Necky Zoar Sport
Posted by: pblanc
on Dec-08-12 6:35 PM (EST)
I'd be willing to bet good money that somebody, somewhere has capsized that boat.
I will admit that I have canoed in Minnesota in the winter on pretty cold water without protective clothing other than fleece or pile (no wetsuit or dry suit) so I am not going to say the idea is idiotic. On the other hand I stayed close to shore and was never more than 1/2 hr from my car.
If you plan to be out no more than an hour, you too would be no more than 1/2 hr away from some type of protection. I would advise staying close to shore and carrying a set of dry, warm clothes and a towel in a dry bag just in case.
Is there power boat traffic on your lake? I don't know what folks are like where you live, but I lived and paddled on a lake in Tennessee and had the unfortunate experience of having someone in a power craft intentionally try to swamp me a couple of times. Also, sometimes boat wakes reflecting off of the shore bank will meet the wake coming in to shore and amplify the wave heights somewhat unpredictably. I would never assume that a capsize would be impossible.