irishfield

Bill.. you talking about the black "handle" with the hole in it at the clip pin and the two end shafts that slide in??? Take two pieces of drill rod and weld a flat 3/4" x 1/8" steel plate across them. Drill hole in center for lock peg.

Thanks Malcolm.. knew the water was gonna be way up like last year when it was on our lawn. Still hoping to make it up by the long weekend.. but only time, and Dr appointments, will tell here. YES... 3 inches of snow last year on the long weekend. Of course I'd promised Leah a coffee from town the night before and had to shovel the steel boat seat off to go get it in the am ...

You keep telling yourself that... I'm in a cluster .... at my end with my land.

Theft in Quebec? You serious? lol... Really sucks Mike... same thing is a big issue in the hub of Lake Temagami as well and it's quiet arms. Luckily for us we're close to town with pretty steady traffic and now a full time year round neighbour on the Island across from us. And thanks everyone for your thoughts.... I'll let you know how it goes. Be ready for lots of scenery pictures come October !!!

Looking good TJ.. but it's starting to look like a "structure".

Here's my PB OOS Muskie in the net !!!

Yes Terry... Figure I'll throw the anchor.. get the canoe launched and then use it to tie a secondary rope to a tree on shore to make sure the plane is still around when I get back from fishing. As for the rod holders and rods blowing out. What I wanted was the holders with the strap.. but no one in town had them. Might grab a set in Bass Pro (if they have them) on Monday when I run daughter #1 back to the big smoke.

I think there's a pile of BRP's out back.... We should have been going up on Monday. "Life" has us delayed. I may still take the boat up Tuesday and come back Thursday.. Then fly back up Friday while Leah drives the truck back up.

I'm not that old YET jigger! lol And I'd estimate the required pull to swing that canoe up is less than 15 lbs. It's basically effortless single handed. Nothing to pinch my hand in.. tubes go thru the boat.. all I'm doing on the inside when in the canoe is putting in a PTO style lock pin so the tubes can't fall out and to pin the boat in place in relation to the tube. Attachment to the float itself will only happen when I'm standing on the float. I was originally going to have fixed/pivoting tubes on the airplane and swing them down and attach to canoe... but realized I can tip the canoe around where I need it to hook it to airplane. I can't move the airplane to hook it to the canoe.

Should be able to get one right up between the wheel trucks Peter! Pissy part about certified airplanes though is we'd wait 10 years for paperwork and signatures !

Jim.. I had half a thought to throw a strap around the front as well...but considering the 3/8" quick pins have about a 9 ton shear rating x 2 pins on each bar... compared to my float attachment itself that is only a single 5/16 bolt top and bottom of each strut, I think she'll be fine. Pivot plates have double failure built in and the canoe can't move once pegged. It's definitely stronger than when I flew it with CTC ratchet straps on it! For peace of mine.. the front bow rope of the float will get tied to the canoes, plastic, handles...

Instrument flying... that was last summers trip to Nipigon.....

Once I get my fat ass out of the ganoe the boat will actually sit a bit higher.. or should I say the attach tubes will be a bit higher than the pivot attach brackets on the float. Push down on the tube to tip the canoe a bit and the pins (should) pop right in.. easier than with it sitting on jack stands. The canoe isn't that rigid either... it 's made of such light alum that it twists end to end pretty easily. I'll find out late next week, hopefully, how it works on the water..

I'm gonna see if Solopaddler want's me to do his new Langford next.....

I go across there all the time Dan. Not an issue with lots to hold onto, but I always tend to bump my head and why I'm going bald. Other option is to just climb up the keel strips on the canoe and in the passenger door.

THANKS....I'd patent it bigugli.. but I already have a drawer full of those useless documents !

No... it actually causes less turbulence in reverse. Same reason streamline strut has the blunt/wide end forward.. tapered trailing. The boat in this direction will actually create lift as well.. same as a wing shape. Even if none of those did anything.. the flat front is more predictable than what a tapered end will do in wind gusts... prop wash etc.. and besides that... need the tapered end at the back to clear water rudder cables! lol

Haven't had it on the water yet.. so don't know how (un) stable it is. No fear... I always have a trout fishing vest on, with inflator rip cord when flying floats !!

Last year I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to succesfully fish the back lakes I needed a boat... as drifting the airplane and casting from a float bow is just not productive.. and at times a tad dangerous. Picked up a 12' square back Sportspal last fall and did a test flight with it strapped down tight before winter came. Found things flew the same, with the canoe having little or no effect on flight characteristics. So I thought about it all winter. Most back lakes are so grown in I can't get to shore to unload.. reload a canoe and generally end up anchored in a small bay somewhere. There is no way to load and strap down a canoe when on the water... so when there's a will, there is usually a way. Got my last customer out of here on Wednesday and spent the last three days putting together, from my head, a canoe loader/unloader. I knew pretty much what and how I wanted to do it.. with some pivot brackets and telescopic tubes. The biggest hurdle was how to hook onto the canoe and after a trip to the "thinking" room, it dawned on me what to do..... and that's where the Purists might wanna stop viewing this thread and hit the back button!! lol Yep.. why not just cut holes for the tubes... Pivot bracets taking shape. First test flip before drilling any holes in the float decks or airplane. Flipped back down and knowing it's going to work.. time to commit! After a few flips and getting the pivot brackets bolted down. Time to positively locate the boat on the telescopic tubes so every flip is the same. Reinforced the cut outs in the canoe. Installed a pair of 6 rod holders under the seats. This way I can carry everything IN the boat that I need...ready to fish. Paddles, rods, two life jackets and safety kit in the bow. Just grab a tackle box and go fish.. All pivot and lock pins are aircraft mil spec quick pins and retainer chains so I don't drop any in the lake. These are also slick for your power ice augers lads! Note once it's flipped up.. the rod holders are upright = rods don't fall out! You can't miss me... if you see me wave... wave real hard if it appears I haven't seen you when landing! Hard to simulate being on the water... but it should actually be easier to load on the water than in the hangar. Done fishing and loaded in less than 2 1/2 minutes... boat in and fishing in less than 45 seconds. The telescopic tubes can also just stay attached to the canoe.. as the rear one is not in my way and if solo the front one can stay. If a passenger, then the front tube needs to be pulled out and left with the airplane.

I got out.. to the hangar.. today, to put the finishing touches on my latest back lake helper... Skunked again eh Glen....

I throw all mine, in a stack, in the corner of the hangar for the winter. Unheated.. subject to HUGE moisture changes because it's not insulated (there are days I can wash airplanes in the fall/winter with nothing but a rag!). Has been a none issue for rusted lures.

What Roy said! Part two of the vessel document is the ownership transfer. If you could (and you probably can) just walk in with someone's boat #'s and a hand written bill I could "own" a lot of boats in an hurry.

Mud and Soya Beans ! .... and too short a runway.. or too hot a day... or well lets just call it like TC would.. Pilot Error.

He sold the salvage to someone else. I don't think he left tooooo much fixable though...... I launched another virgin amphib out of here last Sunday to St. Lazaire. I flew it over to Midland, and after a flight around the patch with Bruce Olsen, he took the airplane owner home in it. Here's Reid's mess.... hate when I see my "babies" like this.