The portage began in a marginally protected cove dangerously close to the lip of the ten meter falls. Whipped by mild eddy currents, the rocky shore provided only enough space for one canoe to land at a time. So as soon as my partner and I had put ashore, we dragged our 18 foot lightweight Grumman well up the bank to make room for our friends. As a precautionary measure, we tied the bow line to a tree, certain our friends would follow suit.
Two trips over the easy portage and everything was across. One man had turned an ankle on a previous carry, so I went back to fetch his canoe. When I arrived at the start, there was no canoe in sight. Perhaps Roger had brought it over after all. No matter, it was a nice day and I didn't mind the hike. As I ambled into the sun lit opening which marked the end of the carry, a friend asked me the whereabouts of Roger's Alumacraft. "I dunno," I answered. "Didn't you guys bring it over?" "Oh my God!" screamed someone: "It's gone over the falls! We forgot to tie it up!"
Fearfully, we ran back over the trail, hoping for some sign of the shiny silver metal. There was none. Frantically, we searched the rapid and pounding chasm below the falls. No luck. Our worst fear was realized: the canoe had indeed gone over the falls!
For awhile we just silently stood at the base of the cascade and stared wistfully at the run-out below. Then, resigned to our fate, we cursed our stupidity and began to re-distribute equipment and men among the remaining two canoes. As we were about to embark, a friend pointed to a ghostly silver apparition which was lazily circling in a nearby eddy. Glory be! It was Roger's canoe! As if directed by an unknownpower, the swamped Alumacraft moved mystically towards us. I hooked a gunnel with the T-grip of my paddle and we hauled the craft ashore. It was a wreck, but it was a repairable one.
Suddenly, the misery of before was forgotten as we laughed and hooted and jumped up and down. What might have been a tragedy was averted by a generous share of good luck. Together, we surveyed the torn and twisted hull. The bow deck plate was nearly torn off and two rivets were pulled loose from the deeply bent keel. The gunnels were severely bent and a front seat weld had broken. The hand-built wooden yoke had ripped loose from one gunnel and was hanging on by a single bolt. But, except for the pulled rivets and some broken welds, there were no holes or tears in the hull. We figured it would take the better part of a day to refurbish the craft, so we pitched camp at the end of the portage and got right to work.
First priority was to straighten the keel. We carried the craft on to a sandy rise, then two men jumped on the hull from the inside. The gunnels had bowed out when the yoke tore loose--we wished for a large furniture clamp to draw them together. After some discussion, we double-looped a three-eighths inch diameter rope around the hull then used the shaft of a synthetic canoe paddle as a turn-style to pull the rails into place. A chunk of wood and many blows from the backside of our hand-axe reformed the gunnel curve almost perfectly.
Fixing the pulled rivets was more difficult as the break had occured on the curve of the stem. Fortunately, I had a small steel drift punch in my tool kit, which I used to clear the rivet holes. I had no matching aluminum rivets, so I used two piece brass ones. These fit sloppily in the holes but were long enough to seal. A glob of "Shoe Goop", plus the usual duct tape provided a watertight seal.
Next, we hammered down the deck plate, filed off the burrs, and set self-tapping metal screws into the distorted rivet holes. We covered the sharp edges with two layers of duct tape. After this, we turned our attention to the yoke. Five-minute epoxy was applied to the cracks, which were then wrapped with nylon filament strapping tape. The yoke had split at the ends (bolt holes)--the holes needed to be reformed and closed so the yoke could be re-attached to the canoe. I used my large medical scissors to cut a small pile of quarter inch strands from a piece of fiberglass cloth which I had in my kit. I mixed the glass pieces with epoxy to form a thick paste, then I filled the broken holes with the mixture. When the epoxy was nearly cured (about five minutes) I re-bored the holes with a quarter inch diameter hand-operated twist drill (gimlet).
Three hours later, the old Alumacraft was up and running. It negotiated the remaining 200 miles to James Bay without leaking a drop. In fact, Roger used it "as is" on local rivers for two years before he fixed it right.
BUILDING A PRACTICAL TOOL KIT
If you've done your homework and are skilled at avoiding dangers, you should never have to repair a severely damaged canoe. But, cracked wood yokes, seats and gunnels, and broken paddles are commonplace on every canoe trip. Add an overnight camping experience and problems escalate. Suppose a tent pole jams or a zipper fails? Can you mend a broken yoke, torn pack strap or a hole in your rubber boots? Do you have the tools to field-strip your fishing reel or tighten your eye glasses? Anything can be repaired in the field if you have the right tools.
GOING LIGHT
For predictable outings close to home, a Swiss army knife and duct tape are all you need. Add a sturdy pliers with a cutting edge and a pounding tool (hand-axe) of some sort, and you'll be prepared for most emergencies. Difficult rivers require sophisticated rescue gear--carabiners, pulleys, high strength mountaineering rope, etc.--which is beyond the scope of this article.
For an ultra-compact kit, I recommend the versatile Leatherman" tool, which has three excellent screwdrivers. With it, you can field-strip eye glasses, fishing reels or your gasoline stove. The precision long-nose pliers snip fishhooks and wire. There's a small but useful file, a sharp awl, and a strong Phillips screwdriver which fits the bolts on most canoes.
Gerber, SOG and a few other companies offer high quality competitive "multi tools". Warning: If you have to torque down twisted bolts or straighten metal hardware, you'll want a powerful, full sized pliers and a crescent or box wrench, plus a one-piece screwdriver with a man-sized handle that won't twist off. Multi-tools are wonderful when you want to go light, but they can't match tools built for the job.
SERIOUS TOOLS FOR SERIOUS TRIPS
A Swiss army knife and duct tape won't cut it if you're going in harm's way. These tools, which weigh under two pounds and fit in a 6" x 9" zippered case will prepare you for most emergencies.
One four inch long crescent wrench: You need the power of a crescent wrench to tighten stubborn bolts on canoes and trail stoves. The tiny crescent, with its 5/8" opening, is lightweight and compact. Tip: yokes, seats and rails are less likely to break if you keep mounting bolts tight--essential maintenance you should perform before every canoe trip!
Short-handled box wrenches that fit the bolts on the canoes in your party. Two box wrenches (3/8" and 1/2") provide the power you need to dismantle fittings on wrecked canoes, per the scenario described above. If you transport several canoes inside a plane or train, you may need to remove the yokes so they'll nest properly. This requires two strong wrenches.
A long nose pliers with side-cutter and a 5-1/2 inch standard pliers. You may substitute a "multi-tool" for the long nose pliers.For years, I've carried a an inexpensive, coin-style gun screwdriver, which is about the size of a half dollar. It has three small precision bits that fit the tiny screws in fishing reels and eye glasses.
An assortment of steel bolts and nuts. Nuts often work loose and fall off bolts. I carry bolts, nuts and washers to fit seats and thwarts.
Assorted self-tapping wood screws are useful for pinning broken wood gunnels and decks. Be sure to carry one or two small "twist drills" (gimlets) so you can drill new screw holes in the wood. A pointed awl is a poor substitute for the cutting bit of a hand-operated twist drill.
Two small C-clamps enable you to accurately glue broken woodwork.
An assortment of copper rivets. Double-headed, hammer-set rivets, like those available from Tandy Leather Company, are useful for repairing pack straps and, in an emergency, aluminum canoes.
Silver duct tape (Gorilla tape reigns supreme!) or one of the better modern equivalents. Wind a half inch of tape on a wooden dowel and keep it in your repair kit. Wind some more duct tape around a thwart on your canoe, so it will be available when you need it. Exposure to sunlight and water degrades tape, so I replace it each season.
A few yards of nylon filament tape. Nylon filament tape is better than duct tape for mending cracks in paddle shafts, axe and saw handles and torn cane and nylon seat webbing.
A half dozen heavy-duty glove snaps and setting tool will repair your fabric splash cover or broken raincoat zipper.
Bring a spare leather washer and fuel cap for self-contained stoves, like the Coleman PEAK 1 and Optimus 111B. Fry a large batch of fish at "high heat" on your single burner trail stove and the stove may overheat and leak fuel or possibly even blow the safety valve! The solution is to always operate the stove at moderate temperatures, especially when you use large diameter pots or skillets which reflect heat on to the fuel tank. In any case, be sure to carry extra washers to fit the leather pump and fuel filler cap. Failing this, bring a piece of glove leather from which to cut replacement parts. A full field maintenance repair kit is essential for snap-together stoves like the MSR Dragonfly and Optimus Nova.
Small tube of Super Glue for mending eye glass frames and other small items.
Five-minute epoxy is useful for mending broken paddles, cracked seat frames and extensive damage to plastic canoes. I don't like the 5-minute epoxy which comes in little tubes: once opened, the tubes leak and epoxy contaminates everything in the tool kit. Individually sealed Loctite™ Poxy Pouches are handier and safer. A square foot piece of 6 oz. fiberglass cloth that folds to handkerchief size is useful for mending structural damage to canoes and woodwork.
Magic™ Patch is a solid, resin-colored stick that purportedly will repair anything. You light one end of the stick with a match then blow out the flame. The gooey, molten material is then pressed into cracks or holes or smeared on torn fabric. Magic™ Patch hardens in seconds and sticks to anything. I've used it to fix holes in rubber boots and fabrics. Once, I even plugged a nail hole in a Royalex canoe!
Shoe goop is wonderful for fixing holes in boot and sneaker soles.
A fine pointed dental tool is handy for nit-picking chores like removing rubber gaskets and jets in trail stoves, and for pulling parachute cord through the tiny holes in "cord-locks".
Assorted small pieces of cotton, Cordura, canvas, and leather for repairing pack sacks, clothing and canoe splash covers.There's no substitute for a genuine Thermarest™ repair kit, if you hole your Thermarest™ sleeping pad.
Needles and thread. I carry two large-eye sailmaker needles and some heavy, waxed thread. However, dental floss and fishing line works as well. A compact miniature sewing kit is frequently useful. Bring a thimble so you won't wreck your fingers when you force needles through heavy material.
Sounds like excess baggage, but a small steel drift punch is handy for removing broken rivets and bolts.
If you blow a zipper out of your tent or clothing, sticky-back Velcro™ will provide a reliable closure that's easy to install.
Metal zipper tabs that match those on your tent, sleeping bag and rain gear. If a bug zipper goes on your tent, you may need more than Velcro to fix it. Sliders that won't seal can often be fixed by gently tightening the gripper edges with pliers. Work slowly and meticulously. An Arnold Schwartzenegger approach may jam the slider.
If this procedure fails, you'll have to replace the bad slider, as follows:
1. Heavily lubricate the bad slider with whatever oil you have on hand. Cooking oil will do in a pinch.
2. Use your pliers to carefully work the slider to the top of the track then cut a tooth out of the track just above the slider. Remove the bad slider and install a new one.
3. Sew a new "zipper stop" where you've cut so the slider won't come off. You'll lose a quarter inch of travel on your zipper but otherwise, it will work fine.
A heavy duty emery board is more useful than sandpaper. I've used my emery board to smooth the surface of stubborn tent pole joints, remove rust from hand-axe blades, polish a splintered surface on wood yokes, gunnels and paddle shafts and level shards of broken gel-coat on my canoe.
A full sized file! A ten inch smooth mill file is useful for de-burring the ends of damaged tent poles, slotted screws, aluminum canoe hardware and pinched boot eyelet's. The small file on a Leatherman is no match for the big hardware store item. The file and hand-axe are the only items that won't fit in my tool kit.
Fifty feet of three-eighths inch diameter nylon rope. Granted, rope is not a repair material and it won't fit into a 6" x 9" zippered case. But, rope is so useful that no canoeist I know would leave home without it!
You'll find a wealth of uses for a precision medical forceps and a heavy duty first-aid shears. Ditto for a tiny eye-glass repair kit. One man I know, carries a VISA card in his tool kit. With it, he claims, "I can buy my way out of any predicament!"
WHAT NOT TO BRING!
Traditional canoeing texts suggest you bring copper wire, chewing gum and full-fledged fiberglass canoe repair kits. But there's nothing these items will do that Magic™ Patch, tape, nuts and bolts and epoxy can't duplicate. My experience suggests that a field repair kit should contain the minimum equipment you need to get up and running again. Later, at home, you can use bench mounted equipment and the services of professional to fix things right.
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THE CANOEIST'S TOOL KIT © Cliff Jacobson, July 10, 2007
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