I’d planned to paddle yesterday, but was again awakened from sleep by my sore left shoulder. I chose instead to remain home and disassemble my Pouch E-68, and put it away for awhile. I don’t think I’ll have another chance to paddle until New Year’s Day, and reckon it’s best to store it out of the weather until then. I’ve kept the boat assembled in the yard on sawhorses this past season, so there’s little likelihood the skin will shrink while in storage. The boat’s frame is badly in need of stripping and revarnishing, and I need to find someplace to do the work.
Frame needs some maintenance work
Back during the summer, a gentleman from Louisiana met me at Chattanooga and gave me two Folbot lateen sailing rigs including an old vinyl Folbot hull bag with some Big Glider or Super seats and one rib. If I had the power to create a skin on frame vessel from one rib, I’d probably make Folbot Super out of that rib and name it Eve. Providentially, according to my theology, I lack that ability. On the other hand, it is not good, in my time and space bound opinion, for a man to be without a boat.
That Folbot bag, covered with I-don’t-know-what grease, spider’s nests, dirt, saw-dust, once cleaned up and zipper rehabbed with a lot of parafin, makes a great hull and rib bag for the E-68. The green canvas GDR duffel-sack I’d been using was always an annoyingly tight fit. The Pouch hullskin fits easily into the Folbot bag.
Pouch E68 hullskin & ribs fit with plenty of room to spare
Finally, I drove out to Morris Ferry Landing with my camera to see what it looked like with all the holiday homes and campsites razed. I took some photos – you can see all of them at my FLICKR account photostream at left. I posted a couple below –
Christov_Tenn 