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voyager
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I hate sling pads! Just completed border challenge, which included 20 miles of portaging, 9 of it in 1 chunk at the end. I was using the yoke that clamps to the tractor seat tubes. It drove me nuts! Everything on the yoke was loosening and or sliding around. ( and it's new) The guy I traveled with was also using 1 on a rental canoe. He was having even more troubles than me. I couldn't get the canoe to balance on my shoulders no matter what I tried. My other solo canoes with a wooden clamp on yokes will almost sit there hands free. I wouldn't give you a dollar for a truckload of them. ( well maybe for the scrap value) I'm going to glue and screw an artificial, short inwale to the boat to acommodate my "clamp to the rails" yoke.
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mirth
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My typical style of cartopping would have most pads pressing into the roof, so clamp on ones work better for my situation. I have a set of bourquin-style block pads from Superior Portage Pads and a set of CVCA pads. I tend to favor the Superiors, but I figure part of that is I got them first and the CVCAs are a relatively new addition.
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Banksiana
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voyager: "I hate sling pads! Just completed border challenge, which included 20 miles of portaging, 9 of it in 1 chunk at the end. I was using the yoke that clamps to the tractor seat tubes. It drove me nuts! Everything on the yoke was loosening and or sliding around. ( and it's new) The guy I traveled with was also using 1 on a rental canoe. He was having even more troubles than me. I couldn't get the canoe to balance on my shoulders no matter what I tried. My other solo canoes with a wooden clamp on yokes will almost sit there hands free. I wouldn't give you a dollar for a truckload of them. ( well maybe for the scrap value) I'm going to glue and screw an artificial, short inwale to the boat to acommodate my "clamp to the rails" yoke."
Not only is that yoke uncomfortable I've had three fail (all promptly replaced by the manufacturer) in the space of two years. The last replacement collects dust in my garage.
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krole
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Picked up a Northwind 17 earlier this year and need to get some yoke pads. Was thinking of the block pads over the CVCA pads.
Is there any preference for clamp-on vs bolt-on? Are either of these more prone to scratching up the yoke unnecessarily? Or more secure?
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Cedarboy
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Bolt on are more secure, but the clamp-on will give you ability to adjust to different carriers. We have the clamp-on Bourquin pads. I would buy the clamp on again.
CB
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ParkerMag
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I also worry about the holes being cut in the yoke compromising it. Clamp-on Bourquins work just fine for me.
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Jackfish
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A round hole drilled in an Ash yoke won't affect strength at all.
I'm firmly in the camp of Chosen Valley Canoe Accessories (CVCA) portage pads. Comfort and overall weight are the two biggest factors.
Mine are the clamp-on style, but I have a pair of bolt-ons that I just haven't gotten around to installing yet.
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jhb8426
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I have a set of clamp-on CVCA pads for my tandem and a pair of bolt on CVCA pads for my solo portage yoke. I have to remove the pads on the tandem for the canoe to fit on my racks due to the short height of the bars. I've gone with CVCA from the start. They work fine for me.
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unshavenman
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I swapped out my CVCA pads, which I personally found to be uncomfortable, for Bourquin pads and will never go back. I have a set of clamp-on for one canoe but the second set I bought as bolt-on. I prefer the bolt-on pads as they don't shift around on the yoke over time. Just my two cents.
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straighthairedcurly
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I just bought some clamp-on Bourquins for this summer's trip. I worried about the same thing so we made sure they were really tight and tossed some extras in the repair kit just in case. Never had a problem and they didn't loosen up at all. We thought with three different sized people carrying that we would occasionally need to adjust, but we didn't. If we had needed to adjust, I think we might have had more of a risk for losing a wing nut.
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mgraber
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Banksiana: "I find the CVCA sling pads impossible to bear. The metal supports dig into my collar bones and the slings slide out of position over time exposing yet more metal to dig into my flesh. Switched to Borquin and have fared much better."
I strongly agree. Another advantage to block style pads is you can adjust the canoe slightly forward or back as well as have it at a slight angle. This is invaluable when something is fastened to the canoe that changes balance a bit. It sucks to have to pull down or push up with much force in order to balance, and on an extremely long portage, any amount of shifting position can really relieve a lot of pain. I despised CVCA, but many love them. Do get quality pads, cheap ones like many outfitters use will ruin you.
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Tomcat
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kenia
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Thank you, I bought the clamp on version for the same reason. Thanks for the response, I will likely do the same.
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kenia
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Long time lurker, first time poster.
I just bought a pair of clamp-on Bourquin pads based on the great reviews on this site. One question, what do you do to insure that you do not lose the wingnut and lock washer when in the BWCA? Double nut? Loctite? Take extras? Something else? Maybe I am over-thinking this, but thought I would ask.
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HowardSprague
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Jackfish: "A round hole drilled in an Ash yoke won't affect strength at all.
I'm firmly in the camp of Chosen Valley Canoe Accessories (CVCA) portage pads. Comfort and overall weight are the two biggest factors.
Mine are the clamp-on style, but I have a pair of bolt-ons that I just haven't gotten around to installing yet. "
But--- but those colors!!
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Jackfish
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HowardSprague: "Jackfish: " "
But--- but those colors!!"
Kind of gives the canoe a look of class, doesn't it? :)
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mgraber
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jhb8426: "mgraber: "I strongly agree. Another advantage to block style pads is you can adjust the canoe slightly forward or back as well as have it at a slight angle."
And how is this not possible with the CVCA pads? I have bolt-on pads on my solo yoke and clamp-on pads on my tandem. In either case, I can adjust the position quite easily."
When I was using them I found that they really only worked with your shoulder centered on the pad. I had no luck being able to slide canoe forward and backwards on my shoulders while walking down the trail in order to change balance. For instance if you have the very edge of the pad on your shoulder you can feel the metal frame digging in. This was especially true on extremely long steep trails that are extremely steep where your canoe ends up being almost straight up and down. I wanted to like them, they just did not work for me or my partner. I know many love them.
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Banksiana
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I find the CVCA sling pads impossible to bear. The metal supports dig into my collar bones and the slings slide out of position over time exposing yet more metal to dig into my flesh. Switched to Borquin and have fared much better.
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krole
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Thanks for the responses. I don't anticipate anyone but me carrying the canoe, so adjustability isn't that big of a deal, unless I drill the holes in the wrong spot... Maybe I'll just get the clamp ons, lol.
On second thought I might get the CVCA clamp on, if I don't like them I can always switch them out.
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jhb8426
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mgraber: "I strongly agree. Another advantage to block style pads is you can adjust the canoe slightly forward or back as well as have it at a slight angle."
And how is this not possible with the CVCA pads? I have bolt-on pads on my solo yoke and clamp-on pads on my tandem. In either case, I can adjust the position quite easily.
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