Portage yioke for a solo canoe

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Jim Dodd
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Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

Here's a picture of one of my solo portage yokes.
It works great, as it keeps the canoe high enough that I can easily see where I'm going.[imgImage][/img]
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Patricks Dad
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Patricks Dad »

Looks great!!
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Cruiser
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Cruiser »

Now that it is getting close to spring, that is the last job I need. So very timely post, actually similar to one Bryan Hansel posted (that's the plan I printed), but i like this one a lot.

Brian
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Cruiser »

Jim ... did you post any details on that yoke? I am just getting ready to do mine, any details would be appreciated
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

Brian
I will try this weekend to get details and a better photo.
Each portage pad must be made to your individual seat.
Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Cruiser
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Cruiser »

Hi Jim,

I just noticed the pads look well done, so I was interested in materials and how you fabricated them and since that is exactly what I plan to do very soon. This is a good chance to leverage off of your experience. Thank you.



Brian
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

Hi Brian.
The pads I used were from an old aluminum portage yoke.
I've made several like these using two one inch layers of closed cell foam, cut slightly bigger than the plywood base, and Naugahide from a fabric store. Gotta love hobby shops and fabric stores !

The dimensions on mine are 4"x8"x2.5" thick. Spaced about 6" apart.
As for the yoke, most of my solos balance at about 6" aft of the leading edge of the seat.That is where I put the center of the pads.
The angle is around 15 to 20 degrees.
I'll post a pic.

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

I hope this helps !Image
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

I built mine to friction fit, but a bungee cord works to.
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

Another pic of how to fasten Naugahide.Image
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Cruiser
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Cruiser »

Thanks Jim,

That shows me exactly what you did, I am assuming you have a piece of ply or something inside to anchor those blocks and then just glued the foam to the blocks and covered with vinyl?


Brian
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

That's right Brian.
I've made bigger pads for bigger canoes.
This yoke should serve you well.
Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Cruiser
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Cruiser »

I completed my solo yoke and have used it quite a bit this year ... quite pleased with it, light, comfortable and it suits the boat style. I leveraged posts from Jim and Bryan in this forum for the basic concept ... got a bit inspired (carried away maybe ) with seeing how I could shave any unnecessary wood away and still have something I liked the look of ... what follows is a summary of that journey. Just a point about pictures, if they appear cutoff, just click the pic to see the full size ... all the pics here show the complete unit.

Image

The main frame is made with 3 pieces, a left and right side, plus a center spacer. This picture is where the 3 pieces get put together with epoxy.

Image

This is the form used to steam bend the cherry strips and later used to laminate the strips with epoxy to form the left and right sides of the frame. Getting the strips bent quickly is a bit tricky, so one side of the bending jig gets screwed in place, the other slides in guides, this speeds up the time it takes to clamp the hot strips together. I used a separate jig for left and right side, to speed things up, if you have lots of time you could use just one.

Image

The frame strips being steam bend, setting/cooling in the jib.

Image

A picture of the the cross member or spacer being bent on another jig. In both cases the jigs are used for both bends and layup with epoxy.

Image

The final shaped product, with the seat fit blocks and tail hook added, didn't get enough pictures of the intermediate steps, but I suspect with this forum, a final product shot would have sufficed.

Image

On the seat .... showing the tail hook

Image

Showing the seat fit blocks

Image

Final setup, with the simple shock cord and 2 hooks, used to hold the yoke in place when in use.

The pads will be replaced this winter, these where the prototypes to see how I liked them. They have shaped layer of hard foam (~2" thick with shoulder shaped concave), and a second ~1.5" thick of soft foam on top of that, covered with the ever versatile black duck tape.



Brian
BearLeeAlive
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by BearLeeAlive »

Nice job, Brian. I like the concept too.
-JIM-
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Portage yioke for a solo canoe

Post by Jim Dodd »

Stylish Brian !

I've been working on mine to turn it in to a backrest when paddling.

I'll post a pic when I get closer.

So far I just turn it around on the seat, but need to hinge the pads for more comfort.

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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