Composite Canoes,
Seats and Trim:
Trim: With a few exceptions, our composite canoes offer a choice of the following types of trim. (Please see individual canoe descriptions for availability, prices, and weights of trim options.
  1.) All-aluminum Trim - This type of trim is standard on nearly all of our composite canoes. It is comprised of silver aluminum gunwales, thwarts, and handles. Tandem canoes also include an ash yoke.
The aluminum gunwales are extruded to our strong-yet-light design. They are heat treated and marine-anodized for a satin finish that won't wear off and that salt water can't hurt. Black end caps are used.
Black aluminum trim can be substituted for silver aluminum for an extra charge. It replaces all of the silver trim pieces with black aluminum. Black end caps are used.
  2.) Wood-gunwales-only - This type of trim is optional for nearly all of our composite canoes. It is comprised of hardwood inwales and outwales but with black aluminum thwarts, handles, and other hardware.
To make the gunwales, we use selected hardwoods, carefully fitted, and finished with three coats of oil. Natural, unstained wood is standard. Walnut colored stain is a no-cost option. Wood end decks are used. Fasteners are stainless steel.
3.) All-wood-trim - This is optional for most of our composite canoes. It has hardwood inwales, outwales, thwarts, and handles. An ash yoke is fitted on tandem canoes, wood end decks are used, and fasteners are stainless steel. Natural, unstained wood is standard. Walnut color stain is a no-cost option. Web seats are standard, but may be replaced. We apply finishing oil to the gunwales and end decks, but the other trim is varnished. If any aluminum hardware is used, such as would be the case for certain optional features, it is black aluminum.
Types of Seats: With a few exceptions, our composite canoes offer a choice of seat types and mountings. Please see the individual canoe models for details.
1.) Bucket Seats - These are the standard seats for most of our composite tandem and solo canoes. To maximize your comfort and effectiveness when paddling, they are deeply contoured to hold you in place firmly while sitting. For any canoe available with bucket seats, cane or web seats are a no-cost option.
2.) Web Seats - Standard in several of our models, these are also a no-cost option in other composite canoes. Although bucket seats give a firmer platform to paddle from, web seats are comfortable and cooler. They are also slightly better to paddle while kneeling. Cane seats may always be substituted for web at no cost.
3.) Cane Seats - Cane seats are a no-cost option. Although web seats are more durable, cane seats are equally comfortable, and they have the classic appearance that many people prefer. Bucket seats may also be substituted, but the seat-mounting method must be different.
Seat mounting methods for
TANDEM composite canoes.
1.) Riveted-fixed - Our standard way to mount fixed (non-sliding) seats in most composite tandem canoes. It can be used for bucket, web, or cane seats, and with aluminum or wood gunwales.
A riveted seat strengthens the hull by making the seat an integral part of it. We typically mount seats low in the hull for greater comfort and stability when sitting. If you kneel to paddle, however, we can raise the seats slightly to give more clearance below for your legs.
2.) Plate-hung - Our standard way to mount seats in a Fisherman, Kingfisher, Adirondack, Heron, and in the bow and stern of the Solo Plus. It is also a no-cost option for other longer tandem canoes. It can be used with any type of fixed seats, but only on canoes with aluminum gunwales. The plates are silver or black to match the gunwales.
While seats hung this way don't strengthen the hull, many people prefer the looks of this method. We place the seats a bit higher than riveted ones so they can serve to sit or kneel.
3. Doweled-hung - Upon request, a composite hull with wood gunwales and fixed web or cane (but not bucket) seats may have them suspended using wood dowels.
While many people feel that this is our most-attractive way to mount seats, it is not the strongest. To reduce stress on the dowels, we place these seats higher. They are fine for kneeling but may be a bit higher than you'd like for sitting. Although it's your choice, we suggest this type of seat mounting be reserved for people who usually kneel. The alternative is to use a frame riveted to the hull. This method does strengthen the hull, and it allows the seats to be mounted lower for sitting.
4.) Riveted-sliding - This is how we mount sliding seats in tandem canoes. It strengthens the hull by making the seat part of the structure. It can be used with all bucket, cane, or web seats.
The purpose of sliding seats is to "trim" a canoe, meaning to balance the weight fore and aft. Having a canoe trimmed well is crucial to straight tracking and good performance. You can adjust the trim by rearranging gear (if any) in the hull, but it's easier to use sliding seats for this purpose.
A sliding bow seat is standard in tandem composite canoes that are 16'6" or longer, and a sliding stern seat is optional.
Because sliding seats can only serve their purpose if you sit in them (rather than kneeling), we mount sliding seats low in the hull.
5.) Center-seat - If you order an optional added center seat in a tandem canoe, a web seat is standard but you can substitute cane.
The seat mounting methods available vary depending on the gunwales. If the canoe has wood gunwales, the seat will be a fixed, non-adjustable seat suspended from the gunwales with wood dowels. If the canoe has aluminum gunwales there are two mounting methods available, non-adjustable or height/angle adjustable. The non-adjustable seat is hung from the gunwales with aluminum plates. Our new height/angle adjustable seat is also hung from the gunwales with aluminum plates but can be used at two height settings and positioned level for sitting, or angled for kneeling.
A center seat in a tandem hull can't be a bucket seat, nor a sliding seat, and it will be mounted high to help you reach the water and paddle well from the center of a tandem canoe. A center seat in a tandem canoe prevents using a fixed yoke -- to use a yoke, it must be removable and give clearance for the seat above your head when the canoe is resting on your shoulders. |
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Seat mounting methods for
SOLO composite canoes.
1.) Center-sliding - This is the standard configuration for most of our composite solo canoes. It has a sliding, center seat atop an assembly that is affixed to the floor. An adjustable foot brace is included when this type of seat mounting is used.
A bucket seat is standard with this set-up, but a web or cane seat is a no-cost option.
2.) Plate-hung - A plate-hung web or cane seat is a no-cost option for some models built with an Ultra-light core, but only if they have aluminum gunwales. You must ask about this option for specific models.
3.) Height/angle adjustable - Standard on the Sandpiper, Vagabond, Argosy and in the center of the Solo Plus, this seat is suspended from aluminum gunwales with aluminum plates. The seat can be used at two height settings and positioned level for sitting, or angled for kneeling. A web seat is standard. you may substitute a cane seat but not a bucket seat. This method is not available on wood gunwales.
4.) Doweled-hung - This is how we mount a suspended seat on a canoe with wood gunwales. It can be a web or cane seat, but not a bucket seat, and it is non-adjustable.
If you wish to have a floor-mounted sliding seat assembly in a solo canoe with All-wood Trim, it is a no-cost option but you must specify it. A sliding bucket seat is standard but you may substitute a web or cane sliding seat. |
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