Early Morning Row

Not much to report on the Dave boat, I'm still burning through the sandpaper in preparation to getting a finish on the boat . I did get out yesterday for an early morning row even though the wind was more than I like. I've got three lakes close by that I rotate through depending on which way the wind is blowing. The wind isn't your friend in a small boat.

I ended up in Round Lake in Hayes State Park which in the last couple years has become the home for several beaver families. I haven't seen the beavers in over a year so yesterday I checked the two lodges to see if they are laying up a stockpile of freshly cut branches for the winter. The smaller of the two lodges had a few new branches but there were none around the larger lodge. Beavers aren't welcome in the park as they alter the drainage patterns in the park. I haven't talked to a ranger to see if they have been successful at trapping any of the beavers.

I didn't plan it this way but the transom on my rowboat ended up with a gunsight in the stern to help me keep the boat going in a straight line. The notch in the top of the transom acts as a gunsight that I can line up with a tree or house around the lake. Pulling just a bit harder on one oar or the other to keep the sight lined up keeps the boat going where she should.

"Canoe Mike" Thomsen

Michael Thomsen of Tecumseh, Michigan built his first canoe because he wanted a small, easily handled boat to fish from. It turned out so nice he knew he had to build more. “Canoe Mike” has now retired from his day job as an electrician and devotes all his time to building boats and paddles. He makes wooden canoes using the wood strip and fiberglass method. He buys the caned seats and brass hardware for the boats, but hand makes all the other components of the boat. He also makes wooden canoe and kayak paddles.

https://www.facebook.com/thomsenboats
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