H
I S T O R Y
| John
MacGregor on Equipment
|
| The Rob Roy was designed to sail steadily, to paddle easily, to float lightly, to turn readily, and to bear rough usage on stones and banks and in carts, railways and steamers. A canoe ought to fit a man like a coat. And to secure this the measure of the man should be taken for his canoe. The first regulating standard is the length of the man's feet, which will determine the height of the canoe from keel to deck; next the length of his leg, which governs the size of the "well"; and then the weight of the crew and luggage, which regulates the displacement to be provided for.  The
weight [of the Rob Roy] without fittings, is 60 lb., and with all
complete 71 lb. Lightness is not of so much consequence in this
case as good lines, for a light boat if crank [easily tipped], will
tire the canoeist far more in a week's cruise than would a heavier
but stiff [not easily healed] craft, which does not strain his body
at every moment to keep her poised under the alternate strokes of
the paddle or the sudden pressure of a squall on the sail. The canoeist
sits on the floorboards. I prefer this to any cushion or mat whatever;
but of course these can be used, but they should be firmly fixed,
especially in rough water. The
paddle is 7 feet long, flat bladed, with a breadth of 5 inches in
each palm [blade] which is copper banded and made of the best spruce
fir, the weight being a little over 2 lb. For long cruises lightness
is the first necessity. An ounce more or less makes a great deal
of difference when you have to carry it with outstretched arms all
day. Cut
off [book] covers and useless pages, and every page as read; no
needless weight should be carried hundreds of miles; even a fly
settling on the boat must be refused a free passage. From A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe (1866) and Rob Roy on the Baltic (1867) |
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