It takes big water........

[paddledog]

It takes big water to ender a Tandem Canoe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGlvT5R1 ... r_embedded#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Prairie Tater]

AMAZING!!! I especially like the way the bow paddler grabs the gunnels and hangs in there as long as possible. She's airborn at least six feet above the river. Would like to have seen the rest come thru. Thanks for posting.

Prater

[c8mb]

I know this has probably been posted before, but that clip reminded me of this.....

[paddledog]

Now That's funny......I don't care who you are.

What would you put for a caption on that photo?

[canoe]

That C2 was designed and built and owned by Paul Bishop of Pittsburg, Kansas. The guys in the boat borrowed the boat from Paul during the FIBARK festival in Buena Vista, Colo. back in the 80's. I don't think they had paddled a C2 before, and swam. I think Paul still has the original mold, and poster. Laurie Smith-Fisher and I used to own an 11ft., cut down version of the same boat(I think she still has it). If we got upside down, I would tuck, and Laurie would roll us up. She could even hand roll both of us, with me just going along for the ride. Dale

[okieboater]

I had a couple of Paul's kayaks.

Paddled a z-axis squirt boat for years and if memory correct Bull Winkle sold it for me to someone in AR. I got a Big Foot to replace it and still have that boat. Got it out last summer. Who sez glass does not shrink - I could still get in the kayak, but it was really a tight fit.

The other was a Frog Foot river runner which I ended up selling to Dennis many years ago. Not sure if he still has it or not.

Anyway, Paul was a expert craftsman. His boats were very light weight but very strong and just a joy to paddle.

Not sure what happened to Paul. He told me the frog foot (he made two of them) was gonna be his last boat.

Paul had a restored Land Cruiser which was just beautiful. He was building glass petal mountain bike frames when Jon Harrison and I picked up our two Frog Foot kayaks.

Paul was a real craftsman and worked out of a shop in his back yard. One of the lesser known but nevertheless expert kayak designers and boat builders of that era.

[canoe]

Paul and Linda(wife) are still in Pittsburg. Son Jonah just spent few days at our cabin. We were in Crested Butte one year, when Paul was riding a prototype mountain bike that he had built out of brazilian mahoghony wood. Some guy offered him 5 grand on the spot for the bike. Great cratftsman. dale

[RandyJ]

Yep, I saw that bike once. Belongs in a museum, along w/ some of his boats.

[JohnB]

Paul is alive and well and was present at the BPaddleN Harvest Fest.

[GutIt]

In the early ‘80’s I had a hankerin’ to have a squirt. One of the best builders in the business was Paul. There weren't too many places you could get a boat of that kind at the time. He had just come out with his Y-Axis and I wanted one. He was great to talk to and was the consummate custom builder. He would take your measurements, ask you to come to his shop to make sure he had them right, and build you a boat that was a second skin. He called me back several times as we were talking about him building me a boat.

Ironic you guys should mention him because I was wondering just a couple of weeks ago what had become of him and his awesome boats. Guess I never really got over my hankerin’ for a squirt, but I just couldn’t get the bread together at the time for one of his works of art. I had not so long before that shelled out for my Dancer that replaced my holoform.

Now, I sure wish I had that boat!

[GutIt]

The reason I was thinking about this a couple of weeks ago was that I was trying to remember what Paul did bidness under.

Please help me out here if you can, but didn't he dba Mastercraft?

[canoe]

He is a Master Pattern Maker, Not sure about Mastercraft. Dale

[Flapjack]

Yes his shop name was Mastercraft and it is in Frontenac, Ks. me and the wife had lots of fun helping paul build boats think Paul is completely retired now, son Jona runs the shop still. I have started a Bishop boat museum but i still like a few. Kahuna

[GutIt]

I sure would like to have a peek at that archive sometime, Kahuna! Very cool!

I remember when that photo was shot, c8mb. It was in every paddling shop in the country! As I recall, it was shot at Hell Hole back before it changed for the worse during a high water event.

[Flapjack]

Actually, it was taken at the big ender rock below #4 at a medium high level. The two fellers were 1st class c-boaters that were in the cks hotdog contest on the Ark. river. We made the boat in the winter and Paul wanted them to try it out. They did and the boat went almost to #5 before someone fished it out but didn't hurt the boat. Bishop boats were tough. Kahuna