Okay, I know this is a basic but I have never had to really portage a canoe before and have a question. I just purchased a nice cedar strip canoe off of Ebay and am driving to go get it Friday. I am taking it on a solo trip at the beginning of June. So, I need to get a yoke for my new canoe.

Therein lies my problem. I see them for sale and most appear to be nothing more than a shaped board. I understand this but do not understand how this is supposed to attach to my canoe. Do I have to rig something? Surely it isn't just supposed to screw into place since that would not be removable.

your new boat may allready have a yoke installed in it, if not it will have a center thwart. If it has a yoke all you will need are portage pads that install with wing nuts. If it only has a center thwart you can replace it with a yoke and portage pads or use your paddles to make carrying the boat easier. I use bungy cords and attatch the grip ends to the bow seat and the blade ends to the center thwart about 6 to 8 inches apart. I use a piece of 1/2 inch closed cell foam pad on each paddle blade for comfort. The bungies stay in place and don't need to be retied, you just slide the paddles in.

Okay, that actually makes some sense.

Blackfoot - most solo canoes use a removable yoke because the balance point is right in front of the seat. You could rent one from an outfitter, but eventually you'll need to buy one.

Assuming the canoe you will be using is a solo boat you will want a removable yoke as you indicated. These clamp on the gunnels of the boat and can be easily installed or removed at portages with the twist of a couple knobs. Below is a link to an example:

Clamp-On slotted bar with clamps

I have the clamp-ons and recommend them.
But hold off, from the pictures it almost looks like there may be a center thwart that's bent a bit. In the picture with the guy paddling it it looks like that one thwart would be in the middle, in which case you may be looking at a bolt-on yoke pad set-up

All, the a link to the pictures is in Blackfoot's post in the "Items for Sale or Wanted," forum.

While you're workin on the yoke thing, make sure you also get that canoe registered.

quote boonie: "Blackfoot - most solo canoes use a removable yoke because the balance point is right in front of the seat. You could rent one from an outfitter, but eventually you'll need to buy one."

I did not know I cold rent one. May look at that option. But I would like to just have it and be done with it. For as long as I'll be gone, it'll probably be cheaper to buy one anyway.

quote LoneWolf: "I have the clamp-ons and recommend them.
But hold off, from the pictures it almost looks like there may be a center thwart that's bent a bit. In the picture with the guy paddling it it looks like that one thwart would be in the middle, in which case you may be looking at a bolt-on yoke pad set-up


All, the a link to the pictures is in Blackfoot's post in the "Items for Sale or Wanted," forum. "

Ah, I didn't think that maybe the pictures would help. Thank you!

quote cowdoc: "While you're workin on the yoke thing, make sure you also get that canoe registered."

Ah yes! Thank you for that reminder!

Blackfoot - that's what I meant by eventually you'll have to buy one. Probably cost 75% of the purchase price to rent for that long - better to just go ahead and do it. You might get an outfitter to sell you a used one.

In the picture of the boat, the seat seems to be pretty far back. You might want to wait until you pick it up and see if it's set up like Lone Wolf suggested.

Look though yoke pictures

Jrlatt

In the one picture I saw of the boat from your other thread, it looked like the boat already has a yoke or a center thwart but I can't tell with certainty. Typically a solo boat has a removable yoke that clamps on to the inside of your gunwales. If there is a curved yoke already, all you have to do is add portage pads.

Okay, well I go get it Friday. So I will wait till then. Getting excited as the trip rapidly approaches and want everything figured out now. LOL Patience, still learning that one. :)

Yeah, get your boat first. From the pictures I saw it LOOKED like you have a center thwart and not a yoke. If that is the case you have a decission to make: 1) keep the seat(s) where they are, or (2) move the seat closer to center.

If you keep the seat where it is, you'll probably want a fixed yoke. It may be as easy as unbolting the center thwart, then use the thwart as a template to cut a yoke to length and drill the holes, and then bolt the yoke on. Make sure that it is at the balance point of the canoe, before cutting!!! You may have to adjust it a bit either forewards or backwards.

If you move the seat, using the removeable yoke is the way to go. Otherwise the yoke is in your way when paddling. If you go this route you may want to repotition your thwarts as well. Generally place one thwart directly behind the seat. The other thwart should be in front of you at a distance that won't be in your way but close enought to reach. That makes it good for a thwart bag to be attached, and something to hang on to when portaging.

Blackfoot, so what'd you ever figure out about your boat? How's the yoke going to work out?