No wonder the Northern Scavengers call you UNCLE KEVIN, a Tuffstuff canoe is an awesome gift! Heart of gold Kevin!

My word, always a joy to watch! Thank-you!

Kevin you never fail to make me smile! The best canoe? ... the one under you any day on the water. Keep up the great work. Cheers.

I have a Royalex Old Town Tripper 172. Big, heavy, stable, huge payload, indestructible. Took multiple two-week wilderness trips in it. The 20ft version (Tripper XL) is a monster!

@TheHappyCamper

11 ай бұрын

My canoe buddy Andy has the 20 ft version, and yes it is a monster. LOL

@MultiPetercool

11 ай бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper My recollection is it had a 3/4 Ton+ capacity! Lewis & Clark would have LOVED them! Ultimate Expedition Canoe!

That's an awesome collection and tons of memories to boot! Also want to thank you for sharing your adventures. You are so inspiring. At the end of the work day I come home and see 1 or 2 of your videos and I just want to get out into the great outdoors. We live in a big, beautiful country and there's lots to see. There's nothing better. Cheers!

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. Hope you're having a good paddling season.

Thanks for the tour Uncle Kev! Some nice water crafts you have there! I think my next boat will be a Nova craft.

Hey Kevin: Wonderful review of a lot of different canoe designs personally I love my Nova Craft Blue Steel Special. It is my ticket to heaven; something I never thought I would be so blessed to have. In a funny kind of way we are one. Thanks again Brian 79

Love it! I have 16 meself along with 5 kayaks and don't ask how many bikes. Most of my canoes are all rounders from Wenonah (16', 17' and 18') for the Scouts, but I can so relate to the right tool for the right task conundrum.

Great video, Kevin. I'm totally using this video to use as fodder for bringing home another canoe. Thanks for the information! We've only owned 2 canoes - a Fiberglass '80's Scott Prospector & now a kevlar Souris River prospector. I can see where multiple canoes to choose from would be a good thing. I miss the turn on a dime of the old Scott. I don't miss it on portages. Also, good on you for the donation to Northern Scavengers! They're great & I bet that made for a much better trip. Be good, enjoy your tripping, & keep putting content like this out. Cheers Tim

Have had an ultralight bob special since 1990 . Great canoe for solo trips and tandem trips . Best as K says to not get wood trim unless the canoe is stored in a garage. I've done the gunnels twice . Last time by Lanny Watts in Huntsville.Also own a 16.5 nahanni in ultra-light which is also a good canoe.

Great video Kevin! Finally a run down of your canoe collection. And yes...the wooden gunnels.... I understand but from now on only aluminium gunnels for you ha,ha!

Nice Armada Kevin. I think you’ve out done the Canadian Navy with that fleet.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

That's hilarious...

I started canoeing with my cousin when I was fifteen, it was a cedar ribbed canvas canoe. I fell in love with it. When I got married, I bought a 17 ft fiberglass 80 lb beast, and took the wife, three kids, two cats and my daughters two friends along as pay load on day trips, and fishing in the evenings. Had to move to Alberta so I sold that and did not paddle for years until I bought a 15'-3 Scott canoe (just before the Company went belly up), and I've taken it out only rarely, but fondly. Hope to do more when I retire back to Ontario. Thanks for your insights and opinions.

That was a great review Kevin. Comprehensive enough to help people decide which canoe is best for them (but not too technical) and with some stories thrown in from real-world experience with the canoes mentioned. I was surprised you report the Fox as being faster than the Prospector 16. I too am a Nova Craft fan and will be coming to Canada in the next year to buy a Prospector in Tuff Stuff (tell Tim Miller we miss him). The video of them throwing one off the 10 story factory roof sold me I reckon. Anyway, we enjoy your videos down here in Florida. We like to poke a little fun at the Canadians but they are the undisputed experts regarding canoes. Greetings from Satellite Beach.

Great vid!! My first canoe which I still have today and paddle at least once a year is a 14' cedar stripped/verolite covered Tremblay Canot made in St. Felicien , Quebec. Bought it new in 1968 for $250. Paddles like a dream. Bought a Kevlar/Cap Nova Craft 16' Prospector in 1989 and finally a Souris River 16" Kevlar Prospector in 2017. Your right Kevin, nothing beats the Prospector design.

@reelchef67

2 жыл бұрын

Good for you keeping a verolite tremblay all these year as they tend to rot out the ribs if not stored extremely well. I just saw beauty of 13ft Tremblay here in BC for sale for 800$. I have not a garage so (nope).

I have an older Novacraft explorer in royalex as my first canoe. It’s heavy on land but paddles beautifully. Like dancing on the water. I also bought a souris river quietico which is so light and a pleasure to paddle. Love your videos

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

Souris makes a good canoe. That royalex is a gem. Don't sell it. They're hard to find now.

Hey Kevin! I have an Old Town Guide 147. I don't get to use it so much anymore, because it just isn't designed for solo paddling and with my daughter moved out that's all that I can do. I'm looking to get an Old Town Discovery 158. It is the "prospector" of the Old Town Canoe. Either way, I am going to get to do a trip on the Edisto River next month with a friend (no matter which canoe). Thanks for sharing your collection and experiences with us. You are legendary!

Nice discussion of some good boats!

At the time I had built a second cedar stripper and needed to expand the rack in my garage to accommodate the new canoe. Upon measuring the wall I discovered that I could fit four canoes stacked one above the other. Upon completion of the job my wife came out and noticed the new rack with two empty spaces and wondered what exactly I was up to. I explained that I might as well build it for four just in case I got the urge to build another canoe. Two years later the rack was full and now I'm eyeing the other garage walls. I understand your compulsion. I understand.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

That's so perfect. Love it!

happy you mentioned the Voyageur. Glenn's shop did some work on my Bluewater Prospector a couple of years ago and yes, great guy. I asked him about what I thought might be a crack developing that was visible inside the canoe... He assured me, "oh no, that's just a wrinkle in the bag from when it was vacuum-formed." Being who I am, I replied "wrinkle in the bag, eh? Jeez....gotta hate when that happens" He didn't miss a beat. He shrugged and again assured me it was only cosmetic and wouldn't affect the performance. hahaha! I'm quite sure he's still got the shop in Millbrook.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, that's a Glenn thing for sure. LOL

I loved this. Especially the last part where you said you don't need to spend a fortune to get a canoe and get out. I see the price tags and feel priced out but after you making that comment maybe I'll get myself a Coleman canoe lol

I remember my first canoe. An old Nova Craft Kevlar 49 (I think) prospector. I used that canoe until the Kevlar Sun rotted and my foot went through the bottom while on Pen Lake at the beginning of a week long trip.. Patched it with Expoxy and birch bark. Lasted to the end of the trip.

Totally agree, Hate Wooden Gunnels for outdoor storage like most people store canoes. Like your Racks, got me planning.

Thanks for sharing! MArginally amusing story... Ordered my first Nova Craft in the spring, was hoping to use it for a fall Algonquin trip to mark my return to back country paddling and camping after, well, after a looonnnggg time. But Covid, order backlogs, yada yada ... I ended up doing the trip in a Souris River the folks I bought my boat from were kind enough to let me borrow. I got a big laugh out of your "scratch it up" comment. My Nova Craft (Trapper 12) finally arrived a week after the Algonquin trip ... so I've been out in it a few times but not tripping yet. However, my oldest son was looking at it the other day and asked, "Hey, dad, should it be all scratched up on the bottom like this after only a couple of paddles?" This is a lad who spent his youth with me in an indestructible old Coleman. I just smiled, and said, "Son, let me tell you about character marks and a REAL canoe..." (with no disrespect to the Coleman, which still has a place of honour in my backyard)

I expected to see at least one Royalex canoe. I have one and love it. Yes it is a bit heavier at 77lbs however, it is rock solid, great all round. Been paddling this since 1978. After all this time and some neglect I finally decided to treat it to some loving care. Repaired the wood gunnels (rotted at deck ends), putting the first keel guard patch on it, a new seat, and a fresh paint job. Yes wood gunnels need care. I've learned this the hard way with this one. It's a Mad River Royalex 16'. Maybe heavy but it has done the job, reliably, for years.

@TheHappyCamper

Жыл бұрын

That's a great canoe. I'm lucky. My whitewater canoe partner has three.

I have only one, got a sweet deal on an 18’ cedar strip, $600! Great but would REALLY love a 16’ prospector. It’s just so darn long, surprisingly light though.

Great video! Learned alot.

I have a Nova Craft Supernova that I absolutely love. I paddled it from Pennsylvania to New Orleans and it was the perfect boat for that trip We started on a Class III-IV river and paddled 2022 miles . Don't knock Coleman canoes. They're not fast, they're not great handling but my friend and I took 2nd place in the White Water Downriver National in a Coleman. With 2 miles to go, we capsized with a 4 minute lead and ended up second. I have a Chesnut Bob Special and a cedar strip Prospector that I really like also.

that blue nova craft... what a gem.

My best friend had a Sports Pal that he used to run the Tatachatapika River in the Timmins-Gogama area for over 10 years from the early 80s to the early 90s. We were poor working schmoes who couldn't afford more, but with all the patches done over the years, this canoe was a good canoe from someone who doesn't know anything about canoes, as I personally a land lubber and nothing more.

So the way I see it you promised a video on gunnels and a video on J stroke vs kayak paddle. Common please, and maybe a video on other canoes types or styles and your or other people's thoughts on them. Thanks again for all the great content.

Mahalo for the history on different brands of canoes 🛶.

I love Souis river! Used one of their boats while working in Quetico... I miss Quetico

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Quetico is amazing - and I love Souris too

@BushtreckBoosh

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper Part of the reason I picked up your Top 50 Canoe Routes of Ontario was that it had the Sturgeon Oliphant loop and I had spent most my time on sturgeon lake when I worked there. Great book man.

Just bought a Penobscot 174. Hoping to get some great family memories from it.

You sponsored Northern Scavaenger? Hahahah. You're awesome. Cool story I've been watching both channels and it's really cool to see the link.

@TheHappyCamper

3 жыл бұрын

They're great. Love the work they do.

I own a blue colored Nova Craft “Pal” in Royalex Lite material and I love it.

@lynettepatten904

4 жыл бұрын

Hvyv

@lynettepatten904

4 жыл бұрын

H

Thanks great job. 🇨🇦👍

That was very interesting Mr.Happy. Would have an opinion on a good first solo canoe for a 60 year old newbie????

Lov your stories, You should write a book😉.. I have a couple of your books, They've become a hot commodity... I just discovered your videos great stuff 👍👏

Yeah I still have a dagger and I still use it love it. It's green

Nice collection. Do you have any videos on paddling?

You first canoe you found in the dump, I'm assuming it was heavy as cement as the older canoes were. We have an 1972 Sawyer Guide Special. It takes all that my wife and I have to lift the thing up on the roof rack. How did peeps portage these heavy beasts? As for a suggestion....Fireside Whisky Livestream.

Have you done a video on canoe storage? I like that rack. Everyone up north I find tends to store their canoes outside but all the forums condemn such action. I'd love to watch a video you do on it.

Now I know which video to show my wife if ever I want to get another boat 🤣

I enjoy these type of videos by you Kevin due to all the knowledge you are imparting on the beginning canoeing public. It reminds me of your very early KZread videos doing product and general camping equipment reviews. I would have loved to have as a guide 20 years ago (a reference to your last video with the Canoe Museum's trip auction) to get me into canoeing. Unfortunately for me, my life's path has lead down a workaholic type of life and I can only get the sense of remote trips through people like you. The only canoeing I have done was a few hours down the Clinton River from Mt. Clemens, MI towards its mouth into Lake St. Clair almost 40 years ago with my Dad and brother. If I ever win the Lotto in the next few years, I'll have to make you an offer you can't refuse (not in the Godfather's movie notion, LOL!) If you need an inspiration for a Whiskey fireside chat topic, you could talk about how canoeing has changed (for good or bad) over the last 30 years or so.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a great chat

@robertdendooven7258

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper Any reason for a Whiskey Fireside Chat from The Happy Camper is a good idea, LOL.

Thanks, Kevin. I agree with a comment below-please do a segment on your paddles. Hope you had a great summer!

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

I have it planned for next week

@bobdraws

4 жыл бұрын

KCHappyCamper I bought a Badger Paddle a couple of years ago after I watched your Whiskey Fireside chat about those paddles. Wonderful paddle. I probably use my Northstar Voodoo bent the most. Looking forward to your paddle segment!

6:16 that GoPro helmet cam is sweet!

Great videos! We're you by chance at the Canadian Tire in Sault this past weekend?!?!?

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

No. But I went to college at the Sault back in the 1980s.

Hey Kevin - have you ever paddled an H2O intégra basalt canoe? Tried one this past week and it was awesomely light and very tough. It was a 17’6” but only weighed 41lbs! Thinking of buying one. Your thoughts?

You have more than one problem, but we love you anyway. We only have 2 canoes but 5 kayaks. Next video should be about your paddles.

I didn't hear you mention and Swift canoes. I had, and loved dearly, a Kevlar novacraft canoe but the gunners rotted and my back can't take the portaging of such a heavy beast. While my first canoe was a beat up, used SportsPal that was routinely tripped down the mighty mighty Maitland in my teens. I'm now considering a Swift due to its extremely lightweight... is there any reason that you have for not owning one in the collection? Outside of the astronomical cost of chasing weight reduction are there any functional reasons to avoid them?

The Novacraft fox 14 is amazing love it. Got it after watching your review on it. So glad I got it. The first time I got in it I thought I was going to flip. But the second stability is great I have bow fished standing up in it. Just got to get use to the rock of the start.

@TheHappyCamper

3 жыл бұрын

Totally agree. I took it down the full length of the Thames River and once I got used to the stability that thing danced o the water.

Love your work. In this video you mentioned another video about Royalex, but I can't find it. I paddle in the Ozarks, where our rivers are clear, clean, shallow and and the bottoms are basically what arrowheads are made of. We miss that stuff already. I could make a side business of rehabbing them for the next 20 years. Heavy, but bombproof. My next boat will probably be a Prospector in Tough Stuff, but I wonder how it handles abrasion. Here you can't avoid it, like I said we paddle shallow water on flint and chert. Ideas?

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

Royalex would have been perfect but it's no longer available. Maybe you can find a used one - but it would probably to expensive. Tough Stuff would be the next choice for sure.

@allenwilson5235

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper I do have a Royalex, one of Old Town's last run. I meant I could not find your video on Royalex.

Thank you very much.

Thanks for all your video's Kevin....we watch on TV....and in a society that is totally screw'd these days...you make us feel a whole lot better. Thanks again from Lindsay, On.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm glad.

Is that my mom's Kawartha?? I took one of those out in Tofino once! Lol.

Hi Kevin, have you ever used or owned a Swift canoe. They are Canadian made like Nova Craft. You can’t go through Algonquin Park without seeing them. I’m enjoying your videos thanks.

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

Swift makes good boats. They Keewydin is a nice design. I've never owned one though.

Can you tell me anything about Great Canadian Canoe Co.? Can't seem to find any info on the company online

Kevin have ever paddled a northstar Canoe made by Ted Bell ??? I watched Noah, Alex,Chris and Dave Cross Labrador Northern Stavanger 13 part series awesome .Happy paddling too all The Vermonter

Kevin, I was thinking of getting the Cronje for my family of 4 (2 adults, 2 young kids) for tripping and such. What's your opinion of this? Cheers, love your stuff.

@TheHappyCamper

3 жыл бұрын

I think you'd be better off with a 17 prospector. Slower but more freeboard and cargo space.

@bertrandsahadeo4015

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper Thanks a bunch! Hope you are doing well!

Thank you for having me I'm new to the channel, just discovered you I've been canoeing a little bit for years and I currently have a Scott canoe which was made in Dwight Ontario I believe it's from the '80s but we great family memories put a lot of miles on it. It is a heavy fiberglass machine I've never weighed it but it's got to be a hundred pounds have you ever used a Scott canoe and do you like them?

@alexmcneily

2 жыл бұрын

I bought a Kevlar Scott canoe 16ft And I think it was a prospector. Went over a submerged wet log on a class 1+ (nary a thing breaking the surface). All the ribs broke loose in sequence. We were paddling empty too. Scott jerked me around about help fixing. Got my first experience in fiberglass repair from that. I can’t give it good marks for toughness but it was the first cave I bought new and so I loved it then.

@mrgoose3213

2 жыл бұрын

@@alexmcneily sounds like not very good customer service but I would love to upgrade to Kevlar I'm told they're light

@mrgoose3213

2 жыл бұрын

@@alexmcneily sounds like not very good customer service but I would love to upgrade to Kevlar I'm told they're light

@alexmcneily

2 жыл бұрын

@@mrgoose3213 yup. Just go to a store and pick up a few different boats. You will be carrying them every day, even if just from the car to water and back. You can then decide if paying extra is worth it.

No Esquif? gotta give some love to QC !

Have you paddled a nova craft fox? Any reviews please kev?

@TheHappyCamper

Жыл бұрын

I own one. Nice solo canoe. Good second stability - but tipi at first, and probably not the best for a large person. Old video kzread.info/dash/bejne/lpmI1qSFd67QY7Q.html

Can you have too many if you Use them? I have one 87 lbs canoe, soon to add a 41 lbs kevlar canoe, plus couple older sea kayaks. Use them all one in a while. Life is good on the water. enjoy your videos.

"Scratch up that canoe. Get out there!"

I have a coleman ramx 15 canoe. I need a trailer to move it around. Im far to old to put it on the roof of my car. Believe me ive tried. Actually my cars roof is far to old as well.😀 greetings from Australia

Sorry to ask, but can you recommend any canoe repair shops in southern Ontario, or any organizations I can contact for a list of such shops? I have a 1964 Chestnut Prospector, cedar and canvas, 16 feet long, that is in need of some new canvas. It was heavily used when new, but has sort of become a family heirloom now and doesn't see the water too much anymore. I have been struggling to find a repair shop to get it back in the water.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

Glen at Voyageur Canoes in Milbrook is good, so is Will Ruch in Bancroft www.ruchcanoes.com/

@rayopeongo

4 жыл бұрын

KCHappyCamper Thank you very much for the reply! I'll check them both out.

What's your experience of storing canoes outdoor? Do you guys have cold winters and extreme temperature swings? 70 degrees drop in two days isn't rare here, and my garage is getting full of canoes!

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

I don't have indoor storage. I wish I did. The biggest issue I have is the wooden gunwales. They need oiled every spring. And the sun eventually fades the colour of the canoe.

@vvendettahh

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper Thank you! I only have aluminum gunwales. I guess mine will do fine if I pay some attention to UV and hail (i.e. store them under my deck).

Kevin you have more than one problem, but that's another video. (Just kidding) Enjoyed this one, now get back to paddling. Tim's in Bridgenorth?

i just bought my first i live in muskoka huntsville im gona try lots of lakes an rivers

I`ll take my 17` Grumman anywhere. Ya I know, very old school. Put 1000s of miles on it in rough water and class 4 rapids. Can`t seem to kill it.

@TheHappyCamper

4 жыл бұрын

That's very cool.

I am a fan, more a fan of your daughter, but i enjoyed your collection. I prefer solo double paddle sit low, I have two cedar strips. (and an exploer 16 for tandem). I know you prefer a canoe paddle over a double blade. I knhow the wiggle waggle of your canoe stroke calms your soal: but why must you enjoy paddling 18% percent off course with each stroke? Sure I loose about 5% in my 12'x28" wee lasie because the boat 8is short but copious efficiency over a Canadian single blade "jstroke".Scream at me! (and thanks for your work and humor**)

Merci !

Did I spot a ray kettlewell paddle? I got to meet him and some instruction from him back in the early 80's

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. I knew him well. Great paddle maker.

@reelchef67

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper Is he still with us? he used to come to my summer camp (CampQueen elizabeth on Beausoleil Island and do paddle making workshops-style paddling help and upkeep on our cedar strip canoes.

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

@@reelchef67 I believe so. I haven't heard otherwise.

@reelchef67

Жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper I managed to find a used ray kettlewell quill solo paddle from MCCR canoe forum, It's a cherry one and has now been painstakingly refinished keeping his logo and signature , what a beauty can't wait to use it.

@TheHappyCamper

Жыл бұрын

@@reelchef67 Nice. I just heard he sold his business and paddle designs

Regarding Bob's Special canoes: Who's Bob?

With the respect Kevin has about canoeing in Canada you would think the top canoe companies would give him free canoes? He normally uses nova craft, never been in a nova craft but from what I know they are almost half the price but just as good but a little heavier then the top Canadian canoe companies? Why doesn't Kevin own a Swift or a Souris River Canoe? Can't afford, does he just think they are overpriced? I want to buy a new canoe I keep looking towards the swift company, but after a couple years of watching Kevin's video I might go for the Nova Craft Prospector?

We all have this ‘problem’ 😂

What no Grundman prospector?

7:26 people talk about the most canadian thing. This isn't the contender, it's EVER SINCE I BEEN THE CHAMP!

I bought a Hornbeck Solo and do not like the stability, Josh LIED to me pre-production on what he will offer in the canoe builded according to my specs, NEVER HAPPENED, and when comfronted he deniedeverything; that was $2400.00 thrown away, then I got a Swift 13.6 at Canoecopia for $3000, this one I like better so far, it weights 27 pounds versus 19 for the Hornbeck but I trust its stability way more. I still do not have a yoke for the Swift as i would like a carbon fiber one and it is expensive. Those are my two boats, and I wish I could get 2 more so the whole family could go canoeing, that and a trailer to carry them, but they are really expensive, if one wants quality that is going to cost and even paying top dollar it is not guarantee of absolutely quality. My Swift already suffered a spider web crack rather large along the white champagne below the color line that I repaired and did an "ok" job with material that Swift sold me for another $90.00, but canoes will have "battle scars" no way around it.

Title says Canoe Collection so where is the collection? I only see bits and pieces and alot of face ;-). I love canoes!

There’s nothing wrong with a three keel canoe. It’s great for fishing. I have a 14 ft and it’s only 40 lbs. I won’t trade it for anything. I’ve padded Lk Superior from White River to Thunder Bay in my 15 ft white water canoe. That’s scary at times .

Took a rental Souris River into Algonquin this July. we felt guilty afterwards as I think it was practically brand new and we sure brought it back with some scratches on it. But the outfitter didn't even blink when we returned it. They're meant to be used! Yours looks worse.

I have a question for any body willing to answer. I have a " west toronto canoe canada " canoe and cant find a single trace of information about it. Its fiberglass with a tri keel aluminum gunwhales 2 seats and a yoke....Any info would be fantasic. Be it a good canoe a hunk of junk a keeper or get a new etc. or any thing, Thank you.

@TheHappyCamper

2 жыл бұрын

I would try the Canadian Canoe Museum or the forum on MYCCR.com

@winstonalpha1286

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheHappyCamper thanks. Im going to have a look now 👍🏼

My wife complains about the number of canoes I have, but each one has a purpose. A canoe cover would help.

Kevin you're f'n hilarious

Hey Kevin, Nice collection. If you need someone to store a canoe for you I am your man. Free of charge......Just let me know.

Kevlar is just a brand name of aramid

Novacraft.com should just be a link to this video

Man i wish NovaCraft made that Canadian flag canoe for retail.

9:42 wow was that 1940s Germany?

I'm trying to upload a comment on your latest video of Andy and KZread won't do it eerrrr.

Hey Kevin, can I borrow a boat? 😉

lol there's akot of another video in this video

Link to Northern Scavenger kzread.info/dron/XiOT--R-IJgCbUJ1gKEhJQ.html

you in muskoka u look familler

I think I have the virus. The Canadian Canoe virus. 😳

ABS is still being produced. Royalex may not be, but that's not ABS. not a man of detail this guy.