Welcome to my Paddling.net Reference Page

I have a tendency to reference things on P-net, and then it's a matter of trying to show photos or provide other information. This page will be updated with whatever my latest references are, and you can find old stuff if you scroll down the page.

- Eric Nyre

Foam Backband

Ok, so it's not super pretty but it is very comfy. This is the foam backband in my Greenlander. It's just a strip of ethafoam thats been cut, glued to the rear bulkhead, and shaped. It doesn't prevent layback, it does provide a little support, but best of all you don't have to fight it getting into the ocean cockpit!

Canoeing Camp Table

I actually have to thank Joe and Dianne for this, since it's their canoe we used as a camp table.

Instructions for making your own canoe camp table:

1) Have a canoe, preferably one with a somewhat flat bottom.
2) Have two pieces of driftwood cut to varying heights. Driftwood can be from the river/ lake you're currently paddling but wood from some exotic Canadian wilderness trip is better.
3) Flip canoe upside down. Shim driftwood under boat (one side near bow, other side near stern).
4) Wipe off bottom of canoe and enjoy!

I took the photo while camped on the Colorado River in Utah. Fisher towers can be seen in the background, this is just downstream from Hittle Bottom and is the start of the Moab Daily.

Winter is here

My lake is starting to freeze. I thought about doing a quick paddle after yesterdays storm, but I wasn't in the mood to break ice with an ultralite race boat. Hopefully it warms up in the next couple of days.

Photos comparing the Point 65 Crunch Rocker and the Valley Aquanaut LV RM side by side

These are two excellent rotomolded kayaks. I haven't put the rudder on the Point 65, but it is a ruddered boat whereas the Valley Aquanaut LV is skegged. Both have dayhatches, deck rigging, etc. The Valley has welded plastic bulkheads whereas the Point 65 is foam.

At some point I'd like to write a review comparing the two boats. They target a similar market, but do handle differently and have different features.

Both are made from 3 layer poly.

The Crunch Rocker is a hair faster, tracks better but is less stable. It also has a better backband (both seat pans are plastic).

The Aquanaut LV has adjustable thighbraces vs a true keyhole, welded bulkheads, VCP hatches on VCP rims (the Point 65 is just molded into the hull). The finish work on the Valley is also better, but the price on the Point 65 is several hundred less.

Hauling canoes in Malone J cradles

Photos of 2 solo canoes and a Valley Pintail kayak being hauled on a Subaru. The canoes were in Malone J cradles, and during shuttle we achieved speeds in excess of 65mph. The boats were perfectly secure and had no problems.

This is a photo of Yanoer's Mad River Slipper with the adjustable pedestal seat

Differences between the bow lines of Royalex and Composite canoes

These are two Bell Yellowstone Solos, KevLite on the left, Royalex on the right. Though they were shot at slightly different angles (due to placement on trailer) it's still very clear there is a much sharper and more refined bow on the composite canoe.

Lens Cap for Canon WP-DC6 diving case (fits A710 IS Camera)

One of the main problems with the Canon diving cases is that they don't have lens caps. Waves, splash, droplets, you name it can collect on the case lens and turn an awesome photo into ho hum. A simple solution is to clean the lens before every photo. An even better solution is to make a lens cap.

Materials used in the lens cap:

1 - Pipe Insulation
1 - Piece of scrap 1/2" Minicell
1 - Piece of scrap floatbag lacing
Contact Cement

Total cost $1.70 and odds and ends.

Here is what the lens looks like. Yep, for whatever reason it's oval. Initially this was going to cause a problem, until I played with some pipe insulation at the hardware store. When I opened up the insulation, it made half an oval shape. Score!

I first traced the outline of the oval lens on the minicell, and cut that as a plug. I then took two pieces of pipe insulation and glued them to the minicell. I was very lucky in that the self-stick pipe insulation was the perfect size, and I just stuck it to itself to make the body of the lens cap.

There is a taper on the case, so after bonding everything together and letting it dry, I then cut a taper on the cap to match the case.

When it's on the camera, it looks like this. The lacing is used to provide just a little tension. Mainly it's there to tether the cap to the case so I don't have to keep making caps. It will float, but tethered keeps it close.

The final product fits perfectly, and so far has kept the lens clean. It also gives a degree of bounce protection for the case. If it lands on the cap, there is that 1/2" of minicell to protect the lens.

How to add an image to your Paddling.net profile

If you pull up my profile, you'll see our shop logo, the same river rat shown above. Ok, so how do you do it? It's actually quite easy and just requires a basic HTML code.

First you need to have the photo available online. It has to be posted someplace you can link directly to the photo. For example my logo is actually located at www.canoecolorado.com/riverrat.jpg, but if I wanted I could put another photo of me, say one playing in a drop in Denver which is at http://www.canoecolorado.com/C470Prodigy.jpg . If you notice, those are direct links to the photos. They link to the actual .jpg file and not some page. Being the staff photographer, I don't have many pictures of me (hence the logo).

Ok, once you have your photo posted online (if you can't post one, send me an e-mail and I'll help you out), you'll need to add some code to your profile. The line you want to add is

<img src="http://www.yourphotolocation/yourphoto.jpg"> where you give the location of your photo.