Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Northstar's Carbon Gunwales
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MidwestFirecraft |
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MidwestFirecraft |
justpaddlin: "Hey MF, do you know why Northstar doesn't offer carbon gunnels on the B16? Now I'm curious. I'm also curious about what you mean by firecraft. I don't know why, just that Adam at Midwest Pioneer spoke with them directly yesterday, and it will not be offered in the near future. It sounds like they are introducing CF gunwales on a few models at a time. My guess is it is a small shop and they need to keep things streamlines, plus there may not be much demand in a prospector with CF gunwales. By firecraft I me the art and science of making fire. In practical terms I mean practicing and teaching anyone who will listen a basic understanding of various tinder (found locally or carried), kindling, and fuel. How to properly use an axe, and various saws. How to make feather sticks, use a ferrocerium rod, and oddly enough, matches, and lighter, etc. |
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MidwestFirecraft |
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MidwestFirecraft |
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sns |
MidwestFirecraft: "Thank you so much for the real world info. Unfortunately, I just learned that the Carbon Fiber trim is not available, nor will it be on the B16 in the near future. " This is because they need to create molds for the gunnels - just as they do for hulls - for each model. Last I checked 4 models have the CF gunnels. For what it's worth, I have aluminum on my NW17 tandem and CF on my Trillium. Really like the CF rails. Quiet, look great, stiffer than AL. |
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sns |
MidwestFirecraft: "Thank you so much for the real world info. Unfortunately, I just learned that the Carbon Fiber trim is not available, nor will it be on the B16 in the near future. " This is because they need to create molds for the gunnels - just as they do for hulls - for each model. Last I checked 4 models have the CF gunnels. For what it's worth, I have aluminum on my NW17 tandem and CF on my Trillium. Really like the CF rails. Quiet, look great, stiffer than AL. |
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justpaddlin |
I went out and bonked on the gunnels of my Swift Osprey with carbon rails, my Polaris with wood and my Bell Yellowstone with aluminum. Probably wood is the quietest but only by a bit. Carbon has high damping and that's why it makes for a great bicycle frame...and some Ferrari's don't even have engine mounts since a carbon tub absorbs vibration. But I even like the rounded aluminum rails on my Yellowstone...just like Northstars. But if you're worried about scaring fish I'd say carbon is close to wood. I'm happy with the wood on my Polaris since low 40's is still easy to handle and I can do all the work and tell my wife that all she has to do is step into the boat...she doesn't even have to paddle unless she wants to. :) |
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Brock63 |
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OCDave |
When I added a Blacklight Polaris, I initially chose the wood gunwales but, on that sized canoe, the extra weight of the wood was quite noticable. My experience with the above issue also contributed to be leaning toward the E6 gunwales. My Polaris is realtively new, I have only paddled it about a dozen times but, I haven't come across any reason to dislike the the E6 compared to the wood other than the aesthetics. If I were buying a Starlight layup, the contrast of the E6 would definitely make the sharper boat. When we have both my canoes on the water, the wood trimed Solo is the one that gets noticed but, for a tandem sized boat, you will certainly appreciate the weight savings of the E6. Good Luck |