Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/636

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��Popular Science Monthly

��single and doublebladed. Better choose the double blades, square ended, well cop- pered and 9^2 ft. long. They are joined at the center with a heavy ferrule and any time that you want to try single- bladed stunts, separate them and you have two single blades, which will be more comfortable if you have provided yourself with a pair of the short separable handles which the paddle-makers turn out to keep your hands from getting cut and cramped on the ferrule edges.

With the double blade there is no

���Dimensions for cutting a board and mak- ing a back rest for the seat of a canoe

waste motion, the finish of one stroke places the other blade in position for the next, while with the single blade a recov- ery stroke must be made. With two singles, unless the paddlers are well matched and practiced in keeping each other's stroke, the rear paddler wastes much energy in keeping a straight course, while with two double blades each paddler equalizes his own strokes automatically. But the great advantage of the double blade lies in the ability of one man, when paddling against or across a breeze, to head the canoe direct for her destination, without loss of time in recovery or loss of

��energy in the back sweep required to off- set the tendency of the craft to turn in the direction opposite that f-rom which the paddle is operated. In running into a wind, against which one paddler with a single blade would be almost helpless, the setting of the blades at right angles to each other reduces the windage of the idle blade to almost nothing, and a little practice will allow its being turned to take the water without conscious effort. The double blade may be used from the seat or from the floor position, while to get any action from the single blade, the seat position must be kept.

For each cushion purchase one yard of light weight brown waterproof canvas, 40 in. wide. Fold this over on itself with the fold running the long way. Sew the two ends together by machine, if possible, then parallel with the ends and 2 in. apart, stitch across the short way, stitching the two thicknesses of canvas together, being careful to leave the ends of the compartments open so that they may be stuffed with ground cork. When full, baste the open ends together and finish the job on the machine.

You now have a cork-filled waterproof cushion, a trifle less than 20 in. wide and somewhat less than 3 ft. long. Fold this over on itself lengthwise and the result is a canoe cushion about 4 in. thick, which keeps you high enough to be comfortable, does not get wet through readily and, when moist, dries quickly in the sun.

The thwarts are rather low and some- what too thin to furnish a comfort-sup- port, so you need a couple of back rests. The simplest ones are those cut from 3^- in. cherry or chestnut, 22 in. long by 13;?4 wide, as shown in the illustration. Be sure that the grain of the wood runs from top to bottom instead of across the back rest, and that the space between the feet is sufl[icient to clear the flooring strips. Two strips of the same material, each 1 1^ in. wide, fastened across the back with brass screws will prevent warping if a couple of coats of varnish are applied.

A painter or bow-line with which to tie the canoe is a necessary part of the equip- ment. An anchor which will allow you to fish or to lie to in some quiet cove without going ashore is also a great convenience. A four-pound folding anchor of the

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