter easy to tie off...even if it is to your belt.

You're the second to mention using a PDF as a bumper. In my quest to go light I had given up the notion of an extra pad...may have to rethink...

I paddle a wood canvas also. In addition to the good suggestions above, I'll add one of my own. I carry a large beach towel. If I have to bring the canoe on the rocks I'll try and set it on the towel. That has worked for me most of the time. Nothing works all the time! The main thing is be careful.

quote jwartman59: "you are always improvising, you do what works, in bad conditions that canoe might have to touch a rock, just don't let it sit there rocking back and forth on the same spot. A pfd adds protection. the main thing is the canoe is in your control at all times."

A lot of good advice here. I especially like the beach towel idea, which is something I never thought of.

As others have mentioned, I try to avoid beaching my Kevlar canoes directly on the rocky shorelines when landing my canoe(s) in Quetico-Superior country. As butthead mentioned, you may need to search for a more desirable landing location.

Nevertheless, I prefer the more heavy-duty Kevlar lay-ups with a gel-coat versus the skin coat of the ultra-light lay-ups. Additionally, I always add a few strips of duct tape or "Gorilla" tape to the stems for canoe trips on the Canadian Shield to prevent abrasion or chipping of the gel-coat finish.

That said, I still wet-foot my landing unless it's a soft sand beach. Even then, I don't run my canoe(s) aground as I did when I paddled aluminum canoes years ago.

Hans Solo

Rob, I was concerned about this issue before my first solo trip. In the two-man, one of us always held the canoe during loading and unloading, allowing a complete float. Can't do that with a solo, obviously.

What I found in practice, though, is that you can generally find some structure underwater by the take out to "hang up" the canoe so it doesn't float away while you unload. It's not completely floating, but it's not beached either. I have done this with my kevlar Prism and never had a problem. It's no more scraped up than any other kevlar. Obviously, every portage landing is different, so you need to adjust how you keep the canoe in place during the loading and unloading process, but I just didn't find it to be very difficult to do that, contrary to what I feared beforehand.

In fact, this works so well with the solo, that we now more frequently do the same thing with the tandem so we can both be loading or unloading and speed the process. The key is finding the happy medium between free-floating and pulled up on shore. It's easier some places than others. With the tandem, we do still have the luxury of one guy holding the canoe where it's hard to get it to stay in place on its own. On the other hand, the smaller solo boat is usually easier to get in a good position for that.

As an aside, I could imagine using a painter to tie off under some conditions, though I have never had to, but I'd sure hate to be doing that at every landing. Same with some of the other suggestions like carrying an extra towel as a cushion. Just my preference.

I've always ties a rope to the bow since the first time a puff of wind caught my canoe while unloading and I just barely reached it with my paddle. On windy days I'll stretch it back to where I am sitting so I can step out mid boat with it in hand, and on calm days I'll just coil and secure it at the bow. In summer a little swim would be a nuisance, but when the water is cold it could be serious.

I'm more in line with ho ho than some of the others so far.

I get out of my boat cautiously as it is still afloat and away from rocks, especially ones that could puncture my boat. If it is windy at the landing, I will throw on my one pack, and sling the other over my shoulder and pull the boat to the safest spot to 'anchor' it on shore for a moment as I set down the packs.

Then I take the canoe out of the water and gently set it somewhere on shore, even if I have to go a rod or two to find a good spot to set the boat. I'm careful setting it down, and no damage has come to my boat from doing so.

I'm not worried about light scratches, but take plenty of caution to avoid any real damage

Just remember, a small scratch on the canoe is a smaller problem than an injury to you, especially when you're solo. When I can I pick up the bow and carry it forward and set it down on the ground, then unload. I don't ram it up on shore, but I think it would be nearly impossible to do a trip without a single small scratch.

Thanks for the thread. I will be doing my first solo in my new black lite magic this year. Some good tips here. I like the bath towel idea, too. I have been using a cham wow to soak up drip, it works better than the bath towel I started with and might hang over the gunnel nicely providing a side protection. Something new to try next time out.
When I got the boat I overreacted to some fold lines and Ted graciously took a look for me. I recall his pleased smiles and comments about scratches. They happen and mean the boat is getting used.
Wear the right boots and socks, too.

When I bought my Wenonah Wilderness I knew I wanted to protect the bottom as much as I could. But I also hate having wet feet all the time, especially when the water is cold and in lousy weather.

I install protection on the wear spots of the canoe using gaffer's tape. That way I can let the canoe sit on rocks if needed to unload. It works pretty well, but it can come loose sometimes. There are other things you can install on the bottom but they cost alot more.

When the water is cold or I just don't want wet feet all day I wear Neos Trekkers (from Piragis) over canoeing shoes (not boots) to function as knee high "waders". I can stand in water one foot deep while the canoe is floating and unload or load as conditions allow. They are water proof yet light and packable.

Of course always use bow and stern lines and adapt technique to wind and waves.

So far so good!

quote MHS67: "I carry a large beach towel. If I have to bring the canoe on the rocks I'll try and set it on the towel."

When using my Kevlar kayak, I carry a 3' X 4' thin piece of rubber mesh rug padding. It's light, doesn't take up much space and dries quickly.

I never beach my cedar strip solo... I find getting in & out in the water much easier.

Also lifting packs in/out as well as lifting the canoe is much easier in the water. Once across the portage I will tie the canoe to it floats out of the way. At times when really windy, I will set it down off to the side of the landing.

I try to wet foot as much as possible also, but Theres times were you just cant sometimes for safety reasons. I have a loop in my painters line attached through the stern lining hole. I'll slip it over my wrist on exiting, securing the canoe to myself incase it wants to slip away. It also allows both hands free to hold and brace the rails at exiting and entry.

Even with wetfooting - nearly always up to mid thigh - I've found no way to completely avoid rocks and small scratch opportunities. It's just the reality of BWCA tripping. So many put ins and take outs are rock laden - depending on water level. Wetfooting minimizes but does not eliminate the risk.
I just get out and either guide the canoe to shore or, pull the pack out, strap it on and lift the canoe onto my shoulders while still in the water and begin my portage while still in the water. This method only works because I single portage.

quote solopaddle: "Even with wetfooting - nearly always up to mid thigh - I've found no way to completely avoid rocks and small scratch opportunities. It's just the reality of BWCA tripping. So many put ins and take outs are rock laden - depending on water level. Wetfooting minimizes but does not eliminate the risk. I just get out and either guide the canoe to shore or, pull the pack out, strap it on and lift the canoe onto my shoulders while still in the water and begin my portage while still in the water. This method only works because I single portage. "

Been there, done that. It also works if you double portage as I do. That is, in the scenario solopaddle mentioned, I'll throw my additional cargo on shore, and then strap on a pack and the canoe and head down the portage trail.

I usually prefer to secure the canoe, and then haul the heavier pack(s) across first. I'll then return for the canoe and the lighter, smaller pack to do the second carry.

That said, a sketchy landing may not always allow for that preference. In which case, I'll take a pack and the canoe first and hope for a better landing at the other end of the portage.

Hans Solo

I use KeelEazy on my bow and stern of the canoe. It is made of PVC. It allows me to set the canoe on a rock and not screw up the front/rear of the canoe. If you trip, you will scratch your kevlar boat PERIOD. I think the best thing to do, is go on a trip and figure it out. It becomes second nature getting in and out of the canoe. It also becomes second nature getting a rythem down on your routine when approaching or landing at a portage or leaving a portage.
I ussually set the bow of the canoe on something, it may be land, a rock, a branch under the water, grass on the bank...something. I grab the packs out of the canoe while in the water, almost ALWAYS. Then get the packs and gear out, and then the canoe comes out.
Best way to learn how, is go do it.
I bought those canoes to use them, and the first scratch seems to be the toughest.
SunCatcher