For Geeks Only               Canoe Barges on the Colorado River

If you do this trip every year...if you like to "build a better mousetrap"...or if you just have too much time on your hands...this page is for you! Here's some stuff to make your float down the river a little more nerd-like.

Bumpers: Tie these between catamarans to reduce "splash-up" -- the annoying mini-geysers that fill your canoe when you move through choppy water.

Located at mid-canoe, the plywood sits on top of the canoe edges and traps the bumper between the canoes. The same heavy rope that lashes two catamarans together (wraps around middle canoe braces) runs over the narrow middle part of the plywood and locks everything in place.

The wood is 1/2" plywood left over from platform building. 8" x 18", minus the notches. The bumper is a 4-inch Attwood bumper -- available for about $8 in the marine aisle at Wal-mart.





Here's how Ron Hodson made bumpers: About 28" of foam noodle wrapped in heavy tape. Vinyl tubing protects inside of noodle from chafing against the rope.


Splash Cover: Clips to the canoe edges (gunnels) just ahead of the bumpers. Covers the "splash-zone" between catamarans. You can use heavy nylon fabric, pieces of plastic tarp, or a spare towel. About 20" x 40" is plenty. Fasten to the canoe gunnels with 8 to 10 "Size Small" binder clips from any office supply store.




Hose Clamps instead of Duct Tape: We're talking about fastening your two long platform struts to the canoe braces. Duct tape leaves your struts gooey. And it's just too simple. 4-inch stainless steel hose clamps are $ 1.45 each at Home Depot (you'll need 8 per catamaran). Don't get the non-stainless ones. They will break a lot sooner from bending/unbending.

Use a 5/16" nut driver with your portable drill to tighten them.




Tube stand: Dragging inner tubes and other inflatables when you're not using them is a hassle. They slow you down, make it hard to turn, and if you need to back up, it's rope-in-the-propeller. So, use this pole to stack inflatables on the back of your canoe.

The base is half-inch plywood, which is duct taped or bungeed to the rear bench of the canoe. 10" wide to match the bench width. It wants very badly to break at the threaded base, so don't use a male threaded PVC adapter. Instead, use the materials shown below.
Parts list for tube stand:

• 3/4" PVC (schedule 40) 42" long
• PVC Coupling: 3/4"
• PVC Adapter: 3/4" Slip to 1/2" female threaded.
• 1/2" x 3" galv iron nipple
• 1/2" floor flange
• 4 carriage bolts 1/4" x 1"
• Four or eight 1/4" nuts (make sure bolt end doesn't puncture inflatables)
• scrap of plywood 10" x whatever.

Anchor: This claw-style anchor will help secure your barge in very shallow water, but it's not 100% reliable. Helps if you think carefully about wind and water direction when setting it. This is maybe $10 worth of parts from Home Depot.


Parts list for experimental anchor:

• 3/4" PVC pipe (schedule 40) 14" + 21"
• 2 PVC Couplings: 3/4"
• 2 PVC Adapters: 3/4" Slip to 1/2" female threaded.
• 1 PVC End Cap: 3/4"
• 2 galv iron nipples 1/2" x 3"
• 1 Elbow - 1/2" 45 degree galv iron
• 1 Elbow - 1/2" 90 degree Male/Female galv iron

Canoe Trip Overview	Equipment List
Canoe Dimensions & Tips	Building & Combining Catamarans
Buying Guide	Building a Motor Mount
Safety	For Geeks Only