Want to learn and see how to safely and efficiently portage a canoe all by yourself? This video will walk you through each step, and show you how this valuable skill is done.
At the 9:00 minute mark, the left hand should not be holding the yoke but should be down the freeboard side of the canoe and on the outside of the canoe. When the canoe is lifted it actually rolls up the left arm from its cradled position. It actually controls the canoe better than using both hands on the yoke. Bob Cary, noted outdoor author, outfitter and long-time supporter of NT, in The Big Wilderness Canoe Manual, at pages 40 and 41, writes as follows, "...with the canoe held solidly against the body by the [right] hand (using your hand placement in the video), legs still in the half crouch, the [left] hand slides of the thwart and goes underneath the near gunwale at the thwart [yoke], "cradling" that gunwale so it rests in the crook of the [left] arm. With one continual lifting movement of the [left] arm, and a simultaneous pulling across the head and down with the [right] arm, the craft is "rolled" to the shoulders, the yoke pads sliding in on either side of the neck." With lighter canoes, we have seen NT interpreters and others avoid the rolling motion and go to the two-hand lift. The appropriate method is to cradle and roll the canoe, which is technique-driven versus strength-driven. M. Holdgrafer
Thank you for sharing your technique. There are a few iterations of how to successfully place a canoe on your shoulders. The technique I've elected to show actually doesn't use that much strength or energy as well, relying on momentum and timing (technique). The technique I've elected to share also accounts for folks with narrow shoulders and short arms. Which is important to remember when handling canoes with wide gunwales. Additionally, your hands are also not likely to slip while holding onto the yoke down by the gun wale. Rather than trying to cradle a wet and possibly slick canoe. The last thing either of us want is to place someone in an awkward and potentially harmful situation. If their left hand, cradling the canoe, were to slip anywhere in the process of lifting the canoe, that would not be good for them or the canoe. Presenting training is always a balance of many factors. What's going to work, most of the time, for all kinds of different people, who are all built differently, and all bring different strengths and weakness to the given situation. Thank you again.
@mikeholdgrafer3565 do I understand your technique correctly that my offside arm would have to reach all the way across the canoe and hold the offside gunwhale at the yoke? If yes, what canoes are you using this technique on? Both of the canoes I own are 36" wide at the yoke and I think I would have to hunch my back to reach that offside gunwhale and rely mostly on my back muscles while lifting the canoe onto my head with your technique. This sounds like a recipe for a back injury. Just trying to understand why I would want to use your technique instead of the technique shown in this video.
@@mccluskeyp Sorry for the delay in responding. The technique I (poorly) described is the same as shown in the Friendly Scoutmaster video except for one deviation; the placement of the hands, particularly the forearm closest to the person lifting the canoe. After you form a shelf with your legs (easier when wet footing), you should be able to reach across the canoe, with it tilted towards you, to grab the far gunwhale, on any canoe. Many people grab the yoke. The forearm of the arm closest than wraps around the closest gunwhale. Today, many people simply grab the yoke near the closest gunwhale. Throughout the summer I've been a part of several discussions about arm/hand placement, up through the recent weekn when the Sommers Alumni Association celebrated the 100th anniversary of Northern Tier. The consensus of these discussions is that when canoes were heavier, the forearm wrap was taught because it used one fulcrum, the shoulder. Wood canvas canoes, although lighter in early summer, reach and often exceed 100 lbs. due to absorption of water from wet footing. Grumman, which pioneered aluminum canoes using aero-grade aluminum, built heavier canoes early on before using lighter gauge canoes. Alumacrafts were also lighter, but still heavy to lift. I first was taught to flip a canoe in 1973 and guided from 1977-1982, long before Kevlar. The heavier canoes dictated the forearm wrap technique. As Kevlar and other lightweight composites were used to make canoes, the weight dramatically lessened. Thus, the technique to flip a canoe has morphed and we see both hands on the yoke when flipping the canoe. The overall technique remains the same but the hand placement has changed for some. I've listed a number of links below, showing the same general technique but also showing the different hand/forearm placement. Both techniques work. The Northern Tier produced video shows a long-time staff member flipping an aluminum canoe. At the time this video was produced (12 years ago), the standard trip package included aluminum canoes with an upgrade to Kevlar. We changed years ago to make Kevlar the standard package. We've seen the lifting technique modify also with the change to Kevlar. I hope this helps. Best wishes on your paddling adventures. How to Flip a Canoe - You Tube (Northern Tier produced video) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VUI_OEwRQoo.html How To Wet-Foot Portage - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ibEpl3Zm-Qk.html How to Carry a Canoe - Solo - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p4XbtRvunc8.html How to Solo Lift and Portage a Canoe - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ltlFaT5vtfQ.html 3 Ways to Portage a Canoe | Boundary Waters - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wQKTRO-R9Uk.html Preventing Back Injuries When Lifting a Canoe - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ObZRodlP27E.html Canoe Lifts - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VZgllf09Htw.html Portaging 101: How to Solo Lift a Canoe - RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1x4npgavsxs.html
If at all physically possible, it is extremely valuable for the efficiency of your crew for those who are designated as carrying the canoes, to be able to lift, carry, and set down the canoes safely, all by themselves. This video shows you how to do that.
Greetings, Thank you so much for all the effort you put into making the videos. I watched almost all of them in preparation for our recent trip to Northern tier. We had a wonderful trip covering 102 miles, 38 portages and 24 Lake. I found your videos 0:05 very helpful. If you don’t mind, I would like to offer a recommendation I was unaware of the differences between, the Canada (Quetico) portage trails and the boundary water portage trails. It appears to me that the majority if not all of your portage trails look like they are in the boundary waters. I found the portage trails in Canada to be very difficult to find, and some being extremely hard to navigate in comparison to what I saw in your videos. Maybe you could stress to the viewers the vast difference between the two types of trails. And maybe you do cover this somewhere and I just did not notice it. Best of luck on continuing your videos. 👍
