Come hell or high water, 73-year-old Bruce McGonigal and his pal Rob Goodine intend to float a homemade catamaran 30 kilometres down the Bulkley River from Quick to Smithers in northern B.C. in August.

Their plan sparks a notable question: what would inspire someone to undertake such an endeavour?

B次元官网网址淚 never thought I would live to experience a pandemic and IB次元官网网址檓 going crazy,B次元官网网址� McGonigal said. B次元官网网址淚 was outside thinking of something to do and I saw the two kayaks under a tarp and had this epiphany; it just kind of flashed and then it kind of just morphed.B次元官网网址�

It morphed into a craft, dubbed the HMCV Cat 1, with two boat seats and a cooler bolted onto a wooden superstructure attached to the two kayaks with an oar for a rudder.

B次元官网网址淲hen you think about it, itB次元官网网址檚 quite a stupid thing that we are about to do,B次元官网网址� McGonigal said.

B次元官网网址淪tructurally, those two kayaksB次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檙e not designed to take that kind of force as a catamaran,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淧oints of contact, thatB次元官网网址檚 going to be the issue.B次元官网网址�

To resolve that issue, McGonigal initially bolted the superstructure onto the kayaksB次元官网网址� bow and stern with GRK RSS screws, a rugged structural screw with high tensile, torque and shear strength. But looking at craft afterward, he recognized while the screws themselves might hold up, there was another potential problem.

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B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 going to be all kinds of force and the only thing [holding the platform on] is the fibreglass thickness of the kayak at the bow and stern,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淚t became readily apparent that the four RSS screws were not adequate.B次元官网网址�

So, he added four cinching belts.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 now putting all my faith in the four cinching belts that bind the superstructure to the mid-frame of the kayaks in addition to the four GRKs,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be a test by fire.B次元官网网址�

McGonigal B次元官网网址� who has been on the river many times in other kinds of crafts and who worked in water management in Smithers for 35 years B次元官网网址� figures by mid-August the river will be into its lower flow phase and most of the 30-or-so kilometres will be a fairly casual float.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a coastal, sort of fairly high-velocity river on the west coast,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou just have to be attentive, there are some log jams, so you just pick the best channel.B次元官网网址�

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However, there are three critical points where hydraulic conditions could be a major factor.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e not to be ignored or taken casually,B次元官网网址� he said.

The first is just above the Telkwa Bridge.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 some fast heavy water in there,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think IB次元官网网址檓 only talking Class 1, no more than Class 2 [rapids] for sure, but in this contraption weB次元官网网址檒l have to pick the best line.B次元官网网址�

The next one is at Eddy Park, where they will have to avoid heavy water in the eddy, but McGonigal believes there is a side channel they can use to get around it.

Finally, the big test, the standing wave at Tatlow Falls, a favourite play area for kayakers, canoeists, riverboarders and even motorboaters, but has unlikely ever seen the likes of McGonigalB次元官网网址檚 latest invention.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been over, around, Tatlow Falls many times so you just do river right,B次元官网网址� he said.

WhatB次元官网网址檚 the worst that could happen?

B次元官网网址淭he worst-case scenario is we go under and we donB次元官网网址檛 come up,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎 more realistic scenario is the boat breaks up and either a) we salvage the kayaks and paddle down or b) if the whole thing floats away on us, we paddle to shore and start walking to a road.B次元官网网址�

In any case, he said he has the best partner for the task. Goodine, a local contractor, is a big, strong guy, he said.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 cannon-proof, heB次元官网网址檚 rock solid,B次元官网网址� McGonigal said. B次元官网网址淲hen things go sideways, heB次元官网网址檚 the kind of guy you want at your side.B次元官网网址�

They are not picking a date for the adventure, simply waiting for the first calm, sunny, 20 C degree day in August.

They are also not planning to test the boat or have anybody monitoring the float.

B次元官网网址淚 just want to put it in and see what happens,B次元官网网址� McGonigal said.

editor@interior-news.com
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