|
04/21/2022 01:55PM |
AdamX
|
04/21/2022 06:29PM |
MagicPaddler: "sns: "MagicPaddler: "I have a set of portagedog’s EVA pads. The pads I use are cupped to fit shoulders and covered with fabric to increase toughness. They are much lighter than CVCA pads and much more comfortable. I have used about 30 different yoke pad combinations and these are the best! "
Interested to see a photo of these yoke pads; can you share?"
Pads before I covered them and after.
With the covers this yoke weighs 40 ounces."
Very cool. For some time, I have been mentally wrestling with how to shape & attach minicell foam for pads. This is excellent. Do you know how the wood is adhered (marine plywood, I assume?) to the foam? Rubber Cement? Epoxy? Vinylester? Chewing Gum? Are there bolts permanently fixed to the plywood to attach to the wood of the long clamp-on piece?
If I had known this was in your Rapidfire when we passed on the Kawishiwi River last July, I would have insisted you let me examine it. :-)
|
04/22/2022 05:00PM |
MagicPaddler: "kconaway: "MagicPaddler - May I ask where you purchased your foam?"
ask PortageDog
Although I think this is the same material only narrower and not as pretty a color 3 inch "
So brulu hit it on the nose - the purple EVA was from a yoga block - came from Wally-world sports isle. And it was one single 6x9x4" block. The size fit within MP's specs for the height he wanted to have enough clearance with the Rapidfire's seat. The wood is ALL cherry, 5/16" thick because MP wanted it as light as I could make it. Thicker would have been more durable, but that's what he wanted. The pads are glued on the cherry baseplates with AquaSeal. There are inserts for the bolts to hold to when assembled. The whole yoke has been pretty solid on the several trips he's had it on. I thought it might have been a bit firm, but it has enough give to make it comfortable. I have since bought a block of the 3" thick stuff ('copia) that MP linked to. The wood is finished in marine polyurethane varnish.
sns - I was there with MP on the Kawishiwi last summer when we crossed paths, in the other solo - Magic's old Magic specifically. My yoke for that one was 3/8" ash and left over cherry, goes 28 ounces. The engineering is a lot simpler than the one for the Rapidfire. I had to pilfer the blue cam levers for another project, so this just has the star wheels now.
pd
|
04/28/2022 05:09PM |
To slightly change the topic, what do you think of the thinner pads that Velcro around the yoke? They do not seem to be popular in the BWCA or Quetico. However, they seem more popular in southern Ontario e.g. Algonquin. They always look to me to only be slightly better than wood on bone. Am I right or wrong about that?
|
04/19/2022 07:53AM |
|
04/19/2022 08:33AM |
portagedog09: "I'll agree with the group on ++ for block pads. Like boonie, I've used the sling pads on quite a few rental canoes and do not like them. They obviously go through more cycles than a personal set but I've had the sling pad frame come apart, the fabric loop on the frame fail and the pads slide out to the side and up the frame so the bolt head was on my shoulder. Not fun. The Bourquin's are good, the Superior Portage Pads are good too. I found some good firm but comfortable EVA foam block and now make my own pads on a yoke that is sturdy, yet weighs less that a pair of the heavy Superior (and I imagine Bourquin) pads. Nice thing about the EVA foam is that you can contour it to fit your shoulder and it doesn't slide around. Good luck with your next set.
pd"
I have a set of portagedog’s EVA pads. The pads I use are cupped to fit shoulders and covered with fabric to increase toughness. They are much lighter than CVCA pads and much more comfortable. I have used about 30 different yoke pad combinations and these are the best!
|
04/19/2022 08:29AM |
Before my current setup though, I used block pads. I tried a few different pads but ended up making my own to make them dense enough. My dad was refinishing his Skiff Craft and had some boat seat cushion left over. That stuff is high density, durable, and waterproof. I've made a few sets of pads with that and those pads are the next best thing to my spring creek setup. The big thing I've found is that it isn't how the canoe sits on your shoulders, it's how it bounces that hurts. If you bottom out the padding on on a bad step, you are going to have a rough time on longer portages.
|
04/18/2022 11:33AM |
|
04/20/2022 09:55AM |
MagicPaddler: "I have a set of portagedog’s EVA pads. The pads I use are cupped to fit shoulders and covered with fabric to increase toughness. They are much lighter than CVCA pads and much more comfortable. I have used about 30 different yoke pad combinations and these are the best! "
Interested to see a photo of these yoke pads; can you share?
|
04/20/2022 06:11PM |
Jackfish: "Banksiana: "Sling pads are terrible if you have wider (front to back) shoulders; the metal digs into your bones. I consider them an abomination."
Banks, you sound like the guy who goes to a 5-star restaurant and then after the meal, in spite of enjoying a fine meal, you blast it on Yelp because the salad forks weren't chilled. Abomination? C'mon... the pads don't fit your shoulders just right, but they're perfect for thousands of others. That doesn't make them an abomination. "
Criticism not apt. Its not a lack of chilled fork its a meal that causes suffering. Not a little thing- metal on bone. I wanted so much to like them but they cause me a ridiculous level of discomfort considering they were attached to a kevlar solo boat.
|
04/20/2022 02:54PM |
Banksiana: "Sling pads are terrible if you have wider (front to back) shoulders; the metal digs into your bones. I consider them an abomination."
Banks, you sound like the guy who goes to a 5-star restaurant and then after the meal, in spite of enjoying a fine meal, you blast it on Yelp because the salad forks weren't chilled. Abomination? C'mon... the pads don't fit your shoulders just right, but they're perfect for thousands of others. That doesn't make them an abomination.
|
04/20/2022 03:37PM |
|
04/20/2022 04:56PM |
Jackfish: "Our group has the CVCA sling pads on all of our canoes. Personally, I have three canoes and they all have sling pads. I've always used them and like them just fine. They rarely give me trouble - only when the clamp-on models aren't clamped tight enough and they move. Could happen to any clamp-on portage pad."
^
I have sling pads for my royalex Vagabond and I like them; don't know if this'll make sense, but I like that I can sort of bounce the canoe off my shoulders as I move along parts of a portage. Easy to reposition and give a second of relief here & there...hard to describe. But I like them. On my Grumman, I suspect I might not feel the same.
As far as metal digging in, maybe mine are different otherwise I’m missing something. I don’t understand how.
|
04/21/2022 07:38AM |
sns: "MagicPaddler: "I have a set of portagedog’s EVA pads. The pads I use are cupped to fit shoulders and covered with fabric to increase toughness. They are much lighter than CVCA pads and much more comfortable. I have used about 30 different yoke pad combinations and these are the best! "
Interested to see a photo of these yoke pads; can you share?"
Pads before I covered them and after.
With the covers this yoke weighs 40 ounces.
|
04/21/2022 08:36AM |
|
04/24/2022 07:08AM |
If you decide you want some help with a project, let me know.
pd
|
04/21/2022 09:34PM |
MagicPaddler: "kconaway: "MagicPaddler - May I ask where you purchased your foam?"
ask PortageDog
Although I think this is the same material only narrower and not as pretty a color 3 inch "
I zoomed in to the first picture and I'm thinking these are made from one (or two) of those yoga blocks like they have in the sporting goods aisle at Target. They are such a nice chunk of foam I bought one once but still haven't used it for anything!
Target yoga blocks
|
04/22/2022 07:21AM |
sns: "MagicPaddler: "sns: "MagicPaddler: "I have a set of portagedog’s EVA pads. The pads I use are cupped to fit shoulders and covered with fabric to increase toughness. They are much lighter than CVCA pads and much more comfortable. I have used about 30 different yoke pad combinations and these are the best! "
Interested to see a photo of these yoke pads; can you share?"
Pads before I covered them and after.
With the covers this yoke weighs 40 ounces."
Very cool. For some time, I have been mentally wrestling with how to shape & attach minicell foam for pads. This is excellent. Do you know how the wood is adhered (marine plywood, I assume?) to the foam? Rubber Cement? Epoxy? Vinylester? Chewing Gum? Are there bolts permanently fixed to the plywood to attach to the wood of the long clamp-on piece?
If I had known this was in your Rapidfire when we passed on the Kawishiwi River last July, I would have insisted you let me examine it. :-)"
There is no plywood in it. PortageDog made it. He has make other custom yokes for outfitters. I like the fast on off with cams to tighten it up. Set the yoke on the canoe flip the 2 handles and go.
I think brulu may have found the product my pads were made out of.
|
04/22/2022 07:49AM |
MagicPaddler: "There is no plywood in it. "
Interesting.
So what is the ~1/4" (maybe 3/8"?) brown layer that has the exact same footprint as the purple foam, that looks to be somehow glued to the purple foam?
|
04/24/2022 10:26AM |
I'm happy enough with the pads themselves on my current yoke, but I think I might use that cam-lever idea to clamp the yoke to the gunwales. Portagedog, mind if I ask where you sourced those? And are those purple bands to hold the clamps in the right position rather than sliding around before they're tightened? The whole thing definitely looks well thought out and well made!
Anything to streamline the yoke attachment process would be be a welcome improvement for me. I'm still not over the fact that I have to install and uninstall that thing at every portage, by far my least favorite part of using a solo canoe. I always have to convince myself that it's worth the time and effort for all but the shortest of portages - just resting the hull or the seat on top of my head works fine for the first 5-10 rods...
|
04/18/2022 09:11AM |
After all these years I've finally wore out my portage pads, block style. I ONLY use on my 17 foot Souris River canoe (less than 40 lbs) I've heard sling style are more comfortable on lighter canoes. I understand there's a LOT Of personal preference here but am curious as to what the experts say.
|
04/18/2022 10:17AM |
I use blocks on my SR 18.5 and Wenenoh Boundary Waters. For my solo canoe, I have the sling but that's new and has only gone around the block in my neighborhood as a trial walk.
|
04/18/2022 01:12PM |
|
04/18/2022 11:58AM |
|
04/18/2022 11:38AM |
campNgirl: "And what do you think if them? Better in any way?"
The block pads work great and I don't have any complaints. I got a used pair of sling pads from a friend and they were just fine on the brief walk around the block. It feels like the canoe is slightly higher so I have slightly better vision. If I didn't get them for next to nothing, I would have bought another pair of block pads. They always work well.
Since your canoe is light for a tandem, the sling option might work just fine for you as well. If it were up to me, I'd go with the blocks on anything 40 and up...which includes the paddles, fishing rods, seats, etc. that you would fasten to the canoe.
|
04/18/2022 12:07PM |
Tried a sling once and didn't care for it.
|
05/05/2022 05:18PM |
We've got a store "Macs" that has upholstery materials. They've got various densities of foam.
|
05/05/2022 03:03PM |
Magic... I do have trouble with hair in my eyes, but at my age it is my beard blowing
up in my face.
|
04/22/2022 06:16PM |
I made a 4.5oz minicell yoke for my solo (build in the DIY forum), but that relies on having a double-bladed paddle with you in order to work. It carries wonderfully.
I'm going to use part of your engineering & will try to make blocks out of minicell, glue to a base piece of wood & bolt to my tandem yoke. Not happy with my strap yoke pads - don't find them comfortable.
|
04/22/2022 10:27AM |
brulu: "I zoomed in to the first picture and I'm thinking these are made from one (or two) of those yoga blocks like they have in the sporting goods aisle at Target. They are such a nice chunk of foam I bought one once but still haven't used it for anything!
Target yoga blocks "
Not a bad find, but at 6"x9"x4" might be slightly thinner than needed unless they're really dense. (I'm not a yogi, so I have no idea.) For comparison, the ones I built, I used blocks of foam that were 6"x10"x6".
|
04/22/2022 11:43AM |
sns: "MagicPaddler: "There is no plywood in it. "
Interesting.
So what is the ~1/4" (maybe 3/8"?) brown layer that has the exact same footprint as the purple foam, that looks to be somehow glued to the purple foam?"
Bottom View
Some pretty wood. I should have cleaned the dirt off before I took the picture.
|
04/18/2022 03:41PM |
pd
|
04/21/2022 11:51AM |
kconaway: "MagicPaddler - May I ask where you purchased your foam?"
ask PortageDog
Although I think this is the same material only narrower and not as pretty a color 3 inch
|
04/18/2022 04:12PM |
|
04/18/2022 04:31PM |
|
04/18/2022 05:31PM |
|
04/18/2022 08:17PM |
|
04/28/2022 04:05PM |
I think you're right about the purple bands but you'll have to ask MP as he put those on. He likes to tinker and keeps messing with my engineering. (He calls it fine tuning...) That is what the extra D shaped wood block on the bottom of the yoke was supposed to be for. I had to make those for him because he threatened to put some plywood on there!!! Instead of sliding the blocks back/forth, he likes to rotate the whole yoke into place. There are actually small springs over the bolts between the yoke and clamping blocks to open them up when releasing the clamp and to take up the play to keep stuff from jingling around, possibly coming loose.
pd
|
04/30/2022 05:55AM |
|
05/01/2022 09:02AM |
|
04/18/2022 11:30AM |