Handbuilt
by Alex Comb
Builders
of
Wood & Canvas Canoes
Wooden
Kayaks and Classic Rowing Boats
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I have been building a 16' version of the Prospector for over 20 years. I now am offering a 17' version as well. The urge to do this was sparked by a friend who paddled by our shop on his trip circumnavigating Lake Superior solo in a 17' Prospecctor. I had often thought the 16' version was a bit small for some tasks and a 17' version, I reasoned, could offer additional speed as well. I have taken lines off of Chestnut Prospectors for several years and relied on these as well as lines taken by Roger MacGregor (author of "When the Chestnut was in Bloom") of a 17' version that he was kind enough to offer me. All of these boats had differences. Some, like my friends, had obviously lost their shape due to use or from repairs. The final design favored the version with the most tumblehome and the least arch to the hull, since I felt this the closest to the original. The 17' Prospector has always had less rocker than the 16'. I am now offering both the 16' and 17' lengths built to the same design. The maiden voyage of these boats showed spectacular results in every way, including a feeling of stability in choppy conditions even when paddled empty. The fullness of this canoe in the "quarters",as well as it's depth, make it unique ly qualified to carry heavy loads without an extraordinary width to slow it down. To top it off, the slack bilge enables this design to be paddled solo as well as tandem, especially in the 16' length..Moderate tumblehome, 1-1/2" of rocker with a flattened bottom.
We
have taken our Prospector throughout the Northwest Territories and there
is no other canoe that could have done the job as well. We ended the trip
with most the gear from the Old Town Penobscot that was along on the trip." |
P.O.
Box 297 • Knife River, Minnesota 55609
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