Basic Essentials Solo Canoeing, 2nd (Basic Essentials Series) [Paperback]

Cliff Jacobson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Basic Essentials Series | Publication Date: August 1, 1999

An information-packed tool for the novice or handy reference for the veteran. Distills years of knowledge in an affordable and portable book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For a generation the Basic Essentials series has been as much a part of the outdoors experience as backpacks and hiking boots. Information-packed tools for the novice or handy references for the veteran, these volumes distill years of knowledge into affordable and portable books. Whether you're planning a trip or thumbing for facts in the field, Basic Essentials books tell you what you need to know. Discover how to choose the right type of solo canoe, customize your solo canoe for peak performance, perform various braces and ferry strokes, pack and portage for camping expeditions and maintain and repair your solo canoe.

About the Author

Cliff Jacobson has been a popular writer of canoeing and camping topics for more than a decade. He began with tandem canoeing and discovered a more rewarding joy in his solo canoe. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 2nd edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762705248
• ISBN-13: 978-0762705245
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Sports > Water Sports > General

More About the Author

BIOGRAPHY
CLIFF JACOBSON


Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoor writers and wilderness guides.

Each summer, for more than 30 years, Cliff organized and led canoe trips for the Science Museum of Minnesota into the wilds of northern Canada--paddling many rivers above the Arctic Circle. A retired environmental science teacher (34 years!), Cliff is strongly committed to the ethic of "leave no trace" camping.

Cliff's unique methods are proven by the sweat of pack and paddle and are reminiscent of the days when skills were more important than things. Cliff is a popular speaker; he has presented hundreds of seminars at stores, schools, colleges and Universities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

Cliff is the author of more than a dozen popular books on outdoor skills. His flagship book, Expedition Canoeing, 20th Anniversary Edition, has been called the most authoritative resource available for canoeing the bush rivers of northern Canada. Cliff developed and wrote the Orienteering/Map and Compass, and wilderness ethics materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His unique "Wilderness Meal" activity--which simulates a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area--is among the most popular environmental education activities of all time. It's detailed in his book, Boundary Waters Canoe Camping. Cliff was the chief consultant for the canoeing section in the recent edition of the Boy Scout Field Book (Boy Scouts of America). His popular "ninety minute Forgotten Skills" video (DVD) details the most important campcraft procedures.

Cliff Jacobson is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, a recipient of the American Canoe Association's prestigious Legends of Paddling Award and a member of the ACA Hall of Fame. His hobbies include canoeing and camping (of course!), precision rifle shooting (powder-cartridge and air guns) and driving his 14 year old little red roadster on curvy roads with the top down. He and his wife, Sue Harings, were married in 1992 on a canoe trip down the Hood River (Canada) north of the Arctic Circle. The fully story is in his book, Expedition Canoeing.

You can contact Cliff through his web-site, www.cliff-jacobson.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Solo Canoe Book to Buy, October 28, 2005

By 

Don Watson "Outdoor Guide" (Lake Superior Country and Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Essentials Solo Canoeing, 2nd (Basic Essentials Series) (Paperback)

This is a great book for anyone who has or is thinking of buying a solo canoe. There are decided design and paddling differences between solo and tandem canoes and Cliff Jacobson covers most of these differences well. He begins telling his own history of using and building solo canoes since 1973 and gives an enthusiastic declaration for paddling solo canoes.
Choosing, tuning and outfitting the solo canoe are thoroughly covered as well as paddle strokes from the midpoint of your canoe. There is a chapter by Harry Roberts on "sit and switch" paddling with a bent shaft paddle and another chapter on freestyle technique by Charlie Wilson. These 2 chapters are alone easily worth the modest price of the book. There is included a short chapter on quick water techniques in a solo canoe. Solo Canoeing also covers camping and portaging the solo canoe and finishes up with sources for canoes and gear as well as a great index and glossary.
This is about the only readily available book on just solo canoeing and it is a really good guide to the nuances and pleasures of paddling solo. I hope to see the author expand this book in a third edition in the future and include a more comprehensive history of solo canoes from the time of the small native canoes (what we call rat boats in Alaska) to the time of Rushton and George Sears in the 19th century. Some of Mr. Jacobson's other books, like "Expedition Canoeing" have a chapter on solo canoes, but this is by far the most comprehensive treatment of the rediscovered and still evolving solo canoe.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slim volume packed with good information, April 3, 2000

By 

Rod Hanson (River Falls, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Essentials Solo Canoeing, 2nd (Basic Essentials Series) (Paperback)

To acquire the knowledge and insight that Cliff Jacobson reveals in "Solo Canoeing" would take a lifetime of experience. Save yourself some time and buy this little gem of a book. He covers all the basics: How to buy, equip, paddle, care for and enjoy a solo canoe. Jacobson has been canoeing for almost 50 years and has been writing about it for 30. His accumulated wisdom of the canoeing sport is vast, yet he is able to condense this down to the knowledge you will need to enjoy this sport. He includes a valuable appendix of suppliers who make the products he recommends in his book. I own several of Jacobson's books. Each one has delivered valuable information that was new and useful to my outdoor adventuring.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOLO CANOEING, June 9, 2010

By 

Ed Kacura "A fan of Canada" (Marana,AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basic Essentials Solo Canoeing, 2nd (Basic Essentials Series) (Paperback)

I'm fairly new to canoeing, did a lot of kayaking (sit on top). I bought a solo canoe because I can't haul camping gear in the kayak. This book has been really helpfull, in bringing me up to speed on canoes and solo operations.

It gives you info on choosing a canoe, paddles, accesories, safety, proper paddling strokes,and camping with your solo canoe. Cliff Jacobson has been plying the waters of northern Minnesota all his life, and knows a little something about canoeing and camping there.

This is a very good reference for anyone new to the world of solo canoeing, I highly recommend this book, you'll learn a lot from Cliff and his vast experience.