Canoeing Books

Canoeing with the Cree

Eric Sevareid

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF A REMARKABLE JOURNEY 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid is one of the more unique works I have had the pleasure of reading over the past several years. In 1930, Sevareid (Yes, the famous news man), and his good friend and school mate, Walter C. Port, set out on an adventure that few of us could ever dream. They traveled by canoe from Minneapolis all the way to Hudson Bay! This journey covered 2,250 miles and went through some of the harshest wilderness in North America. There are several facts that make this adventure even more unique (as if the simple trip was not enough). First, Sevareid was only 17 years old at the time and his friend, Walter was only 19. Both boys were what would be classified a "city boys," in that they had never experienced the out of doors, nor had they any experience in canoeing. Secondly, they had a very limited budget, even for that time. Third; they did not have maps, GPSs, high tech camping gear or supplies. Forth, the area they traveled, in particular the last half of the journey, was almost completely isolated and still in the frontier stage of development.

This book is the telling of the trip these two young men undertook. We get a first hand account of the hardships, toil, hazards, and landscape they encountered. Each page is a further marvel. When you consider the primitive state of their equipment, there lack of maps and direction, lack of our modern prepackaged camping food and even their clothing, it is an absolute miracle they survived this trip.

This of course is Sevareid's first book. The reader must remember that he was seventeen years old when he wrote this book. Sevareid used a combination of his journal he kept and the articles he wrote for a local paper to use is creating this work. If I can remember correctly, when I was seventeen, I had difficulty trying to figure out which shoe went on which foot, much less write a book. That the author was able to plan and complete this journey is quite remarkable; that he was able to write a very readable account of the journey is just as remarkable, as far as I am concerned.

The reader must also remember that this work is far more than a good story though. It is actually one of the few published works, descriptions and accounts of the land which was explored (and indeed, exploited) by the Hudson Bay Company. That entire wilderness in now gone or at the very least altered beyond recognition in this day and age. The author's description of the Cree Indians, Mounties, Hudson Bay Company employees and folks met on the way constitute a very remarkable source document.

I must say I enjoyed every page of this book. As a matter of fact, once I started, I could not put it down and read it from cover to cover in one setting. Yes, it was that good! Fortunately this book is back in print after a number of years being out. The old copy I have here was a 1968 edition, but I see now that there is a newer addition available. This is a good thing as this is one of those reads you really should treat yourself to.

Highly recommend this one. I doubt if you will be sorry you gave it a read

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Editorial Review:

In 1930 two novice paddlers--Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port--launched a secondhand 18-foot canvas canoe into the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling for an ambitious summer-long journey from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. Without benefit of radio, motor, or good maps, the teenagers made their way over 2,250 miles of rivers, lakes, and difficult portages. Nearly four months later, after shooting hundreds of sets of rapids and surviving exceedingly bad conditions and even worse advice, the ragged, hungry adventurers arrived in York Factory on Hudson Bay--with winter freeze-up on their heels. First published in 1935, Canoeing with the Cree is Sevareid's classic account of this youthful odyssey. The newspaper stories that Sevareid wrote on this trip launched his distinguished journalism career, which included more than a decade as a television correspondent and commentator on the CBS Evening News. Now with a new foreword by Arctic explorer, Ann Bancroft.

Rowing Faster

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A must-have. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

'Rowing Faster' is the best and most up-to-date textbook on rowing I know. Each chapter within segments such as physiology, psychology, technique etc. is written by a true expert and well edited by Volker Nolte.
Buy this book.

Rowing Smarter 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is the definitive book on the current state of the art in rowing both on the water and on the erg. But it won't teach you how to row. Only how to think about things to improve and how everything fits together. The only other product out there today that comes close to this, and is really an excellent companion piece, is Xeno Muller's interactive DVDs.

Amazing 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is not for novices, it's for the already advanced rower, who wants to significantly improve their speed, and technique. It goes into complete detail on every major subject pretaining to rowing, from race prep. months in advance, to the race itself, this book covers it all.

Editorial Review:

Incorporates techniques, training methods, and racing strategies from the world's top rowing coaches and scientists. The book represents one of the first expert resources aimed at this fast-growing, far-reaching sport.

Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip Construction

Ted Moores

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Known internationally as "the Bible of canoe building," Canoecraft is back, and it's bigger and better than ever. The best-selling how-to guide has been completely revised and expanded, and master canoe builder Ted Moores again infuses the pages with the experience and wisdom acquired over almost three decades. His step-by-step instructions, generously illustrated with new photographs and diagrams and incorporated into an accessible fresh design, will allow even the beginner to create a reasonably priced classic. North America's leading builder of woodstrip/epoxy canoes, Moores is a longtime teacher of wooden-boat construction as well. With students who have ranged in age from 11 to 87, Moores has discovered that all have been motivated by the same dream: to build something beautiful and functional.

Canoecraft is the road map to that dream. In it, Moores offers comprehensive instructions for the first-time builder and, with the second-time builder in mind, includes a larger variety of canoe plans -- five of which are brand-new. In this edition, each plan is presented as a traditional table of offsets. Moores has also added a series of builder's tips and new techniques and an entire chapter on carving a paddle, the perfect accompaniment to your handcrafted canoe. His message is straightforward: When good materials are used and simple steps performed with care, professional results are sure to follow.

Whether your goal is to build a general-purpose recreational canoe, an efficient modern tripping canoe or a full-decked fast-cruising canoe with walnut veneer, Canoecraft can help you make it happen.

Out There

Ted Kerasote

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

WINNER, 2004 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD! (Outdoor Literature) Who hasnt wanted to get away from cell phones, e-mail, roads, and traffic? And what better place to escape our wired world than the far northwestern corner of Canadas Northwest Territories and a river that flows through uninhabited country, 400 miles to the Arctic Ocean. But what if your canoeing partner brings along a satellite phone to use in case of an emergency? And, struck by the novelty of anywhere-on-earth communication, he proceeds to use the phone to check in with his law office, his wife, kids, sisters, father, and friends? Noted wilderness traveler and author Ted Kerasote deals with just such a situation as he journeys along the Horton River through the largest ice-free, roadless area left on Earth, a stunning wilderness of grizzly bears, caribou, and migrating birds. Between navigating rapids, slipping around musk ox and grizzlies, and being pinned down by Arctic storms, the two friends prod each other into a finer understanding of love, marriage, parenting, and the meaning of solitude in an increasingly wired world. Contrasting his own experiences with those of the regions earliest explorers--Sir John Franklin and Vilhjalmur Stefansson--Kerasote provides a compelling and humorous take on how travelers from any age adjust to being away from their civilizations and how getting "out there" has inevitably changed but has also remained the same--especially if you shut off the phone.

The Red Rose Crew: A True Story of Women, Winning, and the Water

Daniel J. Boyne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"In 1975, a group of amazing women rowed their way to international success and glory, battling sexual predjudice, bureaucracy, and male domination in one of the most grueling and competitive sports around. Among the members of the first international women's crew team-and one of the first women's teams anywhere-were Gail Pearson, the soft-spoken MIT professor who fought equally hard off the water to win the political battles necessary for her team to succeed; lead rower Carie Graves, a statuesque bohemian from rural Wisconsin who dropped out of college and later became the most intense rower of the crew; and Lynn Silliman, a tiny sixteen-year-old coxswain from California.

On hand to guide them was Harry Parker, the legendary Harvard men's crew coach who overcame his doubts about the ability of women to withstand the rigors of hard training. From their first dramatic bid at the 1975 World Championships to their preparations for their first Olympic Games in 1976, this gripping story of bravery, determination, and indomitable spirit catures a compelling moment in the history of sports and America.

With a new foreward by David Halberstam

Goodbye to a River: A Narrative

John Graves

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the 1950s, a series of dams was proposed along the Brazos River in north-central Texas. For John Graves, this project meant that if the stream’s regimen was thus changed, the beautiful and sometimes brutal surrounding countryside would also change, as would the lives of the people whose rugged ancestors had eked out an existence there. Graves therefore decided to visit that stretch of the river, which he had known intimately as a youth.

Goodbye to a River is his account of that farewell canoe voyage. As he braves rapids and fatigue and the fickle autumn weather, he muses upon old blood feuds of the region and violent skirmishes with native tribes, and retells wild stories of courage and cowardice and deceit that shaped both the river’s people and the land during frontier times and later. Nearly half a century after its initial publication, Goodbye to a River is a true American classic, a vivid narrative about an exciting journey and a powerful tribute to a vanishing way of life and its ever-changing natural environment.

Building a Strip Canoe

Gil Gilpatrick

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The most useful book on strip canoe building 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have many of the common books on canoe building. This book is by far the easiest to use. There seems to be two major schools of thought when it comes to strip canoe building: 1) floating furniture (The Canoecraft way) and 2) utilitarian (Hazen and Gilpatrick). I've built a solo canoe following Gil's methods and it has served wonderfully for 5 years. I've bounced it down rocky rivers and used it for many trips to the BWCA and Quetico and it has served admirably.

If you wish to build a work of art, then perhaps you should follow Moores's methods. Personally, I don't like external stems on a canoe. They widen the entry line and just look weird to me. Building them is also a fiddly undertaking and I'm not sure that they really add much.

If you want a functional and tough canoe . . . that is beautiful to boot . . . this book will help you reach your goal. If you have questions write the author, he has replied to my emails; usually the next day.

Editorial Review:

This completely revised edition includes plans and patterns for eight well-proven designs. Step-by-step directions are accompanied by over 100 photographs plus illustrations. Gil's contemporary construction method augment the traditional wood strips with fiberglass and West System epoxy. The book includes an extensive listing of sources for lumber, tools and supplies. 128 pages.

Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes

Gary Dierking

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

If you like sailing canoes then buy it! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Well written and illustrated. Three different designs and their variations are presented. Since I am rabid about proas I read it cover to cover and enjoyed it immensely. I don't think it's enough for a beginner to build a complete canoe just from the tables of offsets and parts diagrams but perhaps an experienced craftsman could pull it off. I still think it would be better to buy the full plans if you're serious about building. The plans will have the construction sequence, tips, instructions, etc. that the book lacks. Thus this book is a long advertisement for Gary's plans but I don't find fault with that. I wish there was more about actually sailing the canoes. I liked reading a little more of Gary's history building and designing canoes. In the end this book is exactly what the title says.

Editorial Review:

Build the fastest, most exotic sailboats around!

Popular in Hawaii and throughout the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, outrigger canoes combine the romance of the South Seas with a ruthless efficiency of design and breathtaking sailing performance. This is the first book to present complete plans and building instructions for three outrigger sailing canoes.

Based on traditional Hawaiian and Micronesian types, the designs are lightweight, easy to build, and screamingly fast. Author Gary Dierking shows you how to build these boats using stitch-and-glue and strip-planking construction, explains what tools and materials are required, how to rig and equip the boats, and more.

The Tecate Journals: Seventy Days on the Rio Grande

Keith Bowden

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Rio Grande is simultaneously one of the most watched and least understood rivers in the world. Some stretches of the Rio pass for endless miles through remote wilderness, boxed in by canyons hundreds of feet high and inhabited by only the hardiest animals and humans. Other stretches go straight through the centre of massive urban areas, all but ignored by the thousands of city folks above. It is a national border, a water source, a dangerous rapid with house-sized boulders, a nature refuge, a garbage dump, and a playground, depending on where you are on its 1885-mile course.That's why journalist Keith Bowden decided to become the first person to travel the entire length of the Rio as it forms the border between America and Mexico. This is his fascinating account of the journey by bike, canoe, and raft along one of North America's most overlooked resources.From illegal immigrants and drug runners trying to make it into America to the border patrol working to stop them; from human coyotes - smugglers who help people navigate their way into the United States - to encounters with real coyotes, mountain lions, and other flora and fauna, Bowden reveals a side of America that few of us ever see. The border between the U.S. and Mexico is, in many ways, a country unto itself, where inhabitants share more in common with fellow riverside dwellers than they do with the rest of their countrymen.With this isolated and colourful micro-world as his backdrop, Bowden not only explores his surroundings, but also tests his inner mettle along some of the most dangerous and remote riparian wilderness in North America.

Downriver

Will Hobbs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 132 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Downriver, a review by Allison, Kevin, and Hannah! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"Downriver!"
Running the rapids of the Grand Canyon, seven kids find adventure, friendship, and themselves. Will Hobbs writes a thrilling survival book called Downriver, which is similar to Hatchet, by Gary Paulson, but with its own twists and turns. This book is similar to Hatchet, but there are seven kids who must work together, instead of one who must work alone. Eight kids are sent to Discovery Unlimited or as they call it "Hoods in the Woods," steal equipment and take a joy ride on the Colorado River. After one bails, it's down to them to overcome their fears and this obstacle. After getting tossed around like luggage in the Colorado River, these kids have to take it up a notch. Not only was the river a problem, but they were doing this illegally with people chasing after them. Will Hobbs uses dialogue and thoughts to bring out the life in the characters, and also uses sensory images.
Will Hobbs is a tremendous author using descriptive language, and strong adjectives to get the reader really into the book. To show this, he has many awards in his trophy case. Some of these are the Notable Book Award, Best Book for Young Adults, Teachers' Choice Awards, and the Regional Book Award. But the only reason he has won this many awards is because his books are a captivating read. The idea for this book came out of Will Hobbs' own experiences. He got this idea because he has gone rafting in the Grand Canyon ten times and wanted to share his love of the Canyon with young readers. We recommend this book to anyone who loves a little excitement, adventure and suspense. Kids from ages 9 to 14 would enjoy this novel. Will Hobbs created a thrilling survival that will lead people to believe that good can come out of bad.

Editorial Review:

No adults, no permit, no river map. Just some "borrowed" gear from Discovery Unlimited, the outdoor education program Jessie and her new companions have just ditched. Jessie and the others are having the time of their lives floating beneath sheer red walls, exploring unknown caves and dangerous waterfalls, and plunging through the Grand Canyon's roaring rapids. No one, including Troy, who emerges as the group's magnetic and ultimately frightening leader, can forsee the challenges and conflicts.



What will be the consequences of their reckless adventure?