JEM Watercraft

The Adirondack Park WOW
Dont worry about the weight of Your canoe cos I will carry it!!!
Finally borrowed some scales and mine is 46 pound,but I used 6mm external ply and used a lot of wood i neednt of.

Im going to make a tump to carry instead of thwart,two lines of para cord from the bow too,sort of stearing lines.I saw this method ont net but cant
find the thread

Since paddleing on a loch in Scotland Ive added a skeg,tracking was great with weight in front but solo in wind was a bit of a pain,I supose You could put Your pack in the front and omit skeg but I put one anyway(havent paddled yet since )


Skeg (is this about right Matt?)


I dont think You would regret building this boat banoe mate,I think its a beauty.My Mate shot some footage of Us paddleing so when He downloads it I"ll post a link if I can figure it all out!!!
I"ll prewarn Matt that I also Paddled TANDOM with My Wife up front!!!
She never batted an eyelid(the Eno)

Zeb,

Try http://members.porchlight.ca/aferg/home_htpac.html for info on portaging with a tumpline.

I'm adopting a similar rig on my canoe. Instead of a solid tube to rest on my shoulders, I'll put a 2" wide band across. Permanently affixed at one end, temporarily tied at the other.

A tump line can be made of a soft, leather strap (old belt) or even a large bandanna. Fold the bandanna like a long sweatband, then tie the ends to 6' long lines. Then, you can carry gear, firewood, boat, etc. on the tump line.

Thanks for the link and advice Jack,seems the way to go,that stearing cord will be handy in the wind plus as You say about the wood gathering,etc=multi-tool .Just thinking the portage tump could maybe used as a kneeling thwart too-save a bit of weight on a seat.
Swiss Army Tump

Could be used as a butt/back rest while kneeling IF you tied both ends temporarily. Don't fasten it permanently and expect good performance with both jobs.

As a portaging thwart, it will: A. be at the center balance point of the hull, and B. be a bit loose to rest not on top of your shoulders, but down a few inches.

As a kneeling butt/back rest, it should be back of the center of the boat a foot or foot and a half. Paddling solo is more easily done if you are a bit aft of the CG of the boat.

IE: same piece of gear, two positions for two different jobs.

A short cord from the bow leading back to the portager's hand is a good idea. Have the boat just a tad tail heavy and use the string to adjust elevation and attitude of the bow.