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country.com™
Published:
February 20, 2000
River
Ridge Canoe
By John Gallaspy
The River Ridge Custom Canoe
is to canoeing as a custom limo is to the taxi
business!
This one-of-a-kind canoe is
built by a couple of serious fishermen up in
Rochester, Minn., who have really put a lot of
thought into its design. Made of sturdy
fiberglass, the canoe is not as light as the
average Royalex or even standard fiberglass canoe,
but, because of the features and design, no
comparison can be made between them.
The River Ridge Custom Canoe
is beautifully crafted with two comfortable swivel
seats atop mahogany benches, plenty of storage
capacity, built-in battery harness and wiring, and
a specially designed square stern for a trolling
motor as well as storage compartment.
Outfitted with a 36- to
50-pound thrust trolling motor (depending on water
and current conditions), this is one canoe that
will let you keep your bait in the water, instead
of spending all your time positioning the boat.
Awash with creature comforts, additional features
include brackets holding small tackle trays, drink
holders, rod racks that hold up to four spare rods
across the gunwales out of the way (watch for
strainers and overhanging branches) and optional
large umbrellas that mount into built-in holders
on the seat backs.
The Sportsman's Model
features three adjustable drink holders, two
detachable double-tier tackle boxes, ribs in the
bottom of the canoe to fit the battery, a wiring
harness from front to rear, your choice of three
camo patterns for the seats, custom rod or gun
holders, even a custom camo paint job and optional
blind, excellent for hunting.
The canoes are available in
six basic colors from forest green to hunter
bronze, my favorite. The overall length is
12-feet, 9-inches, with a 39-inch beam. Weighing
in at 84 pounds, it is not ideal for any Class
III, shallow rocky bottoms or portaging
excursions. But, on open water, moderate streams,
most rivers or about 90 percent of fishable inland
water, its comfort features and design makes you
feel more like you are in a bass boat than canoe.
For more details and
options, you can go to the company's web site,
www.riverridgecustomcanoes.com or call (507)
288-2750. |
